Welcome to the podcast of the curious cases of Rutherford and Fry.

Episode four, the squeamish swoon.

Is another one about you?

I know, well, you get to do all the field work,

I get to have all of the episodes about me.

But the squeamish swoon is why you faint so easily

if I even mention gushing blood.

In many ways, this episode is about you enjoying torturing me

by bringing up images of deeply horrifying

so blood-based. No, I'm doing that.

The sound of blood gurgling from an open wound.

That's the problem here, is it? No, stop it. Don't like it.

Today's case is one which has perplexed medical science for centuries

and yet affects almost half of the population.

Yes, it was brought to us by the excellently named Philip Lourish.

He asks the following question.

Why do some people faint at the sight of blood

or a hypothermic needle or even if they bash their funny bone?

Does it serve any useful evolutionary purpose

or is it just some kind of cerebral error regards Philip?

Yes, why do we faint? What happens when we pass out?

This is what we'll be investigating in the case of the squeamish swoon.

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