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In 1726, England was gripped by one of the strangest medical scandals in history.

Mary Toft, a poor woman from Surrey, claimed she was giving birth to rabbits — a story so extraordinary that it fooled physicians, surgeons, and even the royal court. For months, respected medical professionals examined her, debated her condition, and published findings that would later become a source of national embarrassment.

In this episode of The Eclectic, we explore the Mary Toft affair in full: how the hoax unfolded, why so many educated men believed it, and what the scandal reveals about class, gender, medical authority, and the hunger for spectacle in eighteenth-century England.

This is a story of deception, desperation, and a society willing to suspend reason — all wrapped in one of history’s most bizarre cases.

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In February 1959, nine experienced hikers died in the remote Ural Mountains under circumstances so strange they continue to defy explanation.

Their tent was cut open from the inside.
They fled barefoot into sub-zero temperatures.
Some suffered catastrophic injuries with no external wounds.
Others showed signs of radiation exposure.

In this episode of The Eclectic, we examine the Dyatlov Pass Incident in detail — reconstructing the expedition, the final night, the discovery of the bodies, and the official Soviet investigation. We explore the leading theories, from avalanches and infrasound to military testing, while separating documented fact from decades of speculation.

More than a mystery, the Dyatlov Pass case is a chilling reminder of how quickly nature, secrecy, and fear can converge — and how some questions refuse to stay buried in the snow.

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The Dyatlov Pass Mystery May Have Just Been Solved by New Video Evidence

The Dyatlov Pass Incident - J.H. Moncrieff

Russia's 'Dyatlov Pass' conspiracy theory may finally be solved 60 years later | Live Science

Dyatlov Pass Incident, information from the Russian sources : r/UnresolvedMysteries

Death

Dyatlov Pass Incident | Victims, Photos & Theories | Study.com

The Dyatlov Pass incident: How did nine Russian hikers lose their lives? | Sky HISTORY TV Channel

The Mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident - LOST IN HISTORY

The Dyatlov Pass Incident - Atlas Obscura

Dyatlov Pass incident - Wikipedia

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John Bodkin Adams: The Doctor Who Was Always There at the End

Eastbourne was meant to be a place to grow old quietly.
Neat streets. Polite society. Doctors you trusted with your life.

John Bodkin Adams was one of those doctors.

Over decades, elderly patients under his care died suddenly — often after injections, often without witnesses, and frequently after rewriting their wills. He attended funerals. He comforted grieving families. And, time and again, he benefited.

In this episode of The Eclectic, we examine the life and crimes of Dr John Bodkin Adams, a GP suspected of murdering dozens of patients while hiding behind professional respectability and social privilege. We explore the pattern of deaths, the police investigation that was quietly resisted at the highest levels, and the extraordinary trial that left more questions than answers.

Was Adams a compassionate doctor easing suffering — or one of Britain’s most prolific serial killers, protected by status and silence?

Because sometimes, the most dangerous figures aren’t monsters in the dark — they’re trusted men in plain sight.

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John Bodkin Adams - Wikipedia

Randalstown Heritage Tales - Randalstown Arches Association

Adams, John Bodkin | Dictionary of Irish Biography

THE TRIAL OF DR. ADAMS: DRAMA IN THE COURTROOM; OLD BAILEY - The New York Times

Shipman and Bodkin Adams in the dock - The Lancet Psychiatry

John Bodkin Adams | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Scandalous Eastbourne – Travel log lewes

John Bodkin Adams, A Curious And Dubious Doctor - HeadStuff

RECOMMENDED FURTHER READING FOR LISTENERS

• The Trial of John Bodkin Adams — Percy Hoskins
• Bodkin Adams: A Doctor’s Deceit — John Surtees
• BBC Timewatch episode on Adams
• National Archives: DPP files on Operation Standstill