The Mystery of the Sleepy Sickness

In this episode of "Stuff You Should Know," Josh and Chuck delve into the medical mystery of encephalitis lethargica (EL), also known as "sleepy sickness," which caused an epidemic in the early 20th century. They discuss the initial flu-like symptoms, the various neurological manifestations including hypersomnolence, paralysis, and psychiatric changes, and the different forms of the disease as classified by Dr. Constantin von Economo. The hosts reference the movie "Awakenings," based on Oliver Sacks' book, which depicted his work with chronic EL patients in the 1960s and the temporary effectiveness of L-DOPA. They explore the challenges in determining the cause and transmission of EL, the failed attempts to link it to specific infections or toxins, and the modern understanding of it potentially being an autoimmune disorder triggered by an infection. The episode concludes with a listener mail segment about the origin of the term "cart" in radio broadcasting.