Head to Toe: Spleen
In this episode we’ll explore perhaps the most confusing organ – the spleen. It’s a body part, a disease and a state of mind all in one. According to some it purified the blood, others thought it acted as a back-up liver. Romans thought the spleen stopped you from running fast and suggested burning it with a hot iron to speed up. Others argued that the spleen was the source of laughter and joy. The spleen might not make it onto a 21st century Greatest Hits of the Organs album, but it was key to ancient medicine.