In the 1630s, children in southern France described a chilling sensation: worms wriggling beneath their skin. Were these parasitic infestations or figments of their imagination? Centuries earlier, a 14^th-century French king insisted his body was made of glass, fearing a single misstep could shatter him. And today, doctors encounter baffling conditions like stiff person syndrome, fibromyalgia, long Covid, and the common migraine.

What links these mysteries across time? Why do some ailments defy explanation, even in our advanced medical era? Unsolved Medical Mysteries: Explaining the Unexplainable is your chance to explore the strangest and most confounding cases in medical history. Over 12 gripping lectures, acclaimed author, historian, and medical humanities expert Dr. Brandy Schillace guides you on a fascinating journey into the unknown, from historical enigmas to modern medical conundrums. With her unique blend of storytelling and scientific insight, Dr. Schillace digs into a range of medical mysteries, from autoimmune malfunctions to neurological disorders.

This course is not just about what we don’t know—it’s about the hope of discovery. As Dr. Schillace emphasizes, every unanswered question is an opportunity. Whether it’s decoding the genetic causes of autoimmune disorders or unraveling the neuroscience of Alzheimer’s or autism, each discovery brings us closer to explaining the unexplainable. This course is a celebration of curiosity, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge—a must for anyone intrigued by the stranger side of science and the hope of solving medicine’s greatest puzzles.

Rated 5 out of 5 by LynMc from Thought provoking I have been delighted with this offering from Ms. Schillace. I admire her brilliance, sincerity and evident dedication to tackle this complex subject. I am also impressed with her willingness to weave her own experience into her lectures. While I welcomed the return to a more rigorous standard for The Great Courses, there is room for outstanding and creative minds who think outside the box and are quite able to inject humour and anecdote into the presentation of these strange and thought-provoking conditions. It has led to my greater appreciation of how many maladies we have come to understand through a long process of often generational effort. The majority of courses I review here are by lauded authorities who are recognized for their facility at communicating challenging material. While this presenter may not have a medical degree, she is deeply acquainted with her material. She can bring otherwise unimaginable conditions to light in a way we may all ponder.

Date published: 2025-07-13

Rated 5 out of 5 by LT in WA from A fascinating short history course I found this course terrifically interesting -- full of historical tales of obscure maladies and how they have been perceived and treated over the centuries. The lecturer is a historian and journalist, not a medical professional, and this course is a quirky and enjoyable set of lectures on the historical origins & treatment of various rather obscure maladies. However, the hybrid nature of the course (part science, part medicine, part history) and the fact that the lecturer does not have a medical background means that viewers who are expecting high-level scientific/medical knowledge will be very disappointed. That's unfortunate, but don't skip this course if you enjoy odd bits of medical history from over the centuries and around the (mostly European) world. Best to read the reviews first on this one and then decide if this course will be one that suits you.

Rated 5 out of 5 by Jeff Towers from Nice addition to gc+ medical courses This is an excellent complement to courses like Goodman's Anat&Phys, Norden's Brain, Neargarder's Brain Disorders, Heller's Sleep, Benaroch's suite, and many others. This course is interesting because it deals with topics that would be uncomfortable in a medical course, where the evidence is equivocal or wanting but the issues are important or curious. Schillace's lectures each bring together a selection of related or sometimes analogous disorders. In some cases she brings a personal interest in the condition which adds an interesting view from the inside. I would like another 12 more lecture in this vein (at least). There are some exciting possibilities. As many of the lectures dealt with neurological pathologies, it would have been interesting if someone like Oliver Sacks could have weighed in, possibly, say, Suzanne O'Sullivan in the UK, Mukherjee, Lisa Saunders, or the great courses Profs. Such a collaboration might be helpful for Schillace in her quest as well. Also, it would be interesting to tie into the existing great courses, where these lectures draw on and extend existing material to facilitate the learning path.

Date published: 2025-06-30

Rated 5 out of 5 by RadAliGre from Absolutely fascinating I was probably drawn to this because I am a lifelong mystery to the medical profession myself - and I really love science and social history. Dr Brandy Schilacce (apologies for any misspelling) is a thoroughly knowledgeable and engaging lecturer, and wove the intricate threads of research together well, and produced a compelling narrative.

Date published: 2025-06-27

Rated 1 out of 5 by Don385 from Too Bad I’ve been a long time fan of The Great Courses/Wondrium/The Great Courses again, and usually enjoy and learn a great deal from the lectures. I’ve never had the need nor inclination to review any previous course but now find myself in the unenviable position of doing so because in my opinion this course simply is not worthy of The Great Courses. Initially I had a lot of hope for this course and watched multiple episodes but it’s become very obvious that this lecturer has a very limited knowledge of the material and many of the details and “facts” she presents are simply false or misleading. Her bio says she’s a historian and journalist, which begs the question as to why she is presenting on a medical/scientific subject? She says things as a journalist might in order to titillate the imagination but or does not appear to have the background to discriminate between things people have said and confirmed scientific facts. I have a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology and a previous background in medicine. I have practiced in multiple settings for well over 25 years and have found myself openly disagreeing with many of the simplified versions of complex issues she has presented especially when they relate to mental health issues. That might be fine if this was a being done for entertainment purposes, but it’s always been my impression that goal of The Great Courses was to educate and inform especially when it involves scientific subject matter. I find myself disappointed not only in this course but in The Great Courses for offering it.

Date published: 2025-06-25

Rated 5 out of 5 by the professor from Where Science Meets Storytelling. An Exploration. As someone with a PhD in Environmental Toxicology and a lifelong commitment to rigorous scientific inquiry, I was initially uncertain about what to expect from this course. My experience with The Great Courses spans over 1100 courses since 2002, including excellent advanced calculus, organic chemistry, biochemistry, 96 lecture Astronomy, etc.I value courses that stretch the intellect, This course stands as one of those interstitial gems, one that offers both stimulation and respite. Dr. Brandy Schillance, while not a practicing scientist, brings the strengths of a science communicator and cultural historian to the material. Her delivery is charismatic and dynamic, rich in gesture and deeply engaging. Unlike many of the recent THC's selections that feel teleprompted: I miss the Dr. Rufus Fears, Dr. Greenberg, Daniel Robinson captivating delivery: this one carried the feel of an actual classroom setting, personal and alive. The 12 lectures covered an interesting range from "tree man" condition, dissociative identity disorder which I suffered from after Vietnam service for many years as the medical team could not figure out something I could not clearly describe: a brilliant endocrinologist did. Lectures include a review of migraine headaches, patients who could not awaken, the realm between life and death, and marvels and malfunctions of the memory. For learners seeking a well-told, thought provoking, and refreshingly different kind of intellectual adventure, this course is a worthwhile choice. Not every course must be a deep dive into mechanisms and models. This was a very enjoyable course with a very passionate lecturer, and I do recommend it.

Rated 1 out of 5 by steve23 from Disturbing I was disheartened to see another new offering from TLC of opinion and agenda masquerading as science. For instance, the presenter makes much of the recent NIH study on ME/CFS (which was published in an obscure online journal with low readership and impact score), which claims to identify a number of physiological correlates of ME/CFS. Well, I took the trouble to actually read this study. As authors themselves note, "Over 20 different diagnostic criteria underscore the difficulty in defining the clinical symptom content of ME/CFS7. The usual symptoms are non-specific and overlap with other diseases, hence misattribution is frequent." Indeed, of the 484 potential subjects at first appeared to have ME/CFS in this study, only 17 were finally deemed to have the actual thing. The presenter nonetheless persists in presenting these findings as if they apply to everyone who thinks they may have ME/CFS. The presenter also neglects to mention that there have been literally hundreds of similar "positive" small-scale studies of biomarkers of ME/CFS over the years, none of which have been found to generalize to a larger study population. Why does she think that this one will turn out to be different? The presenter implies that scientists and physicians have not taken these complaints of suffering seriously. It would do her well to take science itself more seriously rather than promulgating misinformation and half-truths.

Date published: 2025-06-23

Rated 1 out of 5 by UsakurtMDVienna from unbelievable nonsense I must say this course was for me, a medical doctor, by far the weirdest production I ever stumbled upon in the offerings of the Great Courses.. Simply no lecture was worth watching.. but for example the lecture on "Morgellans" which in a completely chaotic fashion draged on till a debunked theory on Lymes Disease as stemming from biowepon research was presented as possible bordered on the unbelievable. As a M.D. I can laugh incredulously at such antics..but the public at large should not be confronted with this. This is unworthy of the GC and makes me sad.

Date published: 2025-06-20