
Dr. Henry K. Beecher: The Placebo Effect
From Smart Tea by Aarati Asundi
May 20, 2026 · 54 min · Episode 59
About this episode
Aarati discusses the ethical implications of the placebo effect and its impact on clinical trials, inspired by Dr. Henry K. Beecher's observations.
Your mind can be a powerful drug, but when (if ever) is it ethical to choose mind over matter? Aarati tells the story of an army doctor who observed the placebo effect in soldiers and then went on to transform how we conduct clinical trials. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com.
People in this episode
Host: Aarati Asundi
Topics covered
- placebo effect
- clinical trials
- ethics
- medicine
- psychology
Keywords
- placebo effect
- Dr. Henry K. Beecher
- clinical trials
- ethics
- medicine
- psychology
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Smart Tea
More episodes of Smart Tea
- Dr. Alan Hart: The Tuberculosis Radiologist · June 3, 2026 · 59 min
- Dr. Carlos Finlay: The Mosquito Man · May 6, 2026 · 56 min
- Dr. John B. Goodenough: Lithium-ion Batteries · April 22, 2026 · 58 min
- Dr. Tetsuya "Ted" Fujita: Mr. Tornado · April 8, 2026 · 56 min
- Dr. Alice Stewart: The Anti-Radiation Activist (Part II) · March 25, 2026 · 49 min
- Dr. Alice Stewart: The Radiation Epidemiologist (Part I) · March 11, 2026 · 1h 9m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Smart Tea podcast page.