Episode 3.8. The American Plan

09/01/23 • 35 min

While WWI was fought overseas, there was another war closer to home—a war on women known as “The American Plan.” Under the American Plan, tens of thousands of women were detained and injected with toxic chemicals based on their perceived ability to spread venereal disease, all in the name of protecting our soldiers. This week, our guest is comedian and sex-worker rights advocate Kaytlin Bailey, host of the Oldest Profession Podcast. We are talking about the history of sex work in America, the Mann Act, the Comstock Act, and the lasting legacy of the American Plan, which can still be felt today.

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Episode 3.7. Psychotropic Drugs in Nineteenth Century France

Nineteenth century France was a “nation on drugs”: psychotropic drugs were widely used and easily accessible for everything from everyday pain and mental issues to surgeries and brothel visits. This week, we talk to Dr Sara Black about the rise of Opium, Morphine, Cocaine, Ether, Chloroform, and Hashish—how they were researched and normalized until they were used by most of the country. We’re talking medical history, obstetrics, aphrodisiacs, psychiatric care, recreational use, philosophy and more. Dr Black’s new book is Drugging France: Mind-Altering Medicine in the Long Nineteenth Century.

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Episode 3.9. Inside the Chicken Ranch, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” was a hit musical on Broadway, later made into a movie starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds. But what about the Chicken Ranch, the real brothel the story was based on? This week, we talk to Jayme Lynn Blaschke about the history of sex work in Texas, the first brothels in La Grange, poultry as payment, and Miss Edna, the last madam of the Chicken Ranch. Jayme is the author of “Inside the Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse.”