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Doctor Mike's blindfold test uncovers medicine's stranger tools

Medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris brings plague masks, a failed clockwork saw and a wooden stethoscope to a hands-on history lesson.

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Doctor Mike Story of October 26, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? 1,810,648 views so far, and here is what is inside it.

The Worst Medical Devices In History

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0:31The plague mask introduces miasma theory, which blamed disease on bad air.
2:14Fitzharris identifies the mechanical blade as a replica of a failed clockwork surgical saw.
15:19Mike recognizes the wooden cylinder as an early stethoscope, designed by René Laennec in 1816.
19:08A urine color chart leads into historical diagnosis, including testing urine for sweetness associated with diabetes.
21:30The brass instrument is revealed as a World War I gas-attack alarm.
22:26Fitzharris explains how wartime injuries accelerated advances in transfusions, reconstructive surgery and anesthesia.

What can a doctor recognize without looking? Doctor Mike identifies an early stethoscope surprisingly quickly, but a World War I gas alarm has him guessing it might be a whistle.

In "The Worst Medical Devices In History," medical historian Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris guides him through a blindfolded encounter with objects that range from useful inventions to failed experiments. Not everything belongs in a doctor's bag: a replica Victorian fake mermaid makes an appearance, too.

The plague mask provides an early lesson in how a mistaken explanation could shape medical equipment. Fitzharris explains miasma theory, the belief that bad air caused disease. The beaked outfit was designed around that understanding, rather than the germ-based explanation that came later.

A replica clockwork saw brings a more alarming attempt at innovation. Fitzharris describes the failed mechanical cutting device while Mike explores it by touch. Viewers keep returning to his handling of the saw, with one asking how such an object could get through airport security.

The objects also reveal continuities beneath the unfamiliar designs. A wooden cylinder turns out to be René Laennec's early stethoscope. Later, Fitzharris explains how physicians tasted urine for sweetness to detect diabetes, and Mike connects that search for diagnostic clues with modern point-of-care urine dipsticks.

The video includes a paid sponsor segment. Its closing stretch moves beyond the guessing game: Fitzharris explains how the devastating injuries of industrial warfare accelerated developments in blood transfusions, reconstructive surgery and anesthesia.

There's more room for her historical accounts in the channel's separate conversation, "The Worst Surgeries Of All Time | Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris," published October 25, which extends from barber surgeons to the invention of plastic surgery.

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A different discovery todayVideo taking off 47x its usual first dayDiane Sawyer's Patrick Stewart interview closes World News TonightThe October 29 edition also covers Alaska's Senate probes and a Pentagon firing, but its comment section belongs largely to the actor.Channel: ABC News · Story of October 31, 2026

What viewers say

Still blows my mind how far medicine has come
@michaelrivichSee it on YouTube
3:04 Can we talk about how she got through airport security with that thing? 👀
@Lol-kp6glSee it on YouTube
Thank you so much for having me on the show, Doctor Mike!
@UnderTheKnifeShowSee it on YouTube

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The facts

Channel: Doctor Mike
Subscribers: 15,100,000
Channel views, last 7 days: 19,273,625
Channel views, pace per day: 2,156,200 (on a normal day: 3,275,137)
Video published: October 21, 2026
Video views so far: 1,810,648 (5 days online)

The numbers

The medical-history guessing game has drawn about 1.8 million views in five days. Its viewing is ordinary for Doctor Mike; the objects and their stories are the attraction.

subscribers

15,100,000

no significant change in the last 7 days

total views

5,787,576,488

views per day

2,156,200

typical day: 3,275,137

the video

views

1,810,648

likes