Reddit Doctors Share 19 Human Body Facts, From Fish-Sperm Heparin Reversal to 300 Million Smallpox Deaths
Updated
Updated · BuzzFeed · Jul 20
Reddit Doctors Share 19 Human Body Facts, From Fish-Sperm Heparin Reversal to 300 Million Smallpox Deaths
3 articles · Updated · BuzzFeed · Jul 20
Summary
A Reddit thread on r/medicalschool compiled 19 body and medicine facts that doctors and medical students said most surprised them during training.
Several posts focused on anatomy and reproduction, including that sperm can pass through the fallopian tubes into the pelvic cavity and that pregnancy has occurred with one ovary and the opposite-side tube.
Others highlighted treatment and physiology: bone marrow rescue follows near-lethal chemotherapy, amniotic fluid is largely fetal urine that is swallowed, and protamine sulfate reversing heparin is derived from fish sperm.
The discussion also surfaced broader clinical lessons, from monoclonal antibodies ending in “-mab” to inflammation driving much disease and alcohol misuse causing severe malnutrition through poor intake and blocked absorption.
One contributor ended on public-health history, noting smallpox killed an estimated 300 million people in the 20th century before vaccination eradicated it worldwide.