Talking Shit with a Yank & a Brit - 38. After The Good Doctor Died
Episode Date: February 16, 2024We kick off this week with skunks & groundhogs before diving into a Woman of Glory story, and end the episode with a game of neutral lyrics! Tell us how many lyrics you guessed @TSYBPOD or Ta...lkShitToUs@gmail.com!
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Hello there, and welcome back to Talking Shit with a Yank and a Brit.
I'm the Brit, she's the Yank.
Here we are, talking like skanks.
That's the only thing I can think of that rhymed with Yank.
Honestly, it's true, so it's perfect.
We do talk like skanks.
And skunks.
I'm really glad that we don't have skunks in this country
i know i as soon as i said it i was like oh let's talk about your lack of skunks
well it's a weird reference but when i play sims sometimes uh my dog always comes back
skinking stinking of skunk and i have to bath them all the time it's really irritating
and I'm like that's that doesn't happen here but I'm glad it doesn't happen there just in the
virtual world um I I might have told you this story before but I think it was one of the first
times the old nige came out to visit and we drove somewhere and I'm pretty sure like a skunk sprayed
or got hit by a car and therefore its scent got released. And he's like, someone's smoking a doobie.
And I was like, no, I think that's probably a skunk.
And he's like, what?
And I was like, yeah, like the animal, the skunk.
He's like, what?
And it does kind of smell a little bit pot-ish, which is why we probably refer to, you know, like that's some skunky weed or something, you know.
I always wondered why it was called skunk, and now I know.
That is why.
Today I learned. Thank you.
You're welcome. Learn something new from Kate every day.
Very helpful information, too, for your life.
You're going to go far with that, I bet.
Happy life-changing info.
Yeah, it really is.
Yeah, all right. Had a busy week um it's still winter
which sucks had had a brief moment of sun earlier and it was it was almost life-changing yeah
i was like oh my god sunshine but it's gone now and it's it's a gray um gray evening again
it's been raining for again. It's been
raining for like a week.
You must have a light on in your office because I thought you were sitting
in sun but what time is it there?
Yeah, I suppose
you probably saw a little daylight, right?
Yeah, that is
the good thing is that the sun
is going down later
and later. Before you know it
it's going to be up until nine o'clock do you guys
subscribe to the whole groundhog's day bullshit
in what context what do you mean well like groundhog's day do you guys talk about groundhog's
day do you guys like pay attention to whether or not it's a shadow or not no do you know what i'm talking about no i don't
think so oh my god okay so february 2nd is known as groundhog's day there is a movie
yeah i know the movie is related a little bit to it um but not really i mean it's about other
things but groundhog's day is a tradition here we're on on the 2nd of February. Pucks Tawny Phil.
And that's like the main one.
You know, he comes out of his hole.
And if he sees his shadow and is scared and goes back into his little den, then that means we have six more weeks of winter.
And if he doesn't, then that means we have an early spring.
And he's right about 40% of the time, which still is just random.
But it's a tradition that we honor.
And I'm like.
He's right half the time
yeah like and less than half I've never in my life was like oh thank god he didn't see a shadow
like that mean like I've never put any stock in it but this year because we've had literally no
snow in my neck of the woods and it's been really mild like we had a few cold days this week and
as I was sitting in the training that I'm leading earlier this week, I looked at the window and I was like, is that snow? But when I left for the
day, there was no snow on the ground. He didn't see his shadow this time around. So that means
early spring. And I was like, good, because if that motherfucker saw a shadow, I would have been
like, why is he trying to gaslight us when we are literally living in spring in January? That's
stupid. And I feel bad for him because it's just
this poor round hog you know that gets put in this hole and pulled out and all these reporters are
around and you know oh he's a real groundhog there is literally a groundhog yes puxtami pill
yeah i can't believe you've never heard this before no this is mad if you google it you'll
see all about it and he i mean obviously this has been going on for years
and years and years and years so like how old is the groundhog or anyone every year
through many groundhog ground hot hugs ground hoax there's been several
so i just and it's it's quite sunny today it's not super warm but it's not cold either um and
it's just like wow it's February and basically it's just been spring really yeah I think we're
gonna definitely get an early spring because we've already got daffodils out here groundhog said
groundhog said groundhog has spoken um but yeah there's already daffodils, which don't usually come out until the end of March.
I saw some snowdrops as well, which indicates spring. So yeah, global warming is happening.
Yeah. Not literal snowdrops. No, they're like little white flowers.
Yeah, we don't have any flowers, but it does seem like our grass is, I just don't think it ever died, to be honest.
Does it die every year with the snow?
I mean, usually when there's snow and it gets cold enough for the snow to sit for a while, it, yeah, it kills it.
Yeah.
I'm worried about what this means, though, for our spring if we don't have enough moisture to, like, kind of get the shit going again.
Like, I don't know what it's going to look like.
It could be a really ugly, dry, dead spring
and bad summer.
Yay!
I'm just going to tell you that you need your seasons, folks.
I do.
We need to stop burning those fossil fuels, guys.
Mm-hmm.
And all those big companies.
Cars and the cow farts.
It's ruining the environment.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. I mean, we're pretty much near the threshold now so unless something happens very soon we're fucked so welcome to the podcast on that note
um you got uh you got any plans for a little valentine's Day this week with good old Alan?
Yeah? No?
No.
Not that you know of. He might surprise you.
Maybe. He is the king of surprises.
I hope it's more of a prank, to be
honest.
You hear that, Alan? Prank time.
Valentine's prank, baby.
Yeah.
Now we talked about it and we're
non-believers of the
Valentine's tradition.
Me too.
So we're not really doing it.
I
have bought him an
offensive card though and I said I'd like
to do that. I mean take advantage
of that I guess right it's a nice
excuse to yeah abuse someone exactly I say me too and not us too because excuse me I I do think that
Nigel maybe likes to give a little card or something do something nice which is lovely I
don't mind but I always forget about it and I'm like fuck how do i do here you're such the man in the relationship no it's true i am
i do wear a lot of pants though so wow there you go a lot of skirts yeah
but uh yep it's coming up i think my week's a little too busy and
gotta i'm gonna be sucked into training again so it's just like. I think my week's a little too busy and I'm going to be sucked into training again.
So it's just like not even on my radar, but it is coming up.
So to all you lovebirds out there who do believe in it, this commercialized holiday that has its roots in Christianity, then I hope you have a good day.
Have a fantastic Valentine's Day and I hope you get your dick sucked.
Valentine's Day and I hope you get your dick sucked.
And who says we hate men every time
we record?
It was a nice thing you just said.
Exactly.
Who doesn't want that?
Speaking of dick sucking, I've got a story
for you. No, just kidding.
God, wouldn't that be? this is an xxx rated episode
we need to give an explicit language warning i mean we haven't yet but maybe we should start
um i know we took a break last week because of a few reasons of my illness and your birthday
and sometimes i think it's good to just go back to what we know with just straight talk and shit less preparation but i you know i did a little
work today this morning um looking time god and i'd like to tell you a tale tell me a story of a
woman of glory oh my god that was perfect That was perfect. That can be it.
That can be our little intro to this segment.
Yeah.
So cue the, I don't know, whimsical, beautiful, magical princess music if you want.
Whatever.
Because I'm going to tell you about the mystery of dr james berry
all right so james berry was born in the 18th century and was known for being a successful
medical surgeon in the british army okay hang in there with me okay it's gonna pay off
he was also a soldier and you know kind of all of those things too and went on to practice medicine for many years through the British Empire, known with distinction for his work.
And he eventually reached the rank of medical superintendent general, or in other words, head bitch in charge.
Yep.
And apparently participated in many duels of honor, obviously one, because he had a long, successful life and career.
And when he died in 1865, the sources that I used described him as a confirmed bachelor.
Oh.
So, do you have any questions for me right away, after I shared that? Just like a little bit with you?
One, well, you said he died in the 1800s, so I'm assuming that's when this took place.
Yeah.
Two, the name James would imply that he's a man.
I also used the pronoun he a couple times, so yeah.
Very student, you know, kind of observant of you.
Thank you.
Can't get anything by you, can I?
No.
That's why I'm in the career I'm in.
So naturally, your question is, are we talking about a dude here?
Yeah.
What's the deal, man?
Well, you know, after the good doctor died, it was discovered that James was a woman.
No.
Tale's oldest time.
I wrote that.
Done.
Right after that line.
Nice.
This is why we're friends. I'm doing this podcast.
So that's right.
Dr. James Berry was born Margaret Ann Buckley.
So, you know, initial reactions to that is like, okay, we got to like Mulan here, like
a story like Mulan or something.
What's the deal?
And it's kind of wild.
So I'm going to tell you.
I'm in um she was born in county cork ireland around 1789 and uh you know she was related to a famous painter
i've never heard of him but his name was james berry um famous irish painter does that ring a
bell never either it's not really about him either but but just fun fact. Famous uncle.
He was well-connected, wealthy, and heavily involved in Maggie's life, according to one source, along with other members of her family.
It was theorized that Margaret, or Maggie's grandmother, who I guess was maybe matriarch of the family, which might track for Irish families.
Maybe the women are a little bit more like, I'm the boss here, which is good for them.
Apparently, she was like, Margaret's going to... I can't do an Irish accent, so I'm not going to try, but Margaret's going to study medicine. And everyone's like, great idea, Grandma.
Margaret's going to study medicine. Great idea, Grandma. Perfect.
And even though everyone was like, yeah, that tracks it. The reality is, is like that's not a thing back then.
Women don't get to do that.
So kind of impossible.
Right.
Yeah.
You think.
Well, that is where, you know, Dr. James Berry comes into play here because they decided to rely on, uncle's connections and she and her mom moved
to London to make this dream come true. Also, just a side pivot, don't know a lot about her dad
in this story or her mom really other than mom was around. But what I read was that her mom was
called Marianne and her dad was called Jeremiah. And she was the second of reportedly, Maggie was the second of reportedly three children,
which we're going to come back to at the end of our story because it's important.
But Maggie and her mom go to London because grandma said she's going to be a doctor.
So.
They go to the big city, the big smoke.
Yep.
And is that what London's called?
The big smoke, yeah. And is that what London's called? The big smoke, yeah.
It was back in those days.
Because of like industry?
Yeah.
The Industrial Revolution turned everything black with coal.
And it was horrible.
And everyone just had lung issues.
Yeah.
From then on out.
So not super successful on the move.
Okay. Because they decided they had to leave London and set sail for good old Scotland
and
so they've gone Ireland, London, Scotland
yep
just trying all the spots
just trying to look everywhere
this is when good old Marge
decided she needed to
present as a boy
and donned her disguise or appearance
and took on a new name her uncle's name James um yep and it was theorized that her uncle
and or his important network of friends uh who she inherited following his death came up with
this idea like you got to be a dude that's just the way it is, kiddo. Um, so she was like, you're probably right. We hate women.
They won't let me be a female doctor. So I guess I'm going to be a male doctor. Her uncle had died,
which was why she could take on his name. And she was kind of able to be like, yep,
I'm his nephew. So, and no one really questioned that because I think enough important people were able to be like oh yeah Marianne had a boy and they named him James after her brother because he's super famous and
influential yeah probably weren't many records back then or social media so you can get around
that kind of thing and probably you could just have the right people write the right paperwork
you know yeah um so she did this and she was able to enroll in the university
of edinburgh and started to study yeah is that how you say it edinburgh um so sorry i lost my
basically this ruse worked so she studied to become a doctor people accepted who she was
not without rumors of course but okay uh because obviously despite making herself look like a man
dressed like a man she was yeah she's small in stature higher voice rumors were kind of like
is this person younger than their stated age? Is this actually a little
boy dressed or two little boys, you know, standing on top of each other dressed in a
trench coat kind of situation? Yeah. I think, you know, she managed to get through college,
got to sit through her exams and stuff. But I think at one point, they're like, you we don't
think you're old enough. So you're, we're not gonna let you sit. And so, you know, eventually,
she finished school at the age of 22 qualified for her you know medical
license or whatever md in 1812 was able to pass the examination for surgeons in 1813
excuse me and then eventually enlisted in the army and i don't know about you but i had some
questions about that yeah i would have thought they'd do like a medical and obviously you're
staying in like well i've never been in the army so i don't know but i visualize that they all sleep
in like dorms like in the movies you know good questions um so yes she there was some sort of
physical examination and the question is like how did you make that work?
One theory is given the well-connected nature of her uncle and his friends group who were, like, kind of helping, you know, facilitate this ruse.
Either managed to, like, doctor paperwork for her to be like, hey, look, you don't need to examine me, doc.
I already did that.
And here you go.
Like, hey, look, you don't need to examine me, doc.
I already did that.
And here you go.
Or they had a man basically stand in for her during the examination and get the paperwork and then swap out again.
Or she fashioned a willy out of sausage.
Yeah.
And doctors were so dumb back then.
Yeah.
They were just like, looks good.
A little slimy, but whatever.
Here's some meds for that um so they're not really sure
kind of how that happened but she she was able to enlist and uh i don't know if because of her role
as like physician in the army she was maybe given a different accommodation than maybe
the normal foot soldiers and maybe like there was a lot of different like the sources i read had
a lot of contradictory or different theories about how things went down so it's possible that maybe
even though she was like you're called a soldier even though you're the doctor you know but you
don't actually have to go be with the soldiers well i know someone who's in the army in training
to be one of the medical people medical soldiers i guess
i don't know what it's called um but he has to do the full army training yeah but then obviously
just won't get deployed onto like the front line front line fight yeah it could have been different
back in the 18th century to of they don't make him go through like basic or whatever.
Yeah.
Or maybe the physical examination while noting that she was a male or, you know, probably vacillate back and forth between she and he throughout the story.
But it could have been like, oh, but that club foot's going to make it real hard for her to do basic.
I imagine she was probably just very well connected and all her family were and they just you know ticked the wrong box yep yep that's my thinking too um and so after kind of going
through all of that she was initially commissioned to be a hospital assistant at a facility in Chelsea before moving on to Plymouth, where she was promoted to assistant staff surgeon.
Eventually, she basically, Gal continued to just be really successful.
She got moved to India before going to Cape Town, South Africa.
And then while serving in the military as a doctor, she performed the first successful C-section
where both mother and baby survived.
What?
That was in Africa.
They even named the baby after her as James because of that.
So like really keen on it.
And so she really carried on the male persona then.
Like I would have thought after she got in and was successful,
maybe she'd let it slip a bit and be like, I'm actually a lady.
Fooled you all.
And you have to accept me now.
No, this ruse, as you'll hear, was maintained until her death.
Crazy.
She was also very progressive in the way of being like medical care
and handling of medical matters was fucked
up and we need to change this while in africa she organized a better water system and like just
treat she was like she didn't limit her services to like wealthy people she treated anybody who
needed it poor rich slaves colonists whatever so like she was outspoken about that, critical of like the institution. She had a lot of people who were frustrated with her, like annoyed by her. And part of this makes me wonder if this was how she also maintained it, because she was described as tactless, impatient, argumentative, opinionated, short tempered. And I'm like, imagine what they would have called her if she was a woman.
I was just about to say yeah and some say it was you know maybe because like that's the mannerism she tried to adopt to
counteract her short stature and like a lot of people are like yeah she was effeminate but like
we just sometimes there's effeminate men out there whatever that's it and to be like respected as a
And to be respected as a male, masculine doctor.
Yep.
She eventually got sent to Canada, where she became the Inspector General of Hospitals,
which I don't know if you know anything about that kind of title.
It's basically internal affairs of the... That's at least what my understanding of it was.
I worked for the Inspector General of the Peace Corps in law school for a bit.
And it was kind of like making sure programming and stuff went well, did investigations, internal
investigations.
So I always like to kind of describe it as internal affairs for any given organization.
So also not going to make friends in that role, really.
But continue to like just try to make improvements for the poor and all of that and continue
to just be promoted
and serve the british army well and weirdly got into some trouble in saint helena and one source
suggested it was because of internal politics but she got arrested and still no one really
figured out her true kind of like orientation or identity.
So she got sent back to Britain and was demoted to staff surgeon, but kind of just again climbed the ranks and got promoted again after that little hiccup and continued to just work in like kind of advocacy and as a really like respected and revered doctor and surgeon.
like kind of advocacy and as a really like respected and revered doctor and surgeon.
I already told you, you know, kind of how she was described by her colleagues.
She greatly annoyed them and was particularly so when they would challenge her and her reactions to their challenges because she's like, I know best, do what I say.
And they're like, but what about this?
Apparently would set her off.
But it was said that she was always just trying to greatly enhance the lives of her patients by insisting on better conditions for the poor.
Fair.
Which, like, I get it's one thing to maybe want to be a doctor and get that glory and stuff and, like, be successful for yourself.
But it sounds like she truly was like, we got to do better.
Yeah.
To actually get it yes exactly um i mentioned duels earlier yes which well so my knowledge about duels is kind of limited to hamilton where you know hamilton and uh Burr had a duel but like I think generally it's kind of like
symbolic where people face each other and then like kind of when they're confronted they like
shoot somewhere else and whoever maybe like throws away their shot first is kind of the person who
is either the chicken or whatever but um so I don't know if she actually engaged in
true duels where it's like, we're going to
shoot each other and whoever dies
loses. Well, yeah.
It could have been guns. It could have been swords. I didn't
look too much into that because there's not a lot of
information. It could have been wands.
She was a wizard.
Yeah, it could have been feather dusters.
Yeah. I don't know.
Who knows? A duel dusters. Yeah. I don't know. Who knows?
A jewel of words.
Yep.
I'm going to destroy you with my vicious rhetoric.
Exactly.
But, like, so she, and I wonder if almost she felt like she had to do that just because, like, if I don't, then I can't keep up this ruse very well because this is what men do. They, we have to fight now because we're mad at each other.
I'm going to pretend I got testosterone.
Yep.
But apparently she was also a teetotaler and a vegetarian,
which also annoyed people.
Obviously.
Yeah.
You're Irish and you don't drink?
What the fuck?
Well, and I actually wonder i mean if her if she
was going around saying i'm the nephew of the famous irish painter james berry then obviously
was irish but i actually wonder if she tried to assimilate even more by like being less irish and
more british getting rid of her accent yeah yeah but she apparently got into it with the Florence Nightingale.
What?
Even.
They had some beef. And basically, Florence wrote after Maggie died that,
I never had such a black guard rating in all my life. I, who have had more than any women than from this Barry sitting on his horse while I was crossing the hospital square with only my cap
on in the sun. He kept standing in the midst of the crowd of soldiers commissariat servants camp followers
etc etc everyone whom behaved like a gentleman during the scolding I received while he behaved
like a brute after he was dead I was told that Barry was a woman I should say that Barry was
the most hardened creature I've ever met so she's a bit of a cunt um but let's talk about her death now okay because that whole time
living at us living as a man maybe people are like there's something a little off about dr
james but good at his job maybe a a bit of a dick, but got to respect it.
She eventually retired and returned to England, dying the following year of dysentery.
And apparently this whole time had a manservant named John and a dog. The manservant, I think,
was Jamaica, a black man. I mean, there's nothing about any sort of romantic relationships or sexual
orientation, kind of what people knew about her. So that's a good point. But we don't know.
The birth certificate indicated male. And I think that was likely due to, again, connections.
She obviously had a doctor friend who i think was able
to kind of maybe treat her and keep the secret like knew who she was and so it was willing to
like be her doctor i think that person signed the death certificate and indicated male um and
the issue came about because a woman actually tended to Maggie's body after death and unfortunately didn't say
anything. Well, not maybe not unfortunately, but didn't say anything until after Maggie's body was
buried, but basically said, uh, Dr. James is a woman. Um, and not only that, I think also gave
birth at a very young age because I saw some stretch marks that are typical of pregnancy, you know, also just has a vagina and breasts. And this disclosure basically resulted
in lots of controversy and debate because there are people who are like, no, no, I know Dr. James.
And even though it was odd, maybe a little feminine, short, that's because I have firsthand knowledge that he was born prematurely and his mother died during childbirth.
And that's why those are his features.
Other people are like, I knew all along Dr. James was a woman.
Yep.
And this debate went on for years and years.
And the British Army refused to release any records until 2008 when the papers were unsealed and
investigation occurred,
which confirms that in fact,
Dr.
James Berry was Margaret Ann Buckley.
What the fuck?
How old was she when she died?
Um,
well,
so the,
they say she was born around 1789 and then died in 1865 so old yeah 80s 90s yeah um and so once that was revealed
there was a lot of groups you know and this was in 2008 so like modern day um there was historians
and stuff who following the disclosure back in the 18th century, kind of dissected the claims that she was intersex or a hermaphrodite.
And that basically, or trans, I suppose, a trans woman or trans man.
basically said this is a sloppy explanation by men of the time to explain how she was able to persist because they struggled at the time to accept that this person, a female, was able to be
such a successful doctor. Yeah. It's just not possible. It's not possible. So she must be part
man. Obviously. God. Yep. And it just was to undermine the idea that a female could achieve as much as Barry did. So women can't be smart. They can't be doctors.
She must have been a man.
and it features the small stature,
but simply because they thought that James was trying to pass off as older,
but was really a lot younger than his stated age.
So people weren't going there,
because I think they just couldn't envision that being a possibility.
Regarding the stretch marks that were noted by the woman who kind of tended to the body after death,
some historians have said that she gave birth at
a very young age. And this was a result of a rape by another uncle. They're not suggesting that it
was her uncle James, just another uncle or an uncle. And so this is where I want to circle
back to the thing about her siblings and her parents. Right. One source I read noted,
siblings and her parents. One source I read noted a third child suddenly appeared in the family.
I don't know.
Yep. They called her Juliana and they presented this child as Margaret's sister. And so now there are some theories that maybe that was like the pregnancy, the birth, the child that resulted
from the sexual assault. So there's not really a lot of tangible evidence about that but what did happen or another theory is that following this maggie and her mom came back home
and basically maggie's mom was like hey hun got a new baby got a baby and he's like yeah get the
fuck out and so maggie and her mom left went to london to seek help from her brother
slash maggie's uncle and supposedly he actually turned them away but what he did do
was write in his will them to inherit and that's how they kind of got the money and the network
that they did but he was actually not helpful to them whatsoever um there's also a belief that maybe
the way maggie's mother presented it to her husband was that she had an affair and that's
why he ousted her and she obviously took maggie with in order to i'm sure she wasn't gonna leave
her you know and her or even if she did tell the truth that it was Maggie's. Yeah, he could have been pissed about that too.
Yeah.
Back in those times in Ireland, it was very, you know, I mean, even up until recent days, it's frowned upon to have a child out of wedlock.
Blame the victim.
Blame your 12-year-old daughter.
This is her fault.
She's a hussy.
Yep.
And I was like, maybe this uncle was the dad's brother
too
and he's gonna maybe side with him instead
yeah
anyway all of that is just
yeah speculation more than anything
else but just
wanted to note that because maybe Uncle James
actually was not that helpful
and he was a bit more of a prick and did leave him some money but really wasn't like oh you know
i'll take you guys in and help yeah yeah so what happened to the kid um good question i don't know
because there was an older brother too who supposedly stayed with the dad but i assume
they took the baby because why would the dad be like,
if you had an affair, I'll keep this baby, though.
So I assume they just got raised.
Maybe they gave it away to a Catholic church.
Yeah.
Happened quite a lot in those days as well.
The other kind of noteworthy thing that came about upon this like unsealing of records was you know one
group kind of they started characterizing her as the uk's first transgender surgeon which
i think a case could be made that that's technically true but i also think not in the
way that we view that today. No.
Because Maggie took on the name of James and lived her life as a man,
never allowing anyone in her room while dressing,
and there was never any, like, indication of a love life,
sexual orientation, romantic partners, anything like that,
which to me tells me she was highly focused on her career and pursuing, like, the goals she wanted to pursue.
So this choice to kind of live as a man was more a matter of convenience
and a vehicle to attain those goals,
which is more about just having to deal with the like societal viewpoints
and limitations at the time rather than, you know,
her maybe believing that she was born as a female,
but more identified with male male i think it was
more common than we think back then as well i've seen a few programs and documentaries and even
you know programs that potentially fictional where women had to pretend to be men if they
wanted a career or you know to be respected in a certain field. And even in things like sex work back in the day,
Whibbit would often dress as boys for the men that preferred that.
So, yeah, I think it was quite a common thing because we couldn't do anything else.
Yeah.
The other thing is, is that she left instructions before she died that upon her death, there
should be no examination of her body and that her body should be buried in the bed sheets
without further inspection, which tells me it was more important for her, for her legacy
to continue as James, Dr. James Berry, the man, because, you know, some people would be like, well, who cares after I die?
But I think she felt that I've done all of this work only to have upon my death, have this all
undone and scrutinized in a way wasn't worth it to her. So while I do think, I don't think the
language of transgender probably existed in her time, even though people felt that way.
Like, you know, we're born one gender and then felt more of the other, identified more of the other.
Same with like homosexuality that had to be kept secret.
I just those motivations and all of those things we do know about her tells me that it's not she wasn't transgender in the modern sense anyways.
But technically, if we want to you know if she was
trying to pass as a man i suppose that could be a label ascribed to her but i don't know what the
fuck do i know i wasn't there this is just me speculating really um what shame like she didn't
write a diary or something i know and this is more of a coincidence than anything else, but it's kind of cool. The year she died was also the year the first female doctor in the UK, like, passed her boards.
Oh, really?
It's hard to say she paved the way because obviously she was living as a man.
But it's just the timing of, like, 50 years after she had been living her life that way.
And, like, a woman finally was able to be called doctor like as a woman
yeah that's crazy what a co-incident yeah so this investigation that came out in 2008
sorry was that by the army i think the army unsealed papers and then historians, whoever maybe had a vested interest in like kind of learning more about this mystery investigated.
So like investigation in the sense of people investigated the claim.
Right.
Rather than there was someone who was like, we need to figure this out.
Yes.
Yeah.
And, you know, I think there's, like I said, there's not a lot because per early days, there's a lot of speculation about that.
And then like the people who helped her, there's a lot of like famous people that I haven't mentioned who really did help facilitate this ruse.
They were careful about it.
And so they knew that they had to, in order for this to be successful, really kind of tighten probably the hatches.
So it's just like there's not a lot of verification out there,
and obviously everyone's dead.
But it's interesting because this person was able to live the majority of her life
one way and have people convinced of this.
And it's just upon her death when someone actually could
scope it out for real it all came out but it was so hard for people at the time to accept
that this could be true that they also had to make all these claims like you know intersex or
whatever that i think yeah when when they're able to review they're like let's find out for sure
let's actually talk about whether or not a woman
could be as successful as this person was purported to be.
It's crazy.
Yeah, it's a bonkers story.
And when I came across it, I was like,
I have to talk about her sometime.
And I decided today was the day.
Well done.
Yeah.
Awesome.
Crazy.
Well, Maggie, well done.
You know.
Put on the heist of the century.
Yeah.
I think to the extent she really didn't want this to be uncovered,
I, in this day and age, I would hope,
my hope would be that if she could realize that,
like people would be able to respect her as a really successful female doctor,
surgeon, like then it's okay. You know, it's okay that people know this about you now i'd want to do the opposite
if i were her if i got my death tell everyone i was a woman the whole time
i think that given the era we were raised in yes that would be the natural inclination but i think back then it was
so hard to envision that like we would be here today in this circumstance yeah she's just like
i have to this has to go with me to the grave yeah oh i hope she was happy in her life well
and if she did have a dalliance with her manservant, John, like, good for her.
She was able to get some love in her life.
And, but if not, then I feel, I imagine it was probably a lonely existence.
Yeah.
I mean, I hope she had some friends, you know friends hung out in the boys club
telling jokes
smoking cigars
yeah be yourself around too
my guess is she probably had to hang out with all her uncle's friends
and they probably
were pricks too
I wonder what her family thought
she went back to Ireland
and was like hello
I guess the question would be her mom mom obviously knew, don't know about her dad, but.
Her siblings?
Yeah.
Don't know.
Don't know.
Crazy.
Well, she could have been a good spy or an actress for sure.
Yeah.
Yep.
Definitely.
If you want to look up pictures of her.
Yes. yeah yep definitely if you want to look up pictures of her um yes i mean she i think she
looks like a perfectly normal man i guess i don't really know what words to use but like i don't
i didn't observe necessarily any well i think paintings everyone everyone looks effeminate
right yeah yeah if you do margaret Buckley, I think you'll get some.
Like there's one that is I think on Reddit just looks like kind of a baby faced man.
And one website I had had a picture.
I don't know.
I mean, it said it was a picture of her and her manservant.
And I think she looked pretty masculine in that picture i'll see if i can uh
send you the link to that okay here it is i suppose i should cite my sources to um getting
back to my page okay there we go uh wikipedia of course uh the wild geese.com which is the one i'm
about to send you and something called jacquo.com wikitree, Oz, Wisdom, and Lessons.
And then a little bit from, like, the History Channel or something.
I don't know.
Yeah, that link I just dropped.
If you scroll down a little bit, you'll see the picture I'm referring to.
Oh, yeah.
There's the cute dog as well.
Yep.
But, I mean, like, looks like a dude.
Yeah.
Maybe she's wearing a prosthetic.
Maybe.
A prosthetic nose.
That's what I mean, folks.
Oh, I thought you meant dick.
No, I meant nose.
Because the picture at the top of that page is a painting, but doesn't look similar.
Crazy. What a look similar. Crazy.
What a mad story.
Yeah.
Who would have known?
Well.
No one.
No one, apparently.
Until the lady was like, oh, she ain't got no willy.
She ain't got no willy.
She must be a girl.
Yep.
Crazy.
So that's our woman of glory story
woman of glory story
wow
what a glorious story
yep
wow that is crazy
do you
want to play a game
yeah
I'm always down for a game
I thought it would be fun to go back to the neutral song lyric game.
I'm so mad at this.
I picked ones that I think should be easier for you.
Okay, good.
But I had a good time last time I did this, and so I wrote these back on December 17th.
Did you?
Wow. Yes. Okay, i'm excited okay so number one the love that we had was strong don't leave me hanging here forever oh baby oh baby
oh god I recognize it.
I love that you're strong.
Chips is sticking his very scary paws under the door at me.
Is he?
Yeah, it's actually a little terrifying.
He really knows the answer to this one and wants to play.
Don't let me in, bitch!
You want me to repeat anything?
Yeah, do it again.
The love that we had
was strong.
The love that we had was strong.
But I'm sure that's probably in loads of songs,
actually. Might be.
Not saying this band was super original.
No.
Don't leave me hanging here forever.
Oh, baby.
Oh, baby.
I don't know.
You got any more?
Any more of that particular line?
Yeah, that song.
Yeah, hold on a sec.
Okay.
The next line after oh baby oh baby
this is not right
let's stop this tonight
I don't know
quit playing
games with my heart
fuck should have got that one
so I think it Playing games with my heart. Ah, fuck! Should have go with that one.
So I think it,
the actual song sounds like
this,
that part anyways.
The love that we had
was so strong.
Don't leave me hanging
forever. Oh baby, baby. Yep, I know it. We're so strong Forever
Oh baby, baby
Yep, I know it
Alright, good, so you knew that one
I just fooled you
I'm so rubbish at this
I find it really embarrassing
Quite frankly
No, I think I am able to say the lyrics in such a way
That it removes all sense of rhythm
Melody I need the melody, yeah Yeah, me too I think I am able to say the lyrics in such a way that it removes all sense of rhythm, melody.
I need the melody, yeah.
Yeah, me too.
Next one.
Okay.
You don't need nobody else.
No.
Why you never alone.
Why you always touch and road.
Why you always touch and road. Why you always touch and road, man.
Yeah.
So you don't need nobody else, no?
Why you always touch and road?
Yep.
Can you give me like a clue?
Is it a solo artist or a band?
Solo artist.
Okay.
Genre?
I'm
loathe to describe
this artist because I think
people have pretty
strong
perspectives about it.
So I will just say
R&B?
Do it again for me.
You don't need
nobody else.
No.
Why are you never alone?
Why are you always
touch and road?
I've got no idea.
I never would have thought that.
Do you know what song it is?
Yeah.
No one else.
Okay. I knew that one was a little bit risky, but it was such a popular song that I thought maybe.
Yeah.
All right.
This next one, I have faith.
I don't.
In your face.
Open your mouth.
Give you a taste.
Ah. Holla. Open your mouth. Give you a taste. Ah.
Holla.
Open your mouth.
Give you a taste, Missy Elliott.
Song?
Get your freak on.
Good job.
Yes.
Okay, this next one too.
I have faith.
Okay, go on.
Ashtray.
Flip gate.
Time to spark it
gucci collar
for dollar
got out and walked it
i spit game cause baby
i can't talk it
i know it but i don't know it
gucci collar for a dollar got out and walked it just don't know it, but I don't know it. Gucci collar for a dollar got out and walked it.
Just don't know it.
It's getting hot and hot.
Oh.
God.
I thought that one was risky because even trying to say Gucci collar for a dollar got out and walked it neutrally is like.
It's quite difficult, yeah.
Yeah.
Okay, I got two and walked it neutrally. It's quite difficult, yeah. Yeah.
Okay, I got two more.
Okay.
I'm not sure about this one.
Just so you know.
So if you don't get it. I'm not sure about any of them.
At least you got Missy.
All right.
Already going hell.
Just pumping that gas.
No one on the corner but but swagger, like us.
Hit me on my burner,
prepaid wireless.
Oh.
Take him for me.
Already going hell,
just pumping that gas.
No one on the corner,
but swagger, like us. hit me on my burner prepaid
wireless
oh
fuck i don't know i recognize it but i can't tell you who it is
you ready
yeah
ah yeah
yeah it's the swagger like us
I was like I know that
she also says it kind of like
swagger like us
more like gas
yeah so when I say us
that probably removed it a little bit
okay this last one yeah it is more like gas. Yeah, so when I say us, that probably removed it a little bit. Okay.
This last one. It's so hard, this game,
man. Yeah, it is.
Because I honestly
don't think I would have gotten any of these
at all. Thanks.
Okay.
Or are you comfortable
with the pain?
You've got no one to blame for your unhappiness.
You've got yourself into your own mess it could be any song
it could be
but
it's just one
it's a particular one
can you give me any more
yeah I will
hold on I gotta go find the lyrics again, though.
Don't ever let anyone step all over you.
Just open your heart and mind, in your mind,
is it really fair to feel this way inside?
I did not help oh
hold on
you know that song right
I know that song yeah but to be fair I only really know it
from Bridesmaids yeah same
but I mean I feel like I've heard it a thousand times
since that movie came out than now I know it but that like i think i know the the chorus so yeah that's why i don't
think i would have gotten that one either okay one first one two three four six one out of six
not bad that is an f but f's are fine f stands for fine at least it wasn't zero so nope nope
all right well that was fun thanks for indulging me yeah thank you for planning that for me
you're gonna cut this out aren't you
you and alan are gonna do your own version of this where you get them all right.
And Alan's going to have to put on a female American accent.
I wouldn't even notice.
I bet he'd nail it.
No, probably not.
It'd be exactly the same.
Oh, that's good.
I'm going to do you one.
Yeah.
A hard one.
Last time I gave you loads of songs that you knew.
Well, that's, I think, the challenge with asking nigel what songs and then he gives you literally all the songs i've been listening to probably that week
stay away from paramore probably we'll get those
yeah okay all right i'm gonna fuck you up with that next time i find like the oldies you know
that's why i picked missy and hot and hot and her
because it's like even if you don't actively listen to those songs you probably have heard
them because of the amount of times they've played in your life right so yeah and also i find that
songs from our teens i remember every fucking single word too. Exactly. I can't remember anything these days.
I couldn't, you know, it's really difficult to learn a song,
despite the fact that I am a singer in a band.
But, you know, Spice Girls and anything in that era,
I know every single word too, and I'll never forget it till the day I die.
Well, and I think you gave me a Spice Girls song,
and I unfortunately couldn't get that one
because it's like yeah even if I did know and I did know that one it probably is not the one that
I know the best but I I know all their songs it's just really hard when I'm just like as bland as
possible I'm giving no inflection yo I tell you what I want. What I really, really want.
So here's a story from A to Z.
A to Z.
Come get with me.
It's so hard not to actually.
It is.
I can't do it without the rhythm.
It's really hard.
Storybook time, children.
Here's a story from A to Z.
Why do they say Z?
Because it has to rhyme.
When you guys say Z.
I think we say Z in the song.
No, that's what I mean.
They say Z even though you guys call it Z.
But I guess it's here's a story from A to Z.
You want to get with me you better
listen careful Ed
exactly
just rapping
it's got rhyme man
yep always
well with that
no am I the asshole today because
I couldn't find
one
suppose that
I'm like fuck our listeners
no just kidding I love you all so much
thank you for listening
we do genuinely appreciate it
and
keep telling like your friends and family
and stuff spreading the word and give us
a like and a follow
because it helps other people find us
who you may not know.
You can also send in any stories,
questions, queries, problems
that you have to talkshit2us at gmail.com
or send us a message
or give us a follow on social medias
at tsybpod.
That's us.
That is us.
Let me know how much better you did than Gemma on Neutral Song Lyric Game.
Yeah.
We're keeping score over here.
All right.
Well.
Big love to you.
Big love to you.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Happy Valentine's Day.
I hope you get the most offensive card.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
And I hope that Sean gets you a really romantic present and evening and you completely forget.
And I feel like shit about it.
Yep.
We'll see.
We'll see.
All right.
I'll see you next time.
All right.
See you next time, girl.
Bye.
Bye.
Take care.
Bye.
Ta-ra.
Ta-ta.
Peace be with you.
God bless.
Gbag. G-Bag, remember when I was telling you the other day about how it's hard for me to leave my home because I don't want to leave my blender?
Yeah, your emotional support blender you called it, which I thought was weird and maybe a little problematic.
I said it feels like my emotional support blender because of how many smoothies I make and how good I feel these days because of them.
Okay, go on.
Well, I found something the other day that may solve my problem.
Oh, tell me more.
I discovered this thing called Blendjet 2.
It's a portable blender that you can use basically anywhere or anytime.
Seems messy.
I know, but it doesn't look like it is.
Blendjet 2 is portable, so you can blend up a smoothie at work,
a protein shake at the gym, or even a margarita on the beach.
More like a margarita at work, know what I'm saying?
Or that.
But it's also small enough to fit in a cup holder,
but powerful enough to blast through tough ingredients like ice and frozen fruit with ease,
Blendjet 2 is whisper quiet, so you can make your morning smoothie without waking up the whole house,
and it lasts 15 plus blends and recharges quickly via USB-C.
Best of all, Blendjet 2 cleans itself.
Just blend water with a drop of soap and you're good to go.
So, not messy at all, I don't think.
Okay, I'm intrigued. And now I want a margarita.
Me too. It looks like there's tons of different styles and colors,
so you can have a margarita blend jet for work, a protein blend jet for the car, and a... Soup blend jet for the forest?
Sure.
I want the camo one because I am a certified badass. Just don't lose it in
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Brilliant. Cheers. you