Story: Andrew Johnson gets incredibly drunk at his inauguration and makes a scene you'll have to hear about to believe. He calls out every member of the Cabinet by name (Wu-Tang style), makes up his own oath of office, and nearly drives his colleagues to weep from shame. And he owed it all to Civil War-era medicine's inability to treat serious illness except with Patent Medicines (i.e., alcohol, opium, or alcohol with opium) Guest: Dr. Stephen Pettigrew, Senior Analyst on the NBC News decision team. He's one of the people who decides when races are "called" by the network on election night. He gives us a fascinating look behind that curtain, and there's some great insight about the challenges posed by alternative voting methods like mail-in ballots.  Cocktail of the Month: Doctor Chase's Soothing Cordial. In the spirit (pun intended) of the Johnson story, I found the recipe for a Civil War era patent medicine. I'll give you one hint: the first ingredient is opium. Like, just a big piece of opium. Question Cathy returns with the mailbag. Please support Mass for Shut-ins, an independent and ad-free podcast, via Patreon. Contact me via Facebook, Twitter (@gin_and_tacos), or the venerable website Gin and Tacos. Brand new seriously kick-ass t-shirts are available. Buy one why don't ya. Thanks: Dr. Pettigrew, all the bands that contribute music (Waxeater, IfIHadAHiFi, The Sump Pumps, Oscar Bait), Zachary Sielaff, Question Cathy, and all Patreon supporters, subscribers, and listeners.

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