Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam

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Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam

by Pope Brock

3.72 · rating details · 692 ratings · 222 reviews

In 1917, after years of selling worthless patent remedies throughout the Southeast, John R. Brinkley–America’s most brazen young con man–arrived in the tiny town of Milford, Kansas. He set up a medical practice and introduced an outlandish surgical method using goat glands to restore the fading virility of local farmers.

It was all nonsense, of course, but thousands of payi...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published February 5th 2008 by Crown

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Community Reviews

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Nov 20, 2008

David rated it

Recommends it for: everyone!

Shelves: read-in-2008, unexpectedly-terrific

Oh my God! This arrived from Amazon and I just couldn't stop reading it. It's hilarious, outrageous, informative, entertaining, and Pope Brock, despite his alarmingly ravaged looking jacket photograph, writes like an angel. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that he has just the right demonic skill as a writer to do justice to his subject.

Goat testicles! Monkey glands! A larger than life scoundrel ("Doctor" J.R. Brinkley) with his own personal Inspector Javert (fam...more

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May 02, 2009

Bob rated it

This book has won a permanent place on my shelf, if just for the joy of seeing it there and being reminded of what an outrageous place is our country, and what roots lie beneath our current, so-called civilization.

Pope Brock, in perfect pitch, tells the story of John Brinkley, not just a quack doctor, but a man who had immense and lasting influence on medicine, politics, and radio. Brinkley invented a scam so perfect--no one who got fooled would dare admit it--that he made millions ...more

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Apr 12, 2009

Ciara rated it

Recommends it for: fans of medical curiosities, kansas historians, AMA historians, modern-day hucksters

Shelves: read-in-2009

definitely very engaging. i read the whole thing start to finish in like six hours, including the source notes. it tells the joint tale of john brinkley, a quack doctor who made a fortune sewing goat tasticles into the testicles of men seeking "rejuvenation" (a cure for impotence, aging, dementia, retardation, general ill feeling, etc), & morris fishbein, editor of the "journal of american medical association," a devoted quack-buster who considered brinkley his everest. the b...more

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Mar 06, 2009

Nancy rated it

I have to confess that prior to reading this book I'd never heard of Dr. Brinkley, the goat-gland doctor. If you want a book that is interesting, and tells a bizarre story, this is it. I couldn't put this one down.

Brock's book focuses on one John R. Brinkley, who made a name for himself by promising to restore the lost vigor of youth to men just after WWI and then during the Depression. His treatment was simple: remove a goat testicle, insert it into a man's scrotum and voila. ...moreI have to confess that prior to reading this book I'd never heard of Dr. Brinkley, the goat-gland doctor. If you want a book that is interesting, and tells a bizarre story, this is it. I couldn't put this one down.

Brock's book focuses on one John R. Brinkley, who made a name for himself by promising to restore the lost vigor of youth to men just after WWI and then during the Depression. His treatment was simple: remove a goat testicle, insert it into a man's scrotum and voila. He used glands to "cure" insanity, and hailed his treatment as curing everything "from emphysema to flatulence." (41) However, he was also a self-assured, arrogant quack, who caught the attention of the AMA early on, and one man, Morris Fishbein, vowed to bring him down. This book is the story of Brinkley, but it is also a look at medical and pseudo-medical practices of the time, as well as out-and-out charlatanism and quackery. It wasn't just Brinkley, although his work is the main focus here...there were clinics offering treatments such as "practical sphincterology," (65) or monkey-gland transplants, the electric fez for hair growth, and a very odd assortment of treatments that promised to change a person's life. And these practitioners got away with it, whatever it was, because of the lack of policing on the part of the government.

What struck me (and was later somewhat voiced by the author) was that these sort of practices still exist. People can be wowed by the promise of electric massagers that help you lose weight while you just sit there, or by miracle diet pills or other weight-loss products on the market that you see all the time via the media.

Brock also interweaves Brinkley's campaigns for governor of Kansas and how his innovations changed the face of political campaigning; he also delves into Brinkley's opening of the first high-powered radio station in Mexico that helped many a country-and-western singer get his/her start. But none of that (imho) was as interesting as the whole quackery issue. Brinkley may have been a quack, but he was a very rich quack during the Depression, when the rest of the country was suffering.

This book held my interest so that I could not stop reading; Brock's writing is often humorous and witty, and he tells a great story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who a) wants something completely different and b) anyone who is interested in the history of medical quackery. It's an awesome book. (less)

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May 30, 2008

Mazola1 rated it

This book tells the incredible story of John Brinkley, a medical fraud who transplanted goat testicles into men to "rejuvenate" them. Brinkley became unimaginably rich, bringing in a million dollar income at a time when most doctors were earning just a few thousand dollars a year. A gifted flim flam artist, he was also a man of great imagination and creativity. He was among the first to use radio to advertise, to campaign for political office using an airplane and to put country music ...more

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Dec 05, 2007

Peggy rated it

In February, 2008, Crown will publish a book called Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, The Man Who Pursued Him, And the Age of Flimflam. I wanted to read it from the moment I saw the cover, which I swear they must have cooked up just for me, because my picking up the book was a foregone conclusion once I saw the goat.

The huckster in question, John Romulus Brinkley, pioneered the implantation of goat naughty bits into both men and women to reinvigorate them (both generally ...moreIn February, 2008, Crown will publish a book called Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, The Man Who Pursued Him, And the Age of Flimflam. I wanted to read it from the moment I saw the cover, which I swear they must have cooked up just for me, because my picking up the book was a foregone conclusion once I saw the goat.

The huckster in question, John Romulus Brinkley, pioneered the implantation of goat naughty bits into both men and women to reinvigorate them (both generally and sexually). Morris Fishbein, head of the nascent AMA, waged a 25-year war against Brinkley to try to stop him. Brinkley was unrepentant and all but unstoppable because he was always at least a step ahead.

When there was no mass media, being denounced by one newspaper was no big deal. Brinkley bought himself a radio station and was the first person to use the airwaves as advertising and promotion, creating in the process the first radio variety show. The show featured singers and musicians and storytellers and preachers and Brinkley himself and everything was a not-so-subtle plug for Brinkley, his clinic, and his elixirs. He had a knack for convincing the common folk that he was one of them.

When Fishbein had him before an AMA board and very publically revoked both of Brinkley's medical licenses, Brinkley's response was a late entry into the Kansas governor's race. He proved so popular with the people that it took a last minute finagling of election laws to keep him out of office.

While waiting to run again, he became disenchanted with the restrictions on broadcasting power for his radio station, so he convinced the Mexican government to give him free land and build him the most powerful radio station on the planet across the border from Del Rio, Texas. He used the same format, so people like Gene Autrey and The Carter Family went from regional acts to national treasures. (Long after Brinkley was no longer involved, XERA hired a DJ named Wolfman Jack.)

The book's got a little bit of everything, including world travel, H.L. Mencken, a courtroom showdown, and Nazis. Yeah, that's right, I said Nazis.

The tone of the book is wildly uneven, with Fishbein mostly absent and Brinkley so larger-than-life that you have to admire the chutzpah, if not the man. This makes the epilogue, where Brinkley is suddenly America's worst mass murderer a bit jarring.

But the book is worth the read, and a great jumping off point for further reading like Border Radio by Gene Fowler and Bill Crawford.(less)

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Aug 05, 2008

Diane rated it

I kind of enjoyed this book but it paled in comparison to Devil in the White City in some ways (Go read Devil in the White City if you haven't read it, then we'll talk. I couldn't put that book down with the dual story of the Chicago Expo and the murdering doctor. More entertaining that this one!)

I had read so many positive reviews of this book prior to reading it that my hopes were built up perhaps too high. It's a fun read about a Huckster and the early 20th century--be glad you...more

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Mar 15, 2009

Elizabeth rated it

Shelves: non-fiction-history

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 28, 2009

Colleen rated it

Shelves: history

Amazing, beautifully researched book. I only picked up this book because I loathe the Smiling Bob commercials that are constantly on, and now I realize how lucky we truly are. Did not know that phony male enhancement crap has been forced on people since the dawn of time. And that it used to be much, much worse. Focuses on the terrible career of Dr. Brinkley, who is possibly in the running as the most prolific mass murderer/serial killer in American history. Definitely killed 42 people, but proba...more

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Dec 17, 2011

Jeffrey Taylor rated it

This is an amazing history of a subject I knew nothing about. It deals with medical fraud, false advertising not to mention the influence of money on politics and corruption. How this man could fleece millions from trusting victims, kill hundreds and escape punishment while living the lush life, tells of the kind of things which were wrong in our country and still are problems. It is an object lesion showing how hard it is for professional organizations to self regulate, the consequences of g...more

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Aug 09, 2011

Ken rated it

This was a really great read-I had no idea so many men had goat testicles inserted into their scrotums in the 1930s. Brinkley became rich working out of a little town in Kansas as men from all over the country visited to get their vigor back. Brinkley claimed that if he grafted goat testicles onto human testicles that the old love muscle would start working again. It was a great time for quacks, but the AMA gave chase and I won't spoil it for you.

Also, readers learn about early commercial rad...more

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Jan 10, 2011

Margot rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

Ah, the age of "flimflam." What horrifying procedures and chemical combinations masqueraded as medical cures, without the benefit of our current licensing and regulations. But wait! Snake oil cures are still being touted today, so maybe I shouldn't read this with so much condescending pity for the poor rubes taken advantage of by "America's Most Dangerous Huckster." We're just as gullible almost a century later.

Pope Brock provides a comprehensive survey of the life ...moreAh, the age of "flimflam." What horrifying procedures and chemical combinations masqueraded as medical cures, without the benefit of our current licensing and regulations. But wait! Snake oil cures are still being touted today, so maybe I shouldn't read this with so much condescending pity for the poor rubes taken advantage of by "America's Most Dangerous Huckster." We're just as gullible almost a century later.

Pope Brock provides a comprehensive survey of the life and times of "Dr." John R Brinkley, the dangerous huckster mentioned in the title. Brinkley had an instinct for power and manipulation, and he put it to good use by taking advantage of that undying wellspring of human self-consciousness and unrelenting desire for improvement: sexual performance. Brinkley performed countless surgeries by his widely advertised goat gland transplant method (implanting goat testicles into a human male's testicles, or goat ovaries into a human female), purported (by him and other hucksters) to have "rejuvenation" powers. He killed several along the way, both by his surgeries and dispensing pharmaceutical advice over the airwaves of his own radio station. Fortunately for later potential customers, he made a powerful enemy in the AMA, Morris Fishbein, who finally took him down for the count after many attempts.

Brock's approach includes offhanded comments about related events of the day (the day being the early decades of the twentieth century), sometimes completely apropos of nothing. His sometimes supercilious tone can be slightly off-putting, but is only momentarily jarring at the most egregious instances.

A few examples:
"Ever since man began to walk upright, he had been obsessed when his penis would not behave likewise and searched for ways to fix the problem."(32)
"Brinkley's uncanny grasp of psychology, both mass and individual, was a vital part of his success. He understood that the relationship between a man and a woman is often less fraught than that between man and member, and his skill in exploiting that knowledge ranks among his greatest gifts."(42)
"Not until 1964 did the country's first bungling doctor go to jail for murdering a patient, and by then the mortiferous Milford Messiah was long gone from the scene."(274)(less)

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Jan 01, 2010

Gerald Sinstadt rated it

For a while in the last Century John Brinkley was the most famous medical man in the world. Whether he was actually a doctor is dubious. What is undeniable is that his glorious rise and infamous fall has become the subject of a brilliant book, authoritative, widely researched, eminently readable and consistently funny.

Brinkley first made his name by offering "rejuvenating" procedures for the male inhabitants of Kansas who had lost their zest for life - or more precisely th...more

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May 13, 2009

Rhlibrary added it

Shelves: marcia-s-picks

I related to this book immediately. I assumed before I saw the advance reader's edition, that it had something to do with Hadacol. Invented in New Orleans, this was the product of choice when I was growing up. It was a cure-all, good for everything from colds to depression—and no wonder, as it contained 12% alcohol! The proponent of this 'miracle' cure (Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc) had much in common with John R. Brinkley of Charlatan in that neither were medical doctors and both were attracted to...more

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Jul 10, 2010

Andrew rated it

This book was highly recommended to me by my friend, colleague, and Iraqi War buddy--Tom Kenniff, and it delivered. This is as good a nonfiction book as I have read. The book chronicles the meteoric rise of one of America's "greatest" quack doctors, John Brinkley. Fact is truly stranger than fiction, and here, the facts are scarcely believable. Brinkley pioneered and popularized and made millions off a surgery in the 1920s and 30s wherein he "grafted" goat testes in men a...more

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Jan 25, 2012

Leah K rated it

Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock

★ ★ ★

Imagine, in today's time, going into a “doctors” office. He has no credentials except the ones he bought at degree mills. Imagine he asks you for $8000 in today's money in exchange for rejuvenation – health wise, sexually, and mentally. You agree and he does the procedure – by implanting a goat gland into your ovarian section or scrotal section (depending on gende...moreCharlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock

★ ★ ★

Imagine, in today's time, going into a “doctors” office. He has no credentials except the ones he bought at degree mills. Imagine he asks you for $8000 in today's money in exchange for rejuvenation – health wise, sexually, and mentally. You agree and he does the procedure – by implanting a goat gland into your ovarian section or scrotal section (depending on gender obviously). And imagine that once released he would recommend you take his special medication – what it is you don't know, he just tells you to buy it and take it. So you buy half a dozen, coughing up a couple thousand more dollars. Just to find out that the “medication” is...water. And thus is the story of one “Doctor” John R. Brinkley. And that would only be one of his “brilliant” ideas in becoming rich off the gullible in the 1920s and 1930s. In a time before the AMA made the rules and the Food and Drug Admin barely existed, it was all too common to sell what you wanted and claim it did wonderful things (and sadly is still common even with the AMA and Food and Drug Admin around). Brinkley was only one of thousands selling fake miracle in a bottle (radioactive water anyone?) but this story revolved around Brinkley and the man that would try his hardest to stop him.

This was a very intriguing book on a part of history I know little about. Reviews have compared it to Erik Larson's writing but I won't go that far. The two stories of the huckster and the man that would catch him is muddled, not a seamless transition like Larson is so good at (in my opinion). There are A LOT of names to remember. In many cases people were mentioned once, only to be brought up 100 pages later with some significance to the story leaving me scrambling to remember who the person was to begin with. It did become more smoother as the book continued. Well researched and definitely interesting. (less)

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Jan 11, 2012

Khaya rated it

Recommended to Khaya by: Lena

Shelves: readablenonfiction, should-ve-been-shorter

Either the iphone is destroying my attention span, or many popular non-fiction books would have worked far better as long magazine articles.

The story of "Dr." Brinkley sounds fascinating. A major 1920s-1930s con-artist with minimal medical training successfully passes himself off as a surgeon promising rejuvenation to lots of naive people, who all allow him to cut them open and sew goat glands into their bodies. Far more gifted as a business-minded marketer than as a surgeo...more

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Sep 22, 2011

Clif Hostetler rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: history

This is non-fiction history that will knock your socks off! Are you up for a testicles transplant? (I'm not speaking figuratively.) Can you believe guys lining up for the operation? I think I'm going to be sick thinking about it. Well, I guess they didn't have Viagra in those days so what else could they do?

The book is about "Doctor" J.R. Brinkley, a quack (King of Goat Glands) who became wealthy (millions in 1920s and 1930s dollars) doing this operation in the heart of...moreThis is non-fiction history that will knock your socks off! Are you up for a testicles transplant? (I'm not speaking figuratively.) Can you believe guys lining up for the operation? I think I'm going to be sick thinking about it. Well, I guess they didn't have Viagra in those days so what else could they do?

The book is about "Doctor" J.R. Brinkley, a quack (King of Goat Glands) who became wealthy (millions in 1920s and 1930s dollars) doing this operation in the heart of the United States (an allegedly civilized country at the time). The book is also about Dr. Morris Fishbein who's persistent efforts on behalf of the American Medical Association brought the quack down.

And here's the part I'm embarrassed to admit. Brinkley headquartered his operations in Kansas, my home state. And when he ran for governor in 1930 he almost won! (He actually got the most votes, but he ran as a write-in and the election judges were very stringent in their definition of acceptable spelling.) And people to this day are still asking, "What's the matter with Kansas?"

Kansas officials do deserve credit for revoking his license to practice medicine. That was the motivation for Brinkley to run for governor so he could get his license back by stacking the medical board with his own appointees. That was about the same time that his radio broadcast license was taken away by Federal officials. He had owned his own radio station in Milford, Kansas and pioneered the development of the practice of advertising on the radio. The radio was a major reason for his popularity.

After being rebuffed by State and Federal officials he decided to move to Del Rio, Texas and build a clinic and a "border blaster" radio station on the Mexican side of the border. With a million watt station in Mexico he was able to reach all of the 48 states and Canada so he became more famous than ever. There seemed to be no way to stop him, and he could have probably continued on many more years. But he was tricked into suing for defamation and in the subsequent trial was publicly discredited.

The book's strength is that it ties the story of Brinkley together with the current events of the time. He wasn't the only charlatan in business, just the most successful. The legitimate practitioners of medicine of the time were currently experimenting and trying some crazy things too. The following quotation offers a mild defense of their actions:

"Nevertheless, great blunderers like these have a place in the history of science. Wrong, they helped point the way for others to be right. They fought as bravely for error as more fortunate prophets fought for the truth. In science, as in love, it is sometime extraordinarily hard to draw the line between faith and folly."

It's tempting to be smug and conclude that a Brinkley type couldn't happen today. But there are many health clinics still operating today on the southern side of the border serving clients from the north side. Why do you suppose they're on the south side?
(less)

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Jul 09, 2009

Wightknyte11 rated it

· review of another edition

I don't think I've read a nonfiction book this entertaining and enthralling since I first picked up "Sons of the Profits." Pope has a wonderful eye for the really interesting details in a story. Without any pretentiousness, this book engrosses (at the very least) by how astounding the facts are. Fiction can never get away with a story this unbelievable, but nonfiction can because it is true. Pope's humor is wonderfully entertaining as well. He doesn't try to force humor. Rather, ...more

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Jun 10, 2009

Joshua rated it

Shelves: read-in-09

This was fascinating stuff that involves a lot of early medical flim flam done by "doctors" (that term could be used very loosely in the early parts of the 20th century)--particularly one doctor in particular: Dr. Brinkley. This guy pioneered the technique of goat gland surgery (sort of the viagra of its day) and spun his empire off to include made up phony prescription drugs (what cost him 10 cents he charged 10 bucks a pill--in the 1930s!) and the strongest radio signal in the world ...more

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May 15, 2009

Jlbrown97 rated it

So many interesting facets to the influence this quack has had on so many people and institutions. I was initially drawn by it taking place (mainly) in KS. But his reach was so much further. He affected the way the medical profession is regarded and licensed nationally and by state. He really encouraged the desire of humans to be young, vibrant and youthful. He affected the influence of Christianity. He made millions during the depression. He broadcast old time country music and made stars...more

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Feb 03, 2011

Paul Pessolano rated it

· review of another edition

P.T. Barnum has been credited with saying, "There's a sucker born every minute." John R. Brinkley could very well have changed that to, "There's a sucker born every second."

John R. Brinkley may have been the greatest and most dangerous huckster in the world. It is quite possible that if the people he killed or murdered were tallied he could conceivably be the worst serial killer of all time. This is remarkable in that he did this in the name of medicine and peo...more

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Apr 18, 2009

Sarah rated it

· review of another edition

I like reading old advertisements for liver pills and blood cleansers because they give me a good laugh that people actually thought that the medicine worked. This is an extreme case of doctors gone bad. Or does this case prove that maybe is a good portion of the healing process is based in one's mind? Some of the procedures described are outlandish, and the beginning of the book really drew me in. The doctor in question, Brinkley, used to transplant goat glands into humans, with the claim o...more

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Apr 15, 2010

Carrie rated it

Shelves: biography, disturbing-in-a-good-way, human-behavior, audiobooks

There's a goat on the cover for a good reason. The subject, fake doctor J.R. Brinkley, made a fortune by performing, among other things, goat testicle transplants to humans. This was widely known in the 20's, and it's hard to believe the American collective brain has forgotten him so quickly. This man was one of the richest and most famous people in the country. He owned the most powerful radio station in the world and introduced listeners to the Carter family. He almost won the governorship of ...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Bookmarks Magazine added it

Reviewers across the board bought what Pope Brock is selling. The author reeled them in with the incredible Brinkley, a quack who was one of a kind yet revealed so much about the era in which he lived. Critics were mesmerized by Brock's ability to connect Brinkley's life to other episodes in American history and fill them with vitality. Yet the true potency of Charlatan derives from Brock's storytelling skill: many critics spent much of their reviews retelling the highly entertaining tales from

...more

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Nov 15, 2011

Jeremy rated it

· review of another edition

So now everytime I hear some commercial touting some formuala that will raise testerone levels I will think about this book. Everytime I go a doctor's office or the pharmacy I will think about this book. Just the same as I am constantly surprised at some piece of history that never made it to the 12 YEARS of history classes we took in primary and secondary school - how could I have never heard of this Brinkley fellow?! He was one of the more well known people in the world less than a century ...moreSo now everytime I hear some commercial touting some formuala that will raise testerone levels I will think about this book. Everytime I go a doctor's office or the pharmacy I will think about this book. Just the same as I am constantly surprised at some piece of history that never made it to the 12 YEARS of history classes we took in primary and secondary school - how could I have never heard of this Brinkley fellow?! He was one of the more well known people in the world less than a century ago. He was responsible for the death of countless people, partially responsible for spreading of country music as well as forcing the FCC to give a better deal of Mexico so they could deal with people like him. The whole radio deal is actually referred to in a ZZ Top song. It is not that I expect to know everything and I kind of thought history was boring back then, but still, it never ceases to amaze me that somebody somewhere was responsible for picking in choosing what bits of history made it to my world and they conveniently left out some of the uglier portions. And that might have been fine to shield a 10 year old kid from the ugliness of the world at large and the greed and corruption in our own country, but what favors were they doing me when I was 16 years old and 2 years old from being kicked out into the "real" world.

The writing - loved it. Naturally, this book drew some comparisons to Devil in the White City. In many ways they were very similar. Many people seemed to prefer the way it was done by Erik Larson. Frankly, I wish that Pope Brock had written the other book, as well. He has a perfect style that uses more facts and less assuming (or so I think), includes other events that were related without forcing them to work, doesn't make the end of each chapter seem like a cliffhanger and a sort of humor throughout.

The strangest of all things is that I sort of felt sympathy for J.R. Brinkley and I have no idea why. He is everything I hate in today's corporate America in regards to taking advantage of others weaknesses for self gain. He knew that people were dying at his expense yet never apparently it never affected his conscious. I suppose they sympathy was related to the way the story was written. Brock could not assume what Brinkley was thinking, and Brinkley was so public on his airwaves about how the AMA was wrongly slandering him that it was at times difficult not to take his side. Very strange indeed, but I can see how he gained so much public support in the face of all the wrong that he did. And it was called PROPOGANDA.

The other thing I find very interesting is the literary tie ins. Firstly, that Sinclair Lewis was friends with Fishbein (Brinkley's nemesis) and that Fishbein was trying to get Lewis to write a book on all of the quackery in America. I knew that Lewis's writing was very tied to politics, but it did not occur to me that literature and politics are not separate. Until now, I didn't put a lot of thought into it, but my instinct is that an author has political views and portrays them in their works. Or a journalist like Steinbeck who has been reporting on injustices for years and decides to start writing stories about them. But the notion of a very public figure actually encouraging an author to write something. Or the author simply hanging out with, say, a U.S. Senator and naturally pulling in some of their views.

The other sort of literary tie-in is that famous authors such as Yeats and Maugham actually had gland operations in attempt to restore their youth. What a craze it was - and really start listening to the radio ads or watching the television commercials - it still is a craze! It is not like I haven't noticed these commercials before, I just never realized the social psychology of finding the fountain of youth. Apparently, a large number of people believes it exists and are willing to try anything.

As a final note, it was aptly put that had his intentions and intelligence been a bit different he might have a made a great leader. It certainly makes a a great point that if all the people that any of the thousands of successful sheisters were thinking about the benefit of their fellows, then what would this world be like?(less)

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Jun 12, 2008

Jeff rated it

Hilarious, fascinating, and wonderfully informative -- you wouldn't believe half the stuff in this book really happened if Pope Brock didn't include copious notes. Everyone in America has been profoundly affected, one way or another, by the things J.R. Brinkley did during his career in flimflam, but few people know about him now. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

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Aug 25, 2011

Valley Cottage Library rated it

Shelves: katie-pick, nonfiction

This is a perfect case of truth being stranger than fiction. John R. Brinkley aspired to be the most successful quack doctor in the world. He developped a method of grafting "goat glands" into humans to cure a variety of ailments, he had a write-in radio show that gave medical advice and pointed listeners to his own "medicines," he created the world's largest radio station and even ran for governor of Kansas.

Despite his complete lack of ability as a "doct...more

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Apr 24, 2010

Tim Giauque rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

"I knowed he was bilking me, but that’s okay. You see, I liked him anyway."

Wow. This book tells the (true) story of one of the most famous and wealthy men of his day, a story so incredible and outrageous it absolutely has to be true. The book focuses on the life of "Dr." John R. Brinkley, the premier pusher of quack medicine, as well as Dr. Morris Fishbein, the head of the AMA whose dogged determination to stop Brinkley provides much of the story's conflict. I ...more"I knowed he was bilking me, but that’s okay. You see, I liked him anyway."

Wow. This book tells the (true) story of one of the most famous and wealthy men of his day, a story so incredible and outrageous it absolutely has to be true. The book focuses on the life of "Dr." John R. Brinkley, the premier pusher of quack medicine, as well as Dr. Morris Fishbein, the head of the AMA whose dogged determination to stop Brinkley provides much of the story's conflict. I can't believe the story and these figures are not more well-known. Plenty of industrialists and entrepreneurs from that era are known, but John R. Brinkley really isn't much of a household name.

Okay, first of all, the sheer magnitude of the reality of Brinkley's life is absolutely stunning. This guy was earning a million bucks a year during the Great Depression. That number is not adjusted for inflation - that's actually what he was taking home. He built an empire on lies and testimonials, and along the way pushed the envelope in the fields of broadcasting and politics. He's kind of an unholy combination of P.T. Barnum, Andrew Ryan from Bioshock, and Dr. Phil.

The best true stories from history are told so that we can glean little bits of understanding that apply to modern-day readers, as well. One of the lessons that stood out from Charlatan is that there are still plenty of quacks working - and earning a good living - today. Whether it's "magic" fruit with super-healing abilities, or chiropractic, or magnetic bracelets, or any of an endless number of weight-loss products, systems, books, etc. etc. One needs to maintain a healthy sense of skepticism to avoid being taken advantage of by these charlatans. Staunch free-market people might not want to admit it, but this is one of those cases where we need strong government regulation. Remember a few years ago when the FCC shut down those infomercials that were selling the little electrical ab-builder things? Brinkley would have turned in his grave.

The other big lesson that stood out for me has to do with the way Brinkley accidentally pushed the envelope for commercial radio. His advances in popular music and broadcasting were merely a means to an end - totally designed to sell his message far and wide, but they ended up changing American culture forever. I'm intrigued by the idea that these big advances can be made more or less accidentally as a natural consequence of doing something more basic, like chasing after more money. The idea of, "let's gain fans and supporters and figure out how to profit from them later," parallels many Internet companies - Google, Myspace, Napster, Facebook, etc. In this way, Brinkley's million-watt radio "border blasters" were way ahead of their time.

Books like this, though meticulously researched and organized, can only do so much to put you into the minds of their subjects. I found myself wondering whether or not, in his heart of hearts, Brinkley really believed in what he was doing. Was he merely a misguided man with a good heart? Or did he know he was killing and maiming more people than he was saving? Early on in the book, there's some discussion of Brinkley's heavy drinking, and his drunken rantings suggest that he definitely knew he was a fraud. But I felt like, over the course of his life, he really came to believe in what he was doing. Almost as if nobody who's that successful can possibly be a complete fraud, right? Brock discusses a little bit how even frauds can advance the cause of science by unintentionally disproving false theories, but in this book the only credit Brinkley is given for advancing the cause of medicine is in giving the AMA a boogeyman to fight in order to build their reputation.

Anyway, the book is fascinating, the story is astonishing and the writing is engaging. Go read it!(less)

· see review

Apr 03, 2010

Michelle rated it

Shelves: nonfiction

Goat testicles. Yes, you did just read "goat testicles." This book has a lot of goat testicles. Get used to it quickly. And then enjoy this rather incredible (and true) story about a quasi-medical scam artist who made millions of dollars - even during the Great Depression - and who ran for governor of Kansas (and almost won!). His eventual fall from grace is inevitable, but the "doctor" Brinkley managed to flaunt authority and get away with whatever he wanted for many years. ...more

· see review

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About Pope Brock

Pope Brock is the author of the critically acclaimed Indiana Gothic: A Story of Adultery and Murder in an American Family, the story of his great-grandfather’s murder in 1908, and Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam.

Brock has written for numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, and the London Sunday Times Ma...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1851568.Charlatan?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1189197969m/1851568.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1851568.Charlatan?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock[/url]

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