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Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam
The inspiration for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival documentary, NUTS! . “An extraordinary saga of the most dangerous quack of all time...entrancing” – USA Today
In 1917, John R. Brinkley–America’s most brazen con man–introduced an outlandish surgical method for restoring fading male virility.
It was all nonsense, but thousands of eager customers quickly made “Dr.” Brinkley one of America’s richest men–and a national celebrity. The great quack buster Morris Fishbein vowed to put the country’ s “most daring and dangerous” charlatan out of business, yet each effort seemed only to spur Brinkley to new heights of ingenuity, and the worlds of advertising, broadcasting, and politics soon proved to be equally fertile grounds for his potent brand of flimflam.
Culminating in a decisive courtroom confrontation, Charlatan is a marvelous portrait of a boundlessly audacious rogue on the loose in an America ripe for the bamboozling.
In 1917, John R. Brinkley–America’s most brazen con man–introduced an outlandish surgical method for restoring fading male virility.
It was all nonsense, but thousands of eager customers quickly made “Dr.” Brinkley one of America’s richest men–and a national celebrity. The great quack buster Morris Fishbein vowed to put the country’ s “most daring and dangerous” charlatan out of business, yet each effort seemed only to spur Brinkley to new heights of ingenuity, and the worlds of advertising, broadcasting, and politics soon proved to be equally fertile grounds for his potent brand of flimflam.
Culminating in a decisive courtroom confrontation, Charlatan is a marvelous portrait of a boundlessly audacious rogue on the loose in an America ripe for the bamboozling.
324 pages, Paperback
First published February 5, 2008
185 people are currently reading
6634 people want to read
About the author
Pope Brock
4 books34 followersPope 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 Magazine.
He lives in upstate New York with his twin daughters, Molly and Hannah.
Brock has written for numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, and the London Sunday Times Magazine.
He lives in upstate New York with his twin daughters, Molly and Hannah.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 566 reviews
November 21, 2008
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 (famed quackbuster Morris Fishbein). Dirty campaign tactics! Just what *is* the matter with Kansas anyway? The birth of FM radio. Country music, the Carter Family, and the blues.
Will Dr Fishbein, head of the American Medical Association, be able to take down J.R. Brinkley, the consummate charlatan of the age, before the count of the maimed and the dead gets completely out of hand? Follow their astonishing 20-year cat and mouse game to its nailbiting courtroom showdown. You couldn't ask for a better guide than Pope Brock, who captures the outrageousness of this hilarious, horrifying story brilliantly, with just the right kind of sly wit. I cannot avoid the dreaded cliche - it's a freakin' "tour-de-force".
Hands down the most entertaining book I've read all year.
(With special cameo appearances by W.B. Yeats and H.L. Mencken).
Goat testicles! Monkey glands! A larger than life scoundrel ("Doctor" J.R. Brinkley) with his own personal Inspector Javert (famed quackbuster Morris Fishbein). Dirty campaign tactics! Just what *is* the matter with Kansas anyway? The birth of FM radio. Country music, the Carter Family, and the blues.
Will Dr Fishbein, head of the American Medical Association, be able to take down J.R. Brinkley, the consummate charlatan of the age, before the count of the maimed and the dead gets completely out of hand? Follow their astonishing 20-year cat and mouse game to its nailbiting courtroom showdown. You couldn't ask for a better guide than Pope Brock, who captures the outrageousness of this hilarious, horrifying story brilliantly, with just the right kind of sly wit. I cannot avoid the dreaded cliche - it's a freakin' "tour-de-force".
Hands down the most entertaining book I've read all year.
(With special cameo appearances by W.B. Yeats and H.L. Mencken).
January 24, 2012
This is the best book I have ever read about goat testicles. As if that weren’t enough to make you want to read it, let me add that it’s about a quack doctor who pioneered advances in advertising, public relations, radio, and modern political campaigning. For many years, his biggest problem was that other, inferior con men would steal the new ideas he came up with.
J. R. Brinkley would today be hailed as a genius, except that he was a con man, bigamist, demagogue, and anti-Semite. Also, he had terrible taste in art, and in his free time he enjoyed dressing up like an admiral.
“Are You a Manly Man Full of Vigor?” –advertisement Brinkley placed in newspapers in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1913. The actual treatment, for which he charged $25, involved injecting colored water into the patient’s buttocks.
“ ‘I have a scheme up my sleeve and the whole world will hear of it.’ ”—Brinkley in 1917. He created “glandular rejuvenation” by transplanting goat testicles into humans.
“Do we want some reviewer to say, ‘This book is better than goat glands?’” –Carl Sandburg, trying to promote his work Rootabaga Stories
“The harder they hit me, the higher I bounce.” –Brinkley after being hounded out of California
“I wear goat glands and am proud of it.” –Senator Wesley Staley, 1922
“Every man proposes to me the second he meets me.” –much-married “nonsinging diva” Ganna Walska, the inspiration for Susan Alexander in Citizen Kane
“Yes, but what does he propose?”—pretty much every other woman on the planet at that time
“Busier than an electric fan”—a Collier’s reporter describing Brinkley’s career in 1922
“You accused me of selling diplomas for $200. . . . That is a deadly insult. I never charged less than $500.”—Dr. Date Alexander, the diploma-mill king who sold Brinkley a fake MD degree
“We people in Kansas get fat on his medicine. . . . We’re going to keep him here so long as he lives.” –Governor Jonathan Davis, refusing to allow Brinkley to be extradited to California
“On Sundays he gave sermons lifted from other people.”—The author, describing Brinkley’s burgeoning radio career.
“I DEFY THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION!”—full-page ad Brinkley took out in several newspapers in 1930
“[I can] think of three ways to get rich before breakfast.”—Brinkley after being forced to cancel his show Medical Question Box, which a Johns Hopkins doctor called “the greatest possible danger” to the public health
“Your condition is your own fault. . . . Wishing you a merry Christmas.” –Brinkley’s answering letter to a mutilated patient
“He was richer than a crème brulée . . . [His estate was] sixteen acres of naked self-regard, part Versailles, part Barnum & Bailey.”—The author, describing Brinkley’s “wallowing in wealth” after the gubernatorial election of Kansas was stolen from him
“With the lava of war spreading across Europe, and American involvement probable, the world needed heroes. It also needed a place where the craven and selfish could go till it was all over, and that was what Brinkley hoped to provide. No one had looked out for him like this when he was trying to beat the draft.” –The author, describing Brinkley’s last scam
As if this guy weren’t interesting enough, he also hired June Carter for her first job when she was a child, plus ZZ Top wrote a song that mentions him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPAR2z...
I also enjoyed learning about the Hot Girl of Escanaba, Michigan: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid...
J. R. Brinkley would today be hailed as a genius, except that he was a con man, bigamist, demagogue, and anti-Semite. Also, he had terrible taste in art, and in his free time he enjoyed dressing up like an admiral.
“Are You a Manly Man Full of Vigor?” –advertisement Brinkley placed in newspapers in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1913. The actual treatment, for which he charged $25, involved injecting colored water into the patient’s buttocks.
“ ‘I have a scheme up my sleeve and the whole world will hear of it.’ ”—Brinkley in 1917. He created “glandular rejuvenation” by transplanting goat testicles into humans.
“Do we want some reviewer to say, ‘This book is better than goat glands?’” –Carl Sandburg, trying to promote his work Rootabaga Stories
“The harder they hit me, the higher I bounce.” –Brinkley after being hounded out of California
“I wear goat glands and am proud of it.” –Senator Wesley Staley, 1922
“Every man proposes to me the second he meets me.” –much-married “nonsinging diva” Ganna Walska, the inspiration for Susan Alexander in Citizen Kane
“Yes, but what does he propose?”—pretty much every other woman on the planet at that time
“Busier than an electric fan”—a Collier’s reporter describing Brinkley’s career in 1922
“You accused me of selling diplomas for $200. . . . That is a deadly insult. I never charged less than $500.”—Dr. Date Alexander, the diploma-mill king who sold Brinkley a fake MD degree
“We people in Kansas get fat on his medicine. . . . We’re going to keep him here so long as he lives.” –Governor Jonathan Davis, refusing to allow Brinkley to be extradited to California
“On Sundays he gave sermons lifted from other people.”—The author, describing Brinkley’s burgeoning radio career.
“I DEFY THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION!”—full-page ad Brinkley took out in several newspapers in 1930
“[I can] think of three ways to get rich before breakfast.”—Brinkley after being forced to cancel his show Medical Question Box, which a Johns Hopkins doctor called “the greatest possible danger” to the public health
“Your condition is your own fault. . . . Wishing you a merry Christmas.” –Brinkley’s answering letter to a mutilated patient
“He was richer than a crème brulée . . . [His estate was] sixteen acres of naked self-regard, part Versailles, part Barnum & Bailey.”—The author, describing Brinkley’s “wallowing in wealth” after the gubernatorial election of Kansas was stolen from him
“With the lava of war spreading across Europe, and American involvement probable, the world needed heroes. It also needed a place where the craven and selfish could go till it was all over, and that was what Brinkley hoped to provide. No one had looked out for him like this when he was trying to beat the draft.” –The author, describing Brinkley’s last scam
As if this guy weren’t interesting enough, he also hired June Carter for her first job when she was a child, plus ZZ Top wrote a song that mentions him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPAR2z...
I also enjoyed learning about the Hot Girl of Escanaba, Michigan: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid...
July 13, 2025
A history of the US as told through the life of one man, a Mr. Brinkley, who never was a doctor but still practiced "medicine" as he defined it — he made a fortune implanting goat testicles into men who wished to become more virile. He was an innovator, a self-promotor, a fantastic liar, and became wealthy through sheer self-belief and very slippery ethics.
Herman Melville's last novel, The Confidence-Man, portrays a character that was well-known at that time.
The history of the US is full of cult leaders, fake healers, snake oil salesmen, and —ahem— real estate promoters. Self-promotion is a timeless American theme, and "Dr." Brinkley was as much a product of his times as those con artists today who nourish themselves with lies, deception, and pyramid schemes.
One man as a reflection of a culture and a country: Biography does not get any better than this.
Herman Melville's last novel, The Confidence-Man, portrays a character that was well-known at that time.
The history of the US is full of cult leaders, fake healers, snake oil salesmen, and —ahem— real estate promoters. Self-promotion is a timeless American theme, and "Dr." Brinkley was as much a product of his times as those con artists today who nourish themselves with lies, deception, and pyramid schemes.
One man as a reflection of a culture and a country: Biography does not get any better than this.
January 11, 2012
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 surgeon, Brinkley ends up pioneering innovations in radio advertising with far-reaching effects. Brinkley is eventually brought down by Morris Fishbein of the AMA, who spends years trying to destroy Brinkley's career and ultimately succeeds in a dramatic court case. It's a story reminiscent of the enjoyable movie "Catch Me If You Can," but unfortunately some of its entertainment value gets weighed down by excessive details and tangents.
I enjoyed some of the issues raised by this book. It was interesting to think about society's onetime naivete and gullibility, and whether today's cynicism is a good thing or a bad thing. It was also fascinating to think about alternative vs. traditional medicine, and how distinct they truly are. As Brock asks at one point, is it quackery or is it cutting-edge medicine? Hard to know sometimes. Brinkley must have been some character, and Brock does a good job of painting his colorful nature.
All this notwithstanding, I found my attention span flagging and often felt that I was dragging my way through the book rather than feeling eager to pick it up. I don't know whether that says more about me or about the book, but there it is.
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 surgeon, Brinkley ends up pioneering innovations in radio advertising with far-reaching effects. Brinkley is eventually brought down by Morris Fishbein of the AMA, who spends years trying to destroy Brinkley's career and ultimately succeeds in a dramatic court case. It's a story reminiscent of the enjoyable movie "Catch Me If You Can," but unfortunately some of its entertainment value gets weighed down by excessive details and tangents.
I enjoyed some of the issues raised by this book. It was interesting to think about society's onetime naivete and gullibility, and whether today's cynicism is a good thing or a bad thing. It was also fascinating to think about alternative vs. traditional medicine, and how distinct they truly are. As Brock asks at one point, is it quackery or is it cutting-edge medicine? Hard to know sometimes. Brinkley must have been some character, and Brock does a good job of painting his colorful nature.
All this notwithstanding, I found my attention span flagging and often felt that I was dragging my way through the book rather than feeling eager to pick it up. I don't know whether that says more about me or about the book, but there it is.
December 6, 2014
Men, is your sex life not what it should be? Have you lost that spark? Dr. Brinkley's Goat Gland surgery will turn you into a young man again!!!
If we saw that advertisement today, we would laugh but that was not the case in the 1920-30s. John Brinkley who passed himself off as a physician (which he was not) and claimed graduation from various schools of medicine became one of the most famous men during the early 20th century with his "ground breaking" medical practices for everything from impotence to cancer. Thousands of citizens flocked to his "hospital" to have goat glands implantations and many claimed that the surgery was indeed successful. The fact that many people died from gangrene and peritonitis was kept secret from the public. This book follows the career of this charlatan who turned his medical practice into an empire, almost won the governorship of Kansas, and was the first person to put up a broadcasting antenna across the border in Mexico to escape the limitations of signal strength in the US. He blasted his message which was a mixture of pseudo-science and religion across the country and the public fell for it. He really was a brilliant man who could have turned his talents to the good but acquiring a fortune through fraud was more important to him. And then the American Medical Association turned their attention to him and things turned sour very fast. The author has a dry wit which makes this book into an enjoyable read and softens some of the horror of what this man did in the name of "medicine". Highly recommended.
If we saw that advertisement today, we would laugh but that was not the case in the 1920-30s. John Brinkley who passed himself off as a physician (which he was not) and claimed graduation from various schools of medicine became one of the most famous men during the early 20th century with his "ground breaking" medical practices for everything from impotence to cancer. Thousands of citizens flocked to his "hospital" to have goat glands implantations and many claimed that the surgery was indeed successful. The fact that many people died from gangrene and peritonitis was kept secret from the public. This book follows the career of this charlatan who turned his medical practice into an empire, almost won the governorship of Kansas, and was the first person to put up a broadcasting antenna across the border in Mexico to escape the limitations of signal strength in the US. He blasted his message which was a mixture of pseudo-science and religion across the country and the public fell for it. He really was a brilliant man who could have turned his talents to the good but acquiring a fortune through fraud was more important to him. And then the American Medical Association turned their attention to him and things turned sour very fast. The author has a dry wit which makes this book into an enjoyable read and softens some of the horror of what this man did in the name of "medicine". Highly recommended.
March 6, 2009
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. 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.
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.
January 13, 2015
I don’t condone starting a book and not finishing but I’m more vigorously opposed to self-abuse, so I stopped after a mere two chapters. I couldn’t follow the story because something just didn’t seem to be right, kind of like when you’re not sure if you smell or taste something weird. I finally realized the writing style had a choppy, Roaring 20s feel to it. At that point I couldn’t get the sound of Jimmy Cagney out of my head (Yeah, flimflam, see? Dames with nice gams, see?) as I tried to comprehend what I was reading. It was completely distracting and I just couldn’t follow. I hate to give up but I know this just won’t get any better because the style is all wrong for me and I know it won’t change over the course of the book.
I will note that I really, really liked two books that I disliked at the beginning: Down By the River (Charles Bowden) and Night Draws Near (Anthony Shadid). So if you find yourself reading either or both books and just not liking them, hang in there and you’ll be rewarded.
I will note that I really, really liked two books that I disliked at the beginning: Down By the River (Charles Bowden) and Night Draws Near (Anthony Shadid). So if you find yourself reading either or both books and just not liking them, hang in there and you’ll be rewarded.
May 2, 2009
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 upon millions in the period between the two World Wars. The scam: to restore male virility by inserting a goat testicle into their scrotum. And men paid $750 apiece--many poor farmers mortgaging their homes or giving up life savings!
Chapter after chapter tops itself with the believe-it-or-not facts, as Brinkley stays one step ahead of the fledgling AMA, builds his empire and achieves national renown, while the tale culminates with a courtroom drama. Brock could not have invented a more perfect story, or a more outrageous character. What makes it exceptional are the lasting impacts of that character.
This is an essential chapter in American history, and a truly great read.
WHY I READ THIS BOOK: A fan of what Greil Marcus calls "the old, weird America," I was attracted to the book in an early review. After seeing it in Bailey-Coy's non-fiction table on several visits, I finally picked it up. PS--it was one of those purchases that did NOT sit in my office for months waiting for the right castor-oil hold-your-nose moment. As soon as I started, I could not put it down!
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 upon millions in the period between the two World Wars. The scam: to restore male virility by inserting a goat testicle into their scrotum. And men paid $750 apiece--many poor farmers mortgaging their homes or giving up life savings!
Chapter after chapter tops itself with the believe-it-or-not facts, as Brinkley stays one step ahead of the fledgling AMA, builds his empire and achieves national renown, while the tale culminates with a courtroom drama. Brock could not have invented a more perfect story, or a more outrageous character. What makes it exceptional are the lasting impacts of that character.
This is an essential chapter in American history, and a truly great read.
WHY I READ THIS BOOK: A fan of what Greil Marcus calls "the old, weird America," I was attracted to the book in an early review. After seeing it in Bailey-Coy's non-fiction table on several visits, I finally picked it up. PS--it was one of those purchases that did NOT sit in my office for months waiting for the right castor-oil hold-your-nose moment. As soon as I started, I could not put it down!
December 3, 2011
There are some stories that are so outrageous they simply couldn't have been made up. The saga of "Dr." John Brinkley is one such tale.
Brinkley crawled out of North Carolina poverty in the first half of the twentieth century with modest skill as a small time con artist. Eventually, however, he stumbled upon the rejuvenation fad. Science had figured out that the sex glands had something to do with youth and vigor, not to mention sexual potency, but they had not yet discovered testosterone. In the interim, enterprising doctors unconcerned with ethics convinced the public that they had new treatments that could restore lost vigor.
Brinkley's particular innovation was transplanting the glands of goats into humans both male and female. After acquiring a medical degree of questionable origins, he opened up a clinic in Milford, Kansas, and proceeded to become a multimillionaire selling new hope to tired farmers.
What made Brinkley so astonishingly successful, however, wasn't his questionable medical skills - it was his genius for marketing and promotion. In the process of selling his sketchy treatments to a credulous public, Brinkley pioneered a number of innovations in advertising and public relations. Having a visionary understanding of the potential of radio that others lacked, he also shaped the development of the AM dial and in the process a large part of American musical culture.
Along the way, Brinkley fell into the sights of quackbuster Morris Fishbein. Fishbein was a charismatic personality in his own right who had made a name for himself and the AMA exposing medical fraud. Lacking the kinds of legal malpractice tools we have today, however, Fishbein had his work cut out for him as he went after Brinkley, who was as adaptable as Wall Street to any attempt to regulate him.
Charlatan is a flat-out great read. Pope Brock is an excellent storyteller, and while this book may go into more detail than some might like, it remains a page-turner from the beginning. In addition to being a kind of medical thriller, it is also a fascinating cultural history of Depression era America. Most importantly, however, it paints a very clear picture of the wishful thinking and human flaws that make all of us susceptible to the false promises of quacks like Brinkley. Though the modern medical world is more regulated than it was in the early days, human beings themselves have not changed all that much, and people are still being harmed by Brinkley's heirs. This book provides key understandings as to why that is and is an important contribution to the literature of alternative medicine.
Brinkley crawled out of North Carolina poverty in the first half of the twentieth century with modest skill as a small time con artist. Eventually, however, he stumbled upon the rejuvenation fad. Science had figured out that the sex glands had something to do with youth and vigor, not to mention sexual potency, but they had not yet discovered testosterone. In the interim, enterprising doctors unconcerned with ethics convinced the public that they had new treatments that could restore lost vigor.
Brinkley's particular innovation was transplanting the glands of goats into humans both male and female. After acquiring a medical degree of questionable origins, he opened up a clinic in Milford, Kansas, and proceeded to become a multimillionaire selling new hope to tired farmers.
What made Brinkley so astonishingly successful, however, wasn't his questionable medical skills - it was his genius for marketing and promotion. In the process of selling his sketchy treatments to a credulous public, Brinkley pioneered a number of innovations in advertising and public relations. Having a visionary understanding of the potential of radio that others lacked, he also shaped the development of the AM dial and in the process a large part of American musical culture.
Along the way, Brinkley fell into the sights of quackbuster Morris Fishbein. Fishbein was a charismatic personality in his own right who had made a name for himself and the AMA exposing medical fraud. Lacking the kinds of legal malpractice tools we have today, however, Fishbein had his work cut out for him as he went after Brinkley, who was as adaptable as Wall Street to any attempt to regulate him.
Charlatan is a flat-out great read. Pope Brock is an excellent storyteller, and while this book may go into more detail than some might like, it remains a page-turner from the beginning. In addition to being a kind of medical thriller, it is also a fascinating cultural history of Depression era America. Most importantly, however, it paints a very clear picture of the wishful thinking and human flaws that make all of us susceptible to the false promises of quacks like Brinkley. Though the modern medical world is more regulated than it was in the early days, human beings themselves have not changed all that much, and people are still being harmed by Brinkley's heirs. This book provides key understandings as to why that is and is an important contribution to the literature of alternative medicine.
January 28, 2009
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 probably death toll was many times that. And he got away with it for almost half a century. In between killing people with inept fake male enhancement goat-gland surgery, he also ran for governor Kansas, and actually had the votes to win, but powers-that-be managed to toss out enough votes to have someone less insane win. He pioneered the roving van that piped out recorded campaign slogans and the hectic populist get out the vote campaigns (Huey Long sent observers to watch him in action). He also was the first person to do commercials on the radio and made so much money doing so, that everyone else started doing commercials as well. And because he couldn't do commercials 24 hours a day, in between he hired country music singers, which at the time were a little known regional form of music. The Carter family among other big names got their start working for him.
So his terrible legacy continues to annoy (and apparently the fake gland surgery is making a comeback today).
So his terrible legacy continues to annoy (and apparently the fake gland surgery is making a comeback today).
June 22, 2017
Very entertaining and, at times, humorous book about “Doctor” John Brinkley who made millions during the Depression era by performing operations to insert goat glands into humans. He never earned a degree from an accredited medical school, many of his operations went severely awry, and he sold expensive follow-up “medication” to his patients that consisted of water and food coloring. The author gives us the background on Brinkley, as well as Morris Fishbein, the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, whose goal became to ensure Brinkley never practiced medicine again.
Far-reaching subject matter includes politics, broadcasting, advertising, roots of country music, deep sea fishing records, and courtroom drama. It includes stories about such notable names as Sinclair Lewis, Eugene Debs, H.L. Mencken, Father Flanagan, and the Carter family.
The author has a knack for evoking the feel of the age he excels at storytelling. While he touches on the continuing saga of people being enticed and exploited in pursuit of health and beauty-related goals, I thought he could have gone a bit further and explored the fine line between true medical research and experimental, unconventional remedies.
Recommended to readers of non-fiction, especially those interested in history of medical regulation or true tales of flamboyant criminals.
Far-reaching subject matter includes politics, broadcasting, advertising, roots of country music, deep sea fishing records, and courtroom drama. It includes stories about such notable names as Sinclair Lewis, Eugene Debs, H.L. Mencken, Father Flanagan, and the Carter family.
The author has a knack for evoking the feel of the age he excels at storytelling. While he touches on the continuing saga of people being enticed and exploited in pursuit of health and beauty-related goals, I thought he could have gone a bit further and explored the fine line between true medical research and experimental, unconventional remedies.
Recommended to readers of non-fiction, especially those interested in history of medical regulation or true tales of flamboyant criminals.
March 23, 2015
Charlatan is a book about the "goat gland guy". John R. Brinkley was a self-proclaimed doctor from the 1930s who performed surgeries to implant goat glands into men (and some women) to rejuvenate them. To be completely frank, this man was a "charlatan" or quack doctor who made thousands believe that by inserting goat glands into men's testes they could be young and revitalized, sexually and otherwise. Rather than help them, many left his hospital in worse shape than they started if they even left his hospital at all. He was continually harassed by Morris Fishbein of the American Medical Association, who was able to bring a suit against him for libel. Brinkley moved from Tennessee to Kansas and eventually Del Rio, Texas performing these operations, as well as selling his useless medical potions. His other claim to fame was construction of a "border blaster" radio station over the border in Mexico, so that he can be heard giving medical advice on the airways across the nation.
After I got over the shock of what this man did, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I am constantly amazed at what people are suckered into believing. Author Pope Brock did a great job detailing the life of the goat gland guy and the man who basically destroyed him.
After I got over the shock of what this man did, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I am constantly amazed at what people are suckered into believing. Author Pope Brock did a great job detailing the life of the goat gland guy and the man who basically destroyed him.
November 27, 2011
You think a story about putting goat balls in people would be more interesting. Couldn't get past page 56. Some really good lines and then pages of good writing but no connection to what is going on. Shadows.
January 25, 2012
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 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.
★ ★ ★
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.
November 8, 2025
Did Not Finish
I really really really wanted to read this bio of Brinkley, the greatest acknowledged shyster in U.S. history (so far) but just could not get past a few chapters. He is definitely a fascinating man!
But every single sentence is written in a jokey sarcastic manner that depreciates the story.
Why WHY is it written like this???
I just could not get past the lame humor, or what passes for humor with all the added snarky personal comments.
Please, rewrite this, Mr Brock or SOMEBODY without all the grating irritating humorless verbiage.
I really really really wanted to read this bio of Brinkley, the greatest acknowledged shyster in U.S. history (so far) but just could not get past a few chapters. He is definitely a fascinating man!
But every single sentence is written in a jokey sarcastic manner that depreciates the story.
Why WHY is it written like this???
I just could not get past the lame humor, or what passes for humor with all the added snarky personal comments.
Please, rewrite this, Mr Brock or SOMEBODY without all the grating irritating humorless verbiage.
October 30, 2019
Really fun read, review forthcoming!
July 20, 2022
Finished this only minutes ago, and have to say my attention/interest wavered throughout the first half, while also sometimes I paused to laugh, or share morsels of information my wife didn’t care to hear. This hindered reading in a “timely” manner, and I sometimes daydreamed about other books, but feel this did ultimately hook and re-hook me and satisfied my sense of reading a good story. I mean, the whole thing is appalling and it uncovered so many things about American society and culture that I always *almost* knew about because of its omnipresence and haphazardly beneficial byproducts—this quack was *innovative*—but its notoriety had dwindled and so became less relevant or remarkable. Although, so many aspects of this echo (from the past?) so very many things Americans just…experienced… politically-speaking; charlatans using the same old playbook. Surprisingly, a great read. Just wow.
[The copy I read was an advance reader’s edition from my days as a bookseller. Had no idea what I was getting myself into. Glad I hung onto it. Will pass along.]
[The copy I read was an advance reader’s edition from my days as a bookseller. Had no idea what I was getting myself into. Glad I hung onto it. Will pass along.]
June 15, 2018
Another steller audiobook read by Johnny Heller. A fascinating tale of early quack medicine, with surprising connections.
September 23, 2011
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 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?
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?
May 30, 2008
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 on the radio. As a write-in candidate for Governonr of Kansas, he actually received more votes than his rivals, but lost because they passed a law specifying the exact name that had to be written in to count as a valid vote (shades of Florida, 2000!)
Finally undone by filing an ill-advised libel suit(shades of Oscar Wilde!)against the editor of JAMA who called him a charlatan, he died broke with the threat of criminal prosecution hanging over his head. Although much has changed since then (in particular better licensing of doctors, medical devices and broadcast media)much remains the same. To cite some obvious examples, the booming business in "medical" efforts to retard ageing, male potency remedies and the increasingly pervasive presence of drug and political ads on TV. The books is at once a fascinating tale of a larger than life rogue and a cautionary tale about what has always happened (and no doubt will continue to always happen) when the desire to believe outrageous claims intersects with the eagerness to turn a buck by making them.
Finally, it sheds light on the charismatic nature of those best described as "snake oil" salesmen. Although he killed dozens, maimed hundred and fleeced thousands, Brinkley nonetheless enjoyed great popularity, attacting legions of devoted followers and grateful patients. Perhaps this mysterious alchemy is best summed up by the man who admitted that he knew Brinkley was flim flamming him, but still "I liked him."
Finally undone by filing an ill-advised libel suit(shades of Oscar Wilde!)against the editor of JAMA who called him a charlatan, he died broke with the threat of criminal prosecution hanging over his head. Although much has changed since then (in particular better licensing of doctors, medical devices and broadcast media)much remains the same. To cite some obvious examples, the booming business in "medical" efforts to retard ageing, male potency remedies and the increasingly pervasive presence of drug and political ads on TV. The books is at once a fascinating tale of a larger than life rogue and a cautionary tale about what has always happened (and no doubt will continue to always happen) when the desire to believe outrageous claims intersects with the eagerness to turn a buck by making them.
Finally, it sheds light on the charismatic nature of those best described as "snake oil" salesmen. Although he killed dozens, maimed hundred and fleeced thousands, Brinkley nonetheless enjoyed great popularity, attacting legions of devoted followers and grateful patients. Perhaps this mysterious alchemy is best summed up by the man who admitted that he knew Brinkley was flim flamming him, but still "I liked him."
November 1, 2017
I’ve started to realize I enjoy reading about the lives of charlatans and basically people who are able to acquire money or fame by fooling others. It’s probably because I personally suck at it. I used to think it’s because I’m honest and principled, and maybe there is some hints of that in it, but mainly it is because I am just not good at it. It’s just easier to be honest. Fooling people seems like such hard work.
I first heard about John Brinkley on the “Reply All” podcast. It got me interested enough to read the book on it, although, I have to say that he podcast did cover most of it, and I felt like the author had to put a lot of fillers in to stretch the story. Basically, Brinkley was in early last century who was able to insert goat glands in human testicles, claiming it made people younger or solve men’s erectile dysfunction and became super rich because of it, even though it had no scientific basis in it. The lax medical regulation laws in American at that time made it easy for Brinkley to practice his surgeries. Of course, even though there are major strict laws in almost any country related to the medical field, people still find loopholes to sell snake oil schemes.
To make the story more engaging, the author tries to frame it as a battle between two sides. Brinkley as the charlatan who is getting richer and more famous by the day, and Morris Fishbein, editor of Journal of the American Medical Association, who is out to stop him.
The story is very interesting, although I had issues with the author. He sometimes went on tangents that weren’t that interesting to me, and I felt that, that at times, his use of certain words and phrases were more literally and complicated than a biography on a charlatan needed to be.
By the way, they are apparently making a movie on this guy (Brinkley, not the author, haha).
I first heard about John Brinkley on the “Reply All” podcast. It got me interested enough to read the book on it, although, I have to say that he podcast did cover most of it, and I felt like the author had to put a lot of fillers in to stretch the story. Basically, Brinkley was in early last century who was able to insert goat glands in human testicles, claiming it made people younger or solve men’s erectile dysfunction and became super rich because of it, even though it had no scientific basis in it. The lax medical regulation laws in American at that time made it easy for Brinkley to practice his surgeries. Of course, even though there are major strict laws in almost any country related to the medical field, people still find loopholes to sell snake oil schemes.
To make the story more engaging, the author tries to frame it as a battle between two sides. Brinkley as the charlatan who is getting richer and more famous by the day, and Morris Fishbein, editor of Journal of the American Medical Association, who is out to stop him.
The story is very interesting, although I had issues with the author. He sometimes went on tangents that weren’t that interesting to me, and I felt that, that at times, his use of certain words and phrases were more literally and complicated than a biography on a charlatan needed to be.
By the way, they are apparently making a movie on this guy (Brinkley, not the author, haha).
May 18, 2014
"Dr." John Brinkley made a fortune off of "transplanting" goat testicles into the ball-sacs and mind of America's wilting men in the decades prior to World War II. For women, he could offer the insertion of goat ovaries to stimulate fertility. John Brinkley is considered the most notorious, if unsung, serial killers of the modern era. He was shitbaggery incarnate, a greedy, conniving right-wing quack who nearly won the governor's seat in Kansas, thought the Nazis had a good thing going, and he believed that the glands were the root of the human soul.
Hell-bent against this dick-fixer extraordinaire was Morris Fishbein, the hard-drinkin', Jewish editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association who spent years arrowing after Brinkley. This is the masterful, hilarious, and downright disturbing tale of their conflict, but, more than that, it's a startling account of the extant American gullibility for nonscience and miracle cures. Modern American history at its finest.
Hell-bent against this dick-fixer extraordinaire was Morris Fishbein, the hard-drinkin', Jewish editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association who spent years arrowing after Brinkley. This is the masterful, hilarious, and downright disturbing tale of their conflict, but, more than that, it's a startling account of the extant American gullibility for nonscience and miracle cures. Modern American history at its finest.
January 21, 2016
This is a terrific read, witty and informative at the same time. More than you ever dared hope you'd know about illegal operations involving goat glands. I was very sorry to see it end.
January 25, 2021
If you ever wanted to read a book about goat testicles, outsized ego and a guy who could have provided current audacious hucksters with a roadmap as to how to proceed, you will love Charlatan.
Quack "remedies" that rely entirely on the placebo effect for results? Check
A public so desperate for relief that they'll believe pretty much anything? Check
Saying whatever you want on the radio (no television yet then) whether it's true or not and having thousands of defenders even when it's demonstrated irrefutably that you're a crook and a fraud? Check Check Check
"Doctor" Brinkley got himself a mail order medical license and proceeded to defraud everyone he could separate from their funds. One of the big proponents of the "goat gland" craze of the 1920s, he offered eternal youth, "vitality," and virility. The placebo effect did the rest for a few of his patients; the rest either had no result whatsoever, or were maimed for life, or were killed by post-operative complications/infections.
The general public, in large part, viewed him as a miracle worker. The AMA, and one person within the AMA in particular, viewed him as a dangerous huckster. The latter appraisal of his skills is the accurate one.
Overall, I found this story to be an interesting one, especially when it came to Brinkley's frank discussions on his radio programs of women's pleasure within marital relations. It's difficult to talk about those things NOW without hearing "think of the children!" but he was quite open about it. However, there were tangents that took me out of the story and made me lose interest in the rest of it. Whenever H.L. Mencken's name came up, I said "okay, it's going to slow down quite a lot now."
There was one integral part of Brinkley's story that accidentally led to something rather nice. He created his own radio station so that he could blather his shill his remedies (consisting of tap water with food coloring in it), and offering his medical advice and read scripture aloud. Even when he was on trial, he would tell the folks all about it each day on the radio. Accidentally (because if it was a decent, good thing, there's no way he did it on purpose), he provided a platform for performers to be heard. The Carter Family, Gene Autry and several others got much wider exposure thanks to the reach of his station. Americans of a certain age with remember a deejay called Wolfman Jack - he got his start at the station founded by Brinkley.
Charlatan is a bit hit or miss with me. Excellent set pieces within short chapters, interspersed in long, unnecessary and superfluous information. I can see from the other reviews here that my experience is far from common, however. I read this because my husband recommended it, and it was one of his top three reads for 2020. I completely understand. Perhaps, especially in current times, I'm more sensitive to needless death caused through quackery and incompetence, without any thought or comfort for the loved ones of those who were lost. Maybe if I'd read this in 2019, I would have enjoyed it even more.
Quack "remedies" that rely entirely on the placebo effect for results? Check
A public so desperate for relief that they'll believe pretty much anything? Check
Saying whatever you want on the radio (no television yet then) whether it's true or not and having thousands of defenders even when it's demonstrated irrefutably that you're a crook and a fraud? Check Check Check
"Doctor" Brinkley got himself a mail order medical license and proceeded to defraud everyone he could separate from their funds. One of the big proponents of the "goat gland" craze of the 1920s, he offered eternal youth, "vitality," and virility. The placebo effect did the rest for a few of his patients; the rest either had no result whatsoever, or were maimed for life, or were killed by post-operative complications/infections.
The general public, in large part, viewed him as a miracle worker. The AMA, and one person within the AMA in particular, viewed him as a dangerous huckster. The latter appraisal of his skills is the accurate one.
Overall, I found this story to be an interesting one, especially when it came to Brinkley's frank discussions on his radio programs of women's pleasure within marital relations. It's difficult to talk about those things NOW without hearing "think of the children!" but he was quite open about it. However, there were tangents that took me out of the story and made me lose interest in the rest of it. Whenever H.L. Mencken's name came up, I said "okay, it's going to slow down quite a lot now."
There was one integral part of Brinkley's story that accidentally led to something rather nice. He created his own radio station so that he could blather his shill his remedies (consisting of tap water with food coloring in it), and offering his medical advice and read scripture aloud. Even when he was on trial, he would tell the folks all about it each day on the radio. Accidentally (because if it was a decent, good thing, there's no way he did it on purpose), he provided a platform for performers to be heard. The Carter Family, Gene Autry and several others got much wider exposure thanks to the reach of his station. Americans of a certain age with remember a deejay called Wolfman Jack - he got his start at the station founded by Brinkley.
Charlatan is a bit hit or miss with me. Excellent set pieces within short chapters, interspersed in long, unnecessary and superfluous information. I can see from the other reviews here that my experience is far from common, however. I read this because my husband recommended it, and it was one of his top three reads for 2020. I completely understand. Perhaps, especially in current times, I'm more sensitive to needless death caused through quackery and incompetence, without any thought or comfort for the loved ones of those who were lost. Maybe if I'd read this in 2019, I would have enjoyed it even more.
March 3, 2020
Anyone who's followed my reviews for any length of time knows I read a lot of books written in the 1920s, particularly Golden Age fiction. I have long wondered what all the fuss about "monkey glands" was, to the place that even Miss Sayers works it into one of her plots. Therefore when I wanted a book based on an actual happening I chose this one, and it was quite a ride.
It's tempting to look down our noses at the radio public of the old days as ignorant rubes who were so fascinated by the airwaves that they were easily led--until you watch a few informercials today. Health hucksters on TV and online are still promising eternal youth and healing for everything from tinnitus to weight loss to diabetes, for just a few (!) bucks. "Eat all you want and still lose weight!" is just one. I have seen "subliminal" recordings on Youtube touting everything from emotional healing to improved deafness, whitened teeth (yes really!) to changing your eye colour! So maybe goat glands and secret formulas aren't quite so incredible after all. I was left with a question as to what actually happened to these animal glands that people had implanted in their balls or under the skin of their ribs (yes, really!). Did they just rot? Nothing is ever made clear.
Brock's use of language was a bit odd, and he sometimes got clear off the track. Suddenly in the middle of everything he goes off at a tangent to discuss Sandberg's "Rootabaga Stories" and how it was (supposedly) launched, though how he knew what took place in a private conversation in a private club is anyone's guess. Turn the page, and it's back to the main thread. The tangent isn't hooked to anything else. The Epilogue didn't seem to have much to do with the rest of the book either, but I guess the author had a few pages left to fill. He also seemed to have lost interest by then.
It's tempting to look down our noses at the radio public of the old days as ignorant rubes who were so fascinated by the airwaves that they were easily led--until you watch a few informercials today. Health hucksters on TV and online are still promising eternal youth and healing for everything from tinnitus to weight loss to diabetes, for just a few (!) bucks. "Eat all you want and still lose weight!" is just one. I have seen "subliminal" recordings on Youtube touting everything from emotional healing to improved deafness, whitened teeth (yes really!) to changing your eye colour! So maybe goat glands and secret formulas aren't quite so incredible after all. I was left with a question as to what actually happened to these animal glands that people had implanted in their balls or under the skin of their ribs (yes, really!). Did they just rot? Nothing is ever made clear.
Brock's use of language was a bit odd, and he sometimes got clear off the track. Suddenly in the middle of everything he goes off at a tangent to discuss Sandberg's "Rootabaga Stories" and how it was (supposedly) launched, though how he knew what took place in a private conversation in a private club is anyone's guess. Turn the page, and it's back to the main thread. The tangent isn't hooked to anything else. The Epilogue didn't seem to have much to do with the rest of the book either, but I guess the author had a few pages left to fill. He also seemed to have lost interest by then.
September 13, 2017
Well researched and well written book. Probably not a book I would have normally picked to read, but very glad I read it. This was a book club read and although it takes a bit to get into the book, once you do it is a wild ride. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. I learned a lot about not only Dr Brinkley and Dr. Morris Fishbein, but the pop culture and settings of 1920 - 1940. Also the correlation between that times scams and con artist and those of current day are astounding. Humans have not really evolved or changed that much in 100 years. Dr. Brinkley, love him or hate him, was a man of great insight and innovation. Many modern day procedures and cultural aspects can be attributed directly to him. Very glad I read this book.
January 10, 2023
While this is a very good book about the worst medical charlatan and the effort to catch him there is the making of another book in here. J. R. Brinkley was transplanting goat glands into men in the 20's and 30's and had to keep ahead of the AMA. To keep people coming to him he moved to Mexico and started a radio station. He basically started promoting country music long before anyone else with acts like the Carter Family. I want to read that book. This was good but Pope Brock got me more interested in the music.
April 1, 2019
This book is literally about a doctor who put goat testicles into men (and sometimes women). Cannot stress enough that this is a real thing that really happened less than a hundred years ago.
Also the book is excellent. Delving into issues of medical history, radio regulation, populism and pure chutzpah, it’s shockingly relevant today.
Please do not have goat testicles implanted into yourself.
Also the book is excellent. Delving into issues of medical history, radio regulation, populism and pure chutzpah, it’s shockingly relevant today.
Please do not have goat testicles implanted into yourself.
March 28, 2020
There were areas that could have stood for more detail. Plus, I don't like when chapters leave you hanging with some ominous last sentence and then pick up on an entirely different subject in the next chapter. Otherwise, it was an interesting read, although it just makes you more disappointed in humanity. It makes you realize how little we've changed.
January 3, 2026
This has been on my reading list for years (maybe even decades). I kept picking it up but not getting into it. Sheer determination got me through it this time. It's very disappointing. Here you have this fascinating guy who is carving folks up and implanting goat testes or some version of that. It should be really interesting, but it's not. I think the issue is very flat writing and a slight lack of focus. I do think, however, this is a great reference book for anyone doing a deep dive into quacks, charlatans, and fake health supplements - there's a lot of really good research and some little-known tangents about supplements and some interesting information about the early days of the AMA.
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