Pope Brock

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.… (meer)

This book is so fun. It's written a bit sensationally, but then again how else do you tell the story of a psycho con man fake doctor who became one of the richest men America by surgically inserting diced goat balls into old men's scrotums, was cheated out of the Governorship of Kansas, basically invented modern day campaigning, revolutionized marketing, started and ran the most powerful and popular radio station in the country (from mexico) that featured astrologists and psychics, introduced America to "hillbilly" music (including the Carter Family), caught the largest tuna ever recorded in the western hemisphere from his yacht, sold millions of dollars worth of colored water and diluted poisons all around the country during the great depression, was a Nazi sympathizer, and likely killed around 100 people. More than almost any "scholarly" history I've ever read, this book accurately portrays something very real about the character of America: if you are good enough at selling, it doesn't matter what you do or know or make or believe. Especially in Kansas.… (meer)

5624. Charlatan America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam, by Pope Brock (read 4 May 2019) This book is about "Doctor" John Brinkley who was born in 1885 and died in 1942. I remember in my youth hearing about him and the powerful radio station he had in Del Rio, Texas, or, rather, just across the border in Mexico-- It was so powerful we could hear it in Iowa. I was under 10 years old and did not know about Brinkley's fantastic behavior. I became interested in Brinkley when I began to wonder what happened to Harry Woodring, who was Secretary of War from 1936 to 1940 when FDR asked for his resignation so Stimson could be appointed Secretary of War.. I learned that in 1930 Woodring had been elected Governor of Kansas, but only because Brinkley, who was a write-in candidate, was in effect counted out because only if "John R. Brinkley" was the way his name was written were the write-ins counted for him; thus if "Doctor Brinkley" was written on the ballot it was not counted for John R. Brinkley. This resulted in Harry Woodring being elected Governor.. In 1932 Brinkley ran for Governor again but lost to Alf Landon--who the Republicans nominated for President in 1936. Anyway, the book tells of the outrageous fraud Brinkley was and how he made millions (in Depression time) by telling men he could restore their virility by inserting goat glands in their scrotum! I was amazed that so many people were taken in by the awful things Brinkley said and did, but then reflected on the hold our current President has on millions and that Brinkley had so many who fell for his quackery I had to conclude maybe was not so surprising. The book tells the story of Brinkley's successes and eventual fall but could have been much more ably researched and better written.… (meer)