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

Marcia Purcell:

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 public office. Brinkley went on to gain such fame that he almost became governor of Kansas and was the most popular American radio broadcaster. And all because he pioneered an outlandish and highly dangerous method for show more restoring male virility. (The goat on the cover is a major clue!) He actually became one of America's largest mass murderers, leaving dozens and dozens of butchered patients behind him. The book also provides a highly informative look at Brinkley's nemesis, Morris Fishbein, editor of a little-read publication, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and his decades-long battle which culminated in a riveting trial. Narrative non-fiction at its best and for everyone who has been tempted to 'doctor' themselves. “Of course quacks have flourished in all ages and cultures, for nothing shows reason the door like cures for things. Unlike most scams, which target greed, quackery fires deeper into Jungian universals: our fear of death, our craving for miracles. When we see night approaching, nearly all of us are rubes." —Pope Brock show less

In the early 1900's a man by the name of John R. Brinkley was working miracles. He was rejuvenating old men, returning to them their lost...ummm, youthfulness. Because, really, what good is a man who can't get an erection? Brinkley had just the cure for these poor, 'worthless' men. Goat testicles. Yes, really.

Brinkley was a quack doctor, playing up on the fears and weaknesses of others to gain huge profits. He convinced a nation of men that he could restore their bodies by implanting goat glands into their scrotums. (Yes, really.) He did this without a medical license of any kind, or any education to speak of. All he had was a knife, some goats, and a whole lot of willing participants.

Brinkley dabbled in more than just goat testicles, show more however. He also sold false medicines that did nothing, and injected people with mixtures that turned out to be just colored water that not only did nothing to cure the patient, but could be deadly. He gave bad and potentially harmful advice to people across the country through his radio station, and he was the cause of death of at least 42 people that he signed the death certificates for, plus countless others that managed to make it out of his facilities alive to die elsewhere.

The saddest part is how little we have learned from our mistakes, there are still people like Mr. Brinkley out there even today. With the internet, they have an endless supply of gullible dupes to buy their phony products. There is a huge market and huge profits to be made with miracle drugs for weight loss, penis enlargement, increased sexual 'stamina,' and so forth, not to mention ineffective exercise equipment. Of course there are those out there who would capitalize on all this!

Combine that with the recent paranoia over 'organized' medicine and 'the medical establishment,' and the increased popularity with 'alternative' medicines and treatments, I would go so far as to say that now might be the best time imaginable for Quack doctors. I mean, really, who wouldn't spend $20 if they could gain 2 inches of penis, lose 10 pounds in a day, get rock hard abs while watching TV, and free their entire bodies of harmful chemicals by putting a sticker on the bottom of their foot? Sad, right?

Oh, and as for the book, fascinating!



A related note: The very morning that I wrote this review, July 16th 2011, the local news broadcast a story about Ensure Muscle, a chocolate drink that 'helps build muscle,' or so the company claims. However, you have to drink 2 bottles per day, so you have to consume an extra 500 calories and 44 grams of sugar daily in addition to the actual meals you eat. Worse, the studies are mixed and inconclusive as to whether it does what it claims in the first place. This is just one of countless examples. show less

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 show more 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. show less

J.R. Brinkley (1885-1942) was a man always angling for a quick buck. But, more than that, he just wanted to be loved by everyone. He started out as a two-bit showman in a snake oil shop, but soon found out that having a medical degree was the way to really pull in the masses. After acquiring (read “buying”) a degree from a shoddy operation, he was licensed in eight states and began a quest to dupe hundreds of folks with “cures” from exotic places at his hospital in Milford, Kansas.

Then one day, a man came into his office timidly complaining of “no pep” and “wishing he had billy-goat nuts.” So, Brinkley had, as Dr. Seuss would call it, “a wonderful, awful idea,” and surgically implanted goat testicles into the show more man’s scrotum, claiming that it would invigorate him back to his former condition. Soon, thousands of patients came from all over the Midwest to get their virility back. It would have been bad enough if he had just stopped there. But, he started concocting hundreds of medical “solutions”—each with their own number—that people should take to ease their various ailments (these turned out to be colored water flavored with a fair amount of alcohol). Worms were treated with Prescription 94; post-appendectomy pain was cured with number 61; kidney stones needed 80, 50, and a little 64 (just to be sure, you know).

With his new-found riches, he bought a high-power radio station and blasted his message of better living through goat glands across the whole state. But, he still wasn’t finished. When the FCC shut down his Kansas station, he set another one across the Mexican border with one thousand times the transmitting power. On a clear night, his station XER could he picked up by radios in Canada. Ironically enough, for all the lies Brinkley told on the air, his stations started the careers of many famous musicians, including Gene Autry and the original Carter family. With his amassed wealth, he put himself in the race to become the governor of Kansas, using a private airplane to change the way that politicians get their message to the people. Needless to say, he quite the amount of moxie.

All while Brinkley tried to dupe millions out of their hard-earned money, Dr. Morris Fishbein, a legitimate doctor and head of the American Medical Association, continuously tried to call Brinkley out for the damage he had caused. Fishbein spent the better part of two decades doggedly exposing medical fraud and hucksterism so that the American public would see these men for the quacks that they were. The cat-and-mouse game between Fishbein and Brinkley is what makes this book fun to read. Brock’s Charlatan is very well-researched and quick-paced. I suffered a lot from the dreaded “just one more chapter” syndrome while reading this one. If you like a good back and forth tale of greed, American history, and justice, then this one is for you. show less

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 show more 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. show less

This is a fascinating account of the life of Dr. Brinkley, a man who managed to convince the world that a goat testicle transplant could restore youth and fertility and cure a host of ills. Brinkley is a horrific and fascinating character - he was responsible for the deaths of dozens, if not hundreds of people and the financial ruin of hundreds, if not thousands more. Yet he was an indefatigable salesman and innovator. His innovations in the use of radio for advertising, and his popularization of country music, have had a lasting effect on radio ever since.

Brock also tells the story of Brinkley's nemesis, Fishbein, who worked for the American Medical Association and fought for years to ruin Brinkley's name and career. Fishbein's show more determination is interesting, and he did finally succeed in discrediting Brinkley.

Brock does a great job of describing these events with humor without demeaning or belittling his subject. This was a fascinating and entertaining read. show less

This was an amazing chapter of history told in a brisk and entertaining manner. Fraudulent surgeon "Doctor" John Brinkley made a fortune, millions in Depression years when true specialists made thousands by inserting goats' testes into impotent American men and becoming a media demagogue. His nemesis was Dr. Morris Fishbein, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, took him fifteen years to destroy Brinkley in a dramatic courtroom showdown marking the culmination of an epic struggle worth of an opera. As interesting is reading of his pioneering use of radio that not only kick-started hillbilly/country music as a national force in America but paved the way for rock-n-roll border blasters (he is immortalized in ZZ Top's show more "Heard it on the X") and DJs like Wolfman Jack.

This is one of the best history works I have read in a while. show less