Charlatan

The Fraudulent Life of John Brinkley

Pope Brock

This is the enormously entertaining story of how a fraudulent surgeon made a fortune by inserting goats' testes into impotent American men. So-called 'Doctor' John Brinkley became a world renowned authority on sexual rejuvenation in the 1920s, with famous politicians and even royalty asking for his services. His nemesis was Dr Morris Fishbein, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, but it took him fifteen years to destroy Brinkley in a dramatic courtroom showdown. In the meantime, despite mounting evidence that his quack treatments killed many patients, Brinkley became a millionaire and his pioneering use of radio not only kick-started country music as a national force in America, but invented the whole concept of radio advertising. He was the first politician to campaign from the air, when he ran for governor of Kansas (where else?).
Pope Brock is the acclaimed author of INDIANA GOTHIC. His account of the rise and fall of John Brinkley is also another fascinating portrait of between-the-wars America: a time and place closer to DEADWOOD than ER. It is also an enduring cautionary tale for men obsessed with potency.