The Bizarre Careers of John R Brinkley

About this book

"Born of humble origins in the mountains of North Carolina in 1885, John R. Brinkley was a national phenomenon by the 1920s. Armed with a questionable medical certification, Brinkley set out to become a pioneer in the field of organ transplants - specifically by transplanting goat gonads into sexually impotent, aging men. The virility rejuvenation cure took the nation by storm, and soon hopeful patients were flocking to Brinkley's hospital in Milford, Kansas." "Brinkley was one of the few people to realize the advertising potential in the new medium of radio, so he founded one of the first commercial stations in the country. Soon he was advertising the goat gland operation on the air and promoting other medical procedures through his show Medical Question Box, where Brinkley read aloud his listeners' medical problems and prescribed for them over the airwaves. His radio station quickly became one of the most popular in the country, and Brinkley innovated programming by also airing college courses, travelogues, and farming news." "The Bizarre Careers of John R. Brinkley tells the amazing story of the infamous "Goat Gland Doctor"--Controversial medical charlatan, groundbreaking radio impresario, and prescient political campaigner - even as it paints a vivid portrait of America on the cusp of modernity."--Jacket.