The Bizarre Careers of John R. Brinkley
Kindle Edition
University Press of Kentucky · Ebook · July 12, 2022
By 1926, it seemed that John R. Brinkley's experimental rejuvenation cure—transplanting goat glands into aging men—had taken the nation by storm.
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- Who it’s for
- John Brinkley's career spans dubious medicine, high-power radio, and political campaigning.
- Themes
- Medical quackery and exploitation, Early radio broadcasting, Medicine, politics, and radio history
- Genres
- Lives in Medicine, Radio History, Political Lives
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By 1926, it seemed that John R. Brinkley's experimental rejuvenation cure—transplanting goat glands into aging men—had taken the nation by storm. Never mind that "Doc" Brinkley's medical credentials were shaky at best and that he prescribed medication over the airwaves via his high-power radio stations. To most in the medical field, he was a quack; to his many patients and listeners he was a brilliant surgeon, a savior of their lost manhood and youth.
Continue reading
His rogue radio stations, XER and its successor XERA, eventually broadcast at an antenna-shattering 1,000,000 watts and were not only a haven for Brinkley's lucrative quackery, but also hosted an unprecedented number of then-unknown country musicians and other guests. Indisputably, he transformed the fields of medicine, politics, and radio broadcasting in the 20th century. The Bizarre Careers of John R. Brinkley tells the story of the infamous "Goat Gland Doctor"—a controversial medical charlatan, groundbreaking radio impresario, and prescient political campaigner—and recounts his amazing rags to riches to rags career. A master manipulator and skilled con artist, Brinkley's story was but a patchy perpetuation of myths by journalistic and personal accounts—until now. Alton Lee brings Brinkley's infamous legacy to the forefront, exploring how he ruthlessly exploited the sexual frustrations of aging men and the general public's antipathy toward medical doctors for his personal gain. Lee leaves no stone unturned in this account of a man who changed the course of American institutions forever.
Brinkley’s Radio Empire
John Brinkley's career spans dubious medicine, high-power radio, and political campaigning.
Come here for
- The goat-gland rejuvenation cure
- The radio stations XER and XERA
Expect
- An account of Brinkley's exploitation of aging men's sexual frustrations
- His career across medicine, broadcasting, and politics
Where it sits
| Lives in Medicine | 70% |
|---|---|
| Radio History | 69% |
| Political Lives | 67% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Lives in History
- Lives in Medicine
- Radio History
- Authors
- R. Alton Lee
- Publisher
- University Press of Kentucky
- Published
- July 12, 2022
- Format
- Ebook
- Theme
- Medical quackery and exploitation · Early radio broadcasting · Medicine, politics, and radio history
- Reading lane
- Lives in History