Doctoring the Truth
Welcome to Doctoring the Truth, a podcast where two dedicated audiologists dissect the world of healthcare gone rogue. Explore jaw-dropping stories of medical malfeasance, nefariousness, and shocking breaches of trust. The episodes provide deep dives that latch onto your curiosity and conscience. It's a podcast for truth-seekers craving true crime, clinical insights, and a dash of humor.
Doctoring the Truth
Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of Liar! An Insane Story of Quackery.
Ever tried squeezing a wriggling, fur-covered bundle of energy into a pair of tiny dog boots? We sure have, and it’s only the beginning of our frosty adventure from the snowy landscapes of Minnesota and Alaska to the sunlit shores of the Cayman Islands. We kick things off by sharing the comical chaos of winter pet care, setting the stage for a laughter-filled episode. Inspired by our listeners, with a nod to Richard Marsh from Cornwall, we lighten things up with hilarious listener-submitted stories and share a sneak peek of our new segment, "Medical Mishaps," promising giggles in the midst of our typically intense discussions.
Brace yourself for the wild and wacky world of John Brinkley, a name synonymous with the outrageous medical quackery of the early 20th century. What do electric medicine scams, syphilis museum exhibits, and colored water injections have in common? They're all part of Brinkley's bag of tricks, concocted alongside his partner in crime, James Crawford. As we trace the tangled web of Brinkley's personal life and his bold escapades, you'll be both amused and astounded by his audacity. This bizarre chapter in medical history is a testament to the quirky characters who thrived in an era eager for easy cures.
Our tale crescendos with Brinkley's infamous goat gland surgery, a procedure as peculiar as it sounds. Imagine choosing your own goat for a so-called rejuvenating surgery! With charismatic marketing, Brinkley lured patients nationwide, intertwining music and medicine in a way never seen before. Just as his media empire, fueled by hillbilly tunes and border blaster stations, reached its zenith, the expose by Morris Fishbein brought it crashing down. Through Brinkley's rise and fall, we explore a transformative moment in American history, reminding us of the enduring power of storytelling and the dangerous allure of pseudoscience.
Don't miss a (heart) beat! Check out our Instagram @doctoringthetruth and email us your story ideas at doctoringthetruth@gmail.com. Don't forget to download, rate and review so we can keep bringing you more exciting content each week!
Stay safe, and stay suspicious...trust, after all is a delicate thing!
Hello Amanda, how are you? Hello, I am just thawing out here. It's been, as you know, warmer in Alaska, like Alaska's, like the beach vacation one wishes for when you're in Minnesota this time of year. Am I right? We'd be the ones in shorts Like, oh my gosh, it's not 23 below. Oh, wow, linda, yeah, oh, shame, I feel bad for the puppies because their feet get so cold and mine refuse to wear. I mean, it is the funniest thing in the world when you try to put boots on your dogs. Have you tried that? Yeah, there's no pooping. That's going to be happening when they're worried about their feet being encased in little puppy boots. So what?
Speaker 2:are you going to?
Speaker 1:do. I do want to ask you one thing, though why do we live here? Yeah?
Speaker 1:yeah and he says, um, yep, that's right, that's the way to do it escape. Yeah, right, do it Escape. Yeah, right, yeah, you go to the Caymans and it's like, unexpectedly, 80 degrees in Minnesota. I mean, it's happened. I, yeah, that's true, that's true, you need, you need to go to Africa. Yeah, if you're a wuss, well, I just, we're just so thrilled to bring you episode 4. I think we both have a couple of shout outs. I'll start.
Speaker 1:I wanted to shout out to a friend of the podcast named Richard Marsh, in Cornwall, england. He suggested that we lighten up the end of the episodes, because I don't know if you listened to episode three, but that was particularly heart wrenching. I mean, they're all bad news, right, but he said, you know, if you could lighten it up with some fun listener stories, we could have a segment that's called Medical Mishaps, and so that's what we're going to. We're going to try. So we want you to send your dear listeners, send in your stories for our amusement to our Gmail account, doctoringthetruth at gmailcom, and we'll read your stories for everyone's enjoyment. Think of it as a palate cleanser, because the content we cover can be so disturbing and depressing. So who doesn't need a little light comic relief. So starting next week we'll be reading your mishaps and hopefully laughing with you and not at you.
Speaker 1:So thank you, Richard.
Speaker 2:Hello, hello, hello, I'm good, how are you? Hmm, yeah, yeah, you know, actually an Alaskan cruise might be kind of nice right now. Getting sunburned, what? Yeah, it's so cold, and my dog today still wanted to take her sweet time. One time we went out and I was like, listen, linda, it's so cold, let's go Tell your friends, tell your yes.
Speaker 1:Tell all your friends Paul. Well, this week's episode's number four I know they walk so funny and it's entitled. I'm particularly proud of this title, guys. Yeah, yeah, it's cold, it's just great balls of liar. It's an outrageous account of quackery. And so we begin.
Speaker 2:You know, yeah, there's usually a couple weeks every winter that I ask myself that I can't shout this book enough. And then I ask my husband why are we not doing Cayman Islands right now?
Speaker 1:This man, is such an artiste when it comes to wordsmithing. I highly recommend it. His name is Pop.
Speaker 2:He says we got to book it, let's book it.
Speaker 1:That's very different from Pop Pope.
Speaker 2:Brock, how would we ever land on the cold week, though? You know this would be the week Charlat, the week Charlton.
Speaker 1:Sandwiched, we'd go on the nice week. The man who pursued him and the age of flim flam Remaining sources will be cited in our show notes.
Speaker 2:And it can be really chilly in the. Caymans. This time of year the wind coming off the ocean is kind of chilly. I mean, 70 is definitely nicer than what we have here, but it feels chilly.
Speaker 1:A group of well-dressed dignitaries about to view a salacious sampling of the underworld. Picture them as they approach a majestic fortress of a hospital, resplendent with ornate furnishings, chandeliers and, of course, a prominent portrait of the great surgeon himself. A gracious hostess and head nurse. The wife of the prestigious surgeon ushers in the visitors. They file into the astonishingly sizable surgical suite, lining the wall and watch as the patient is wheeled in on a gurney. The wife preps the patient's privates and the surgeon solemnly enters arms upheld. In the interest of not sullying his gloves, he parks himself on a stool and gives his wife a nod. She leaves while all, especially the prone patient, wait with bated breath, she returns and brings in the GOAT. Yeah, folks, you heard it, you heard it a goat. And we're not talking about the acronym greatest of all time. What I just described to you is a scene as if made for thank you richard for sharing that I think that is such a great idea.
Speaker 2:I can't wait to hear the stories that people will hopefully send in and I do think that would be a great way to end, because you're right, Richard that was.
Speaker 1:That last one was rough, oh no, so if we had a funny story to end on, that would be perfect and my shout out goes to my cousin. Paul, we had cousin Paul. We had a little family breakfast last weekend and he said he was listening to our podcast and I don't know why that seemed so unexpected to me, but I was like, oh, no, I know right.
Speaker 2:So thank you for listening and supporting our podcast, paul.
Speaker 1:I didn't know you were a true crime fan. I love it. Completely ineffective at best. There are many reasons why quackery flourished in this era, not the least of which was a lack of medical regulation Before the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act no laws required quackery to be used in safe or effective ways.
Speaker 2:This allowed for the mass production and sale of fake cures. I know drum roll you guys this is hilarious.
Speaker 1:This allowed for the mass production and sale of fake cures, often containing harmful ingredients like alcohol, opium or mercury. Patent medicines and miracle cures were widely advertised and promised to cure everything from tuberculosis to quote female troubles, end quote. These were sold in newspapers, traveling medicine shows, mail order catalogs and more so. Here's some examples Dr Kilmer's swamp root was a supposed cure for kidney and liver problems, and it was made up almost entirely of alcohol. Made up almost entirely of alcohol, if you didn't right.
Speaker 2:If you didn't have them before, you're going to have them after Dr. Colmer's Swamp Root. Here we go, sultry.
Speaker 1:This next one. I love pink pills for pale people. This claimed to treat anemia and nervous disorders, but had no proven effects. And then there was Lydia Pinkham's vegetable compound, which sounds tame, but it was marketed as a health tonic for women, and it was just a mix of herbs and alcohol. Right Then there were the devices that promised healing through electricity and magnetism.
Speaker 1:Playing on the public's fascination with new technology, electropoise was a device that supposedly restored vitality by passing electrical currents through the body, like you stick your finger in the socket and you get immediate rejuvenation or death. I mean one or the other, just take your pick, choose adventure. I love that. Thank you for that. Um, there were magnetic belts and corsets that were meant to be worn to increase circulation and energy, with no real medical benefit. And that's funny because I, not too long ago, I remember watching advertisements about belts that vibrated, that was supposed to just melt away body fat. So I don't know how far we've come since then. We're still doing it. Yeah, yeah, um, but alongside this there were more dangerous radioactive cures.
Speaker 1:Before the dangers of radiation were understood, radium was marked as a health booster. Can you imagine? Oh, I, I imagine like an advertisement in that time would read something like you'll be glowing in no time. Because, because, because, yeah, I know so radium water was offered as a bottled drink and sold as an energy booster, which obviously led to cases of radium poisoning. Radium, oh, it gets worse. Radium suppositories and creams were marketed for virility and beauty and claimed to cure many other ailments. Some alternative medical movements gained popularity despite any scientific proof whatsoever. So this included the uncomfortable proposition of colonic cleansing, which I feel like that kind of stuck around for a while. Right, I mean, you remember, like I can remember reading about, like caffeine, colon cleansing and like all these other things, like you go to a spa and you can get I mean, that's not my idea of a spa retreat or relaxing whatever but um, somehow that gained popularity. Okay, but decades before this, at the 1893 world's fair in chicago, a man dressed as a cowboy.
Speaker 2:oh okay, dozens of rattlesnakes, a little counterproductive there.
Speaker 1:He called what came out of them snake oil, and thus birthed the public's acceptance of the cure-all. Quacks often traveled from town to town, putting on elaborate shows to sell their miracle cures. Sure, these were often laced with alcohol or opium, which made people feel better, but temporarily, and had no long-term health benefits, while also lightening their wallets considerably. So the early 1900s that followed, produced a culture of derision towards the highly educated.
Speaker 1:so much so that in America, it seemed that the public embraced quackery and incompetence. The common man was exalted to the point where all but three state governments repealed licensing requirements for doctors. This shocked me. I did not know this, did you? They actually had licensing requirements in place and then repealed them.
Speaker 2:Choose your adventure, stick your finger in.
Speaker 1:You have to have a license to practice medicine. Uh, lemuel shattuck, an educator tasked by the state of massachusetts to conduct a medical survey of the state, reported back. Anyone, male or female, learned or ignorant, an honest man or a knave can assume the name of the physician in practice upon anyone to cure or to kill, as either may happen, without accountability. Hey, it's a free country. End quote. I don't think the results of this deregulation.
Speaker 2:I see videos online right now of people standing on some square situation in their closet and it shakes. We've moved from a belt to a platform.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Our chart note today is about the birth of endocrinology, because this relates to our story the development of endocrinology. The roots of endocrinology date back to ancient times, when physicians speculated about the influence of bodily fluids on health and behavior, times when physicians speculated about the influence of bodily fluids on health and behavior.
Speaker 2:However, the science oh for sure that's such a sad story in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the so-called gland craze.
Speaker 1:Did you know there was? I didn't know there was a gland craze. There was apparently a gland craze we missed out of the early 1900s, and that was fueled by discoveries in endocrine science, particularly the role of glands in regulating bodily functions. Pioneers such as Charles-Edouard Brown-Siqual, a 19th century physician who experimented with gland extracts, famously injecting himself with animal testicle extracts to restore vitality, significantly advanced the field of endocrinology. Although his methods were unproven, they inspired a wave of research into the endocrine system and the potential of hormone therapy. In the early 20th century, researchers such as Ernest Starling and William Bayliss identified secretin, the first known hormone, which led to a deeper understanding of the chemical messengers in the body. The work of Joseph Monmering and Oskar Minkowski identifying the role of the pancreas in diabetes further solidified the importance of glands in human health.
Speaker 1:By the 1920s, endocrinology emerged as a legitimate science and a discipline, though it remained poorly understood by the general public. During this period, the idea that glandular extracts could rejuvenate the body became popular, especially among quack doctors, who exploited the public's fascination with longevity and virility. Quack doctors, who exploited the public's fascination with longevity and virility this was the environment in which Brinkley thrived, using the language of endocrinology to lend credibility to his fraudulent procedures. Despite the lack of scientific evidence to support such claims, his goat gland transplant procedures played into the growing belief that replacing or stimulating gland function would restore youth and health. So let's introduce Dr JR Brinkley. No, john R Brinkley was born on July 8th 1885 in Beta, north Carolina and had a humble upbringing.
Speaker 1:His early life was marked by hardship following the death of his mother when he was five. Raised by an aunt, brinkley had limited formal education but displayed an early interest in medicine. Determined to become a doctor, he attended the Eclectic Medical College of Kansas City, known for its unconventional medical teachings. He briefly attended medical school but never graduated. Instead, he purchased a diploma from a diploma mill, the Kansas City Eclectic Medical University, which allowed him to practice medicine despite lacking real qualifications.
Speaker 1:Charmed note your face is turning red. You're already getting mad. We just started. Um, right, uh.
Speaker 1:Before dropping out of medical school, he married a woman named sally, and the two of them took to the road traveling and acting out little plays that ultimately resulted in the sales of whatever snake oil john was proffering. His wife got tired of his antics and the fact that he drank himself out of school and she left with their children. But then, yeah, go, sally. No, it's right, sally, you're right. They never properly divorced, though. She comes up later. But Brinkley returned to Chicago in 1913. And this sounds like a beginning of a bad joke, but he met a one-armed man in a bar. That's not nice, I shouldn't be laughing. But he met a one-armed man in a bar. He became his willing accomplice. That man's name was James Crawford, and the two set about advertising virility and taking their snake oil solutions on the road. On the road again.
Speaker 1:Brinkley's old boss and mentor, dr Burke, ran a syphilis museum in Knoxville, tennessee. I just have to take a pause here. There were such things as syphilis museums. Did you know that, syphilis museums? Did you know that? Yeah, so they would take these, uh, really shocking displays of, like, what happens to people with varying degrees of syphilis, the different stages of syphilis, like they did it to mannequins obviously, and then would would take it to various places and then end up like showing them well, but if you have this miracle cure, you wouldn't have to look like this mangled mannequin. It was just horrible. But I mean, what else? There was, no, there was no internet, no, nothing. You know, it was entertainment, right? Um, okay, so the syphilis museum that, uh, dr bur Burke ran was a place where customers would come and they'd be awed and disgusted as they viewed the mannequins in the various stages of the disease, ending in a lecture about the miracle cures that, had the unwitting victims been aware those mannequins could avoid the atrocities on display in the museum.
Speaker 1:Play in the museum, brinkley and Crawford sought counsel with Burke and learned the ropes to the extent that Brinkley would often use Burke's name once he went back on the road again to gain purchase with creditors. So that allowed them access to drugs, furniture, clothing and to continue promoting the fad for healing with electricity. So electricity wasn't that old, so that was like. That was like the, the mystery, you know, newfangled thing that was lighting up, literally lighting up society. So to rope that into cures was something that people would easily believe, because they never believed that electricity could have been a thing to begin with. So these two espouse the ability to reinvigorate the most deflated male ego. Ego, or was it okay? Uh, ego and ran advertisements in local newspapers like are you?
Speaker 2:I just wish you guys could see my face sometimes guess what they could fix that.
Speaker 1:So, yep, that gentleman, who in question, who would read that ad, would then pitch up at the fly-by-night office of burke and crawford to be interviewed and determined that if they had the obligatory 25 which is 857 in today's money, by the way right then the issue could be resolved expediently. And then dr blakely would inject water subsidized by food coloring into the buttocks of the hopeful, claiming that it was electric medicine so this guy's just injecting red food dye into somebody's butt and it's like guess what life's going to be better now.
Speaker 1:Give me that 857. I mean right.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm well, we certainly don't get that for a hearing test. Oh my goodness, yeah, but if you think that that single shot is going to fix your marital problems and make you, you know, younger, but why do they think that? I don't know, they were just charmed. I mean, obviously these guys had some charisma and some showboating that was going on. No, I didn't. More believable than not, I guess. So they would do this unbridled for many months, until the summer, and then they would like hitch a ride and hastily bid their farewells. So you know. So basically, they do it until they things started to catch up to them. Maybe the red butted men of the wintertime returned in the summer and were like you know what this ain't working, I guess.
Speaker 1:All I got was a little red tattoo on my rear end. Anyway, so they escaped to Memphis where Brinkley met Minerva Talitha Jones, oh, minnie. Oh, that's such a great granny's name. It wasn't Her last name, wasn't Jones, was it? Okay, that's name? It wasn't her last name, wasn't Jones, was it? Okay, that's joking. Okay, minnie, she went by Minnie.
Speaker 1:She was 21 and she was the daughter of a prominent local physician. She liked dancing and she met Brinkley at a dance on a riverboat in the summer of 1913. I can just picture it All the boat, yeah, so all the white dresses and the boating hats. And anyway, right, they married at the old Peabody hotel, or should I say Peabody hotel in Memphis. Uh, four days after meeting. Okay, well, you know, not the longest right, Not the longest engagement. Um, I want to spoil their marriage day or their wedding day.
Speaker 1:So he neglected to tell anyone that he was actually still married, but he did let the information out on their honeymoon. Whoops, minnie was the forgiving type, but course not so much. He was enraged, understandably so. Then the greenville sheriff appeared. Usually this wouldn't have been an interstate affair, but given that brinkley and crawford had burned many hot and irritated bridges behind them, the sheriff was ready to exact revenge for the humiliation caused by the duo. So Brinkley was arrested and taken to Greenville, where he was charged with forgery and practicing medicine without a license. Soon afterwards, brinkley did a brief stint in the military, but he was kicked out for being in the sick bay too often and being an unreliable soldier.
Speaker 1:One fateful day, when he and his new bride were down on their last dollars, he discovered an advertisement in a local newspaper for a general practitioner to take over a practice in Milford Kansas.
Speaker 2:I'm sitting here thinking $857 in today's money. I can't imagine paying that much for something In October 1917.
Speaker 1:On the edge of town, Brinkley stopped to read about the fact that.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Milford.
Speaker 1:Not even half 200.
Speaker 2:And this is just for a single shot in the booty.
Speaker 1:Minnie reportedly broke down in tears. I cannot blame the sister, I guess, I guess, but they were in it now. So they rolled up their sleeves and they vowed to make the best of things. They rented two rooms and they opened an office in front, one for the clinic and one to sleep in. It was a struggle, and Minnie had to do things like rent out her services as a midwife, and it was still a financial struggle. But one day a 46-year-old farmer named Bill Stitsworth appeared at the clinic. Pope, the author of Charlatan, the book where most of this comes from, described Bill as a big featured, unshaven man in a crumpled hat. His visit didn't seem like it would result in the- my shot hasn't kicked in.
Speaker 2:Has your shot kicked in?
Speaker 1:There's something wrong with me. Stitsworth said when he was taking a seat yeah.
Speaker 2:Though look at me you wouldn't judge it.
Speaker 1:I do. Uh, there's something wrong with me when it's said when he's taking a seat. Though, look at me, you wouldn't judge it.
Speaker 2:I do look husky, don't I? Oh, minerva, that was my great-great-granny's name.
Speaker 1:What a farmer from Kansas sounds like. But you know, bear with me so.
Speaker 2:Brinkley nodded, stroking his goatee as the author knew no, no, no, I'm all in. No, no, no, she is marked safe from this story.
Speaker 1:I'm a flat tire Bless. So finally, with some coaxing, he was ready to spill the tea about his erectile dysfunction. Both men gazed uncomfortably out the clinic window watching livestock graze in the field. Too bad, I don't have billy goat nuts. The farmer remarked. Farmer watching the goats happily humping with reckless abandonment. What a scene. Brinkley closed his eyes and considered shaking his head when you know, you know you know, sensing a shift in possibilities, begged and pleaded, according to brinkley.
Speaker 1:Of course, some sources say that brinkley offered stittsworth money for stitsworth's guinea piggery. Regardless of which version of the story is true, though, it still happened.
Speaker 1:So, since it was an experiment that neither man nor ethnicity for Stitsworth slipped into the clinic several days later, in the middle of the night, brinkley took out testicles and patched them into Stitsworth's family jewels, and 15 minutes later the patient was pronounced cured and sent home. Several days later, the goat was out of the bag and word spread that the farmer wore a permagrin and his wife was forever satisfied. So soon others came for the miracle surgery that ensured virility. I'm telling you this story is the reason why I started this podcast, because I just can't believe stuff like this actually happened. All right. So, despite lacking scientific backing, several patients flocked to his clinic in Milford. Brinkley leveraged his persuasive skills and glowing testimonials to attract widespread attention. Though medically dubious, the operation brought him immense wealth and celebrity status, and at the peak of his career Brinkley was earning millions, proving that marketing could sometimes trump medicine.
Speaker 1:At first, brinkley used goats sourced from a clinic but demand skyrocketed and people were coming from all over the country eager to undergo his bizarre operation. Brinkley needed more goats, and he needed them fast, this is Right. So he started buying goats in bulk from livestock auctions, bringing in truckloads to keep up with demand. He was careful about the breed he preferred Toggenberg's and Sainin's Swiss breeds known for their vitality and their humpy energy. He marketed these goats as particularly potent, claiming they would impart extra vigor to his patients. I just can't, I just can't. Oh man, my dad's gonna listen to this. Okay, hi, john, uh. Brinkley understood the power of storytelling. By associating certain goat breeds with specific traits, he made his treatment feel personalized and scientific, even though it was complete pseudoscience. Then came Brinkley's most audacious marketing move he started letting patients pick their own goats.
Speaker 1:I mean you know they're going to get up and personal in a guy's biz, you know you want to make sure you connect right. So, at the peak of his practice, patients were allowed to walk through his pens and choose the goat that they believed would give them the most vitality, vitality I just can you picture these poor men walking through man man and just looking at these goats and being like, um, dude, I think I want your. I mean, no, it's just horrible. So, anyway, but brinkley played it up. Well, I mean, he had somebody he had to drop out because he was too busy drinking and whatnot. So, yeah, no, he didn't graduate. He didn't graduate. Uh, he didn't have a license. Um, well, first of all, the patients were not anesthetized, it was just a local anesthetic and then he would just chippity, chopchop and shuppity-shove.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it would be the whole goat testicle and sometimes there would just be like slices of it that would, supposedly he decided would migrate to where they needed to go. It wasn't, yeah, no, and his wife would sew them up. So she had no training whatsoever.
Speaker 2:My jaw is on the floor.
Speaker 1:And we'll we'll learn later some of this, some of what happened here as a result of this so-called surgery. But he did and I don't think I talk about it later, but he did after he started getting real popular with this, you know, new business venture, he went back to school particularly this, to study surgery. But, um, his and I think he was auditing this medical school and he got kicked out of that because he just didn't attend enough and the professor was quoted as saying, like um, dude, you need to get your life together and like, maybe worry about your education more than your alcohol. So it seems like he had some conflicts of interest there that kept him. But, um, okay, so yeah, absolutely no, no training or right or scientific evidence I'm thinking like byog.
Speaker 1:He kept telling people you know, if you feel a certain spark, that could be the right goat. You know that could be the goat for you. Uh, and that was genius marketing. By letting patients choose their own goats, he made them feel like they were part of the healing process, like they were selecting the source of their own rejuvenation.
Speaker 1:so this gave the operation a sense of agency and control, which is a powerful psychological effect. So it's almost like insinuating if you, if it doesn't go well, well that's on you. You didn't pick the right goat, you know, hi John. So of course the choice was pure theatrics. I mean, the procedure was the same, no matter what goat they picked, and it was just as dangerous. Patients suffered severe complications, infections and sometimes death, but sometimes death. But of course, frankly, kept these stories quiet, driving them out with glowing testimonials and relentless advertising, because also remember, this one looks like a good one.
Speaker 1:Guys aren't gonna go. Well, you know I can't, I can't perform. And you gave me this miracle surgery and I still can't perform because it makes them feel Wow, it's almost like the emperor's new clothes, you know, it's like look at these beautiful garments. If you can't see them, that means you're stupid, you know. Meanwhile he's strutting around in the nude. Okay, so let's see. Eventually, brinkley's demand for goats became so great that he set up contracts with regional goat farmers ensuring a constant supply, and he employed remind me also.
Speaker 2:This brinkley character traveled to midwest.
Speaker 1:No medical buying goats at auctions and bringing them back to milford kansas oh yeah, okay spectacle. I almost said it became a test. Oh yeah, sure, sure, sure sure it's like my mind is in the wrong. It became a spectacle.
Speaker 2:Trucks I'm thinking that actually would take some local skill or knowledge coming long before you saw it so you could smell it too?
Speaker 1:uh well, of course not. Brinkley didn't just sell a procedure, he sold a fantasy. By letting men pick their own goats, he made them believe they were choosing their destiny and renewal. It was smoke and mirrors, but it was so effective. Brinkley understood human psychology better than most doctors of his time. He knew people wanted to believe in miracles and he made his goat gland procedure feel magical. It wasn't just surgery, it was an experience. But, dear listeners, the magic did not last.
Speaker 1:In 1930, morris Fishbein and the American Medical Association launched a campaign to expose Brinkley as a fraud. They published testimonies from victims who suffered horrific complications and challenged the legitimacy of his medical license. Eventually, brinkley's empire collapsed, but the image of hopeful men walking through goat pens searching for a cure that never existed stayed in the public memory, a testament to the power of belief and the dangers of medical quackery. Brinkley performed thousands of surgeries, often charging exorbitant fees for what amounted to little more than placebo procedures. His techniques were highly unorthodox. Rather than employing sterile surgical environments, he sometimes conducted operations in rooms that failed to meet basic medical standards. The procedure involved making an incision in the scrotum and inserting a small slice of goat testicle tissue which is something I thought I'd never say and Brinkley claimed would seamlessly integrate with the human body. However, the reality was far from his promises. Many patients developed gangrene, severe infections and long-term complications. Yet due to Brinkley's persuasive charm and the placebo effect, many still reported initial improvements, reinfection and discredibility.
Speaker 1:Brinkley also experimented on women, claiming that goat ovary transplants could enhance fertility and restore youth. These procedures, too, were based on little more than speculation and marketing tactics, and yet they drew in a steady stream of hopeful patients. As his wealth and reputation grew, so did his ability to deflect criticism. At least for a time, I was feeling run down and low on energy, but after seeing Dr Brinkley I felt like a new man More pep, more vigor, thanks to his goat gland treatment. These testimonials were powerful. In an era before rigorous medical regulations, word of mouth and personal stories were gold. Brinkley knew that hearing another man's success story would convince thousands to try his cure. But not every testimonial was a glowing endorsement. Behind the marketing were countless untold stories of pain, regret and loss oh, thank goodness failures. The truth is that many men suffered severe infections, chronic pain and worse.
Speaker 2:But these stories never made it to the airwaves.
Speaker 1:One of the most haunting testimonies came from the family of a man named Harry Chandler. Chandler sought out Brinkley hoping to regain his lost vitality, but the surgery led to a severe infection. His condition deteriorated and he died just weeks later. His family was devastated and furious. They spoke out warning others about the dangers of Brinkley's procedures. Family members were quoted as saying they promised him a second chance at life. Instead, they took him from us. I wish he'd never heard of that man.
Speaker 1:But stories like Chandler's were buried under Brinkley's avalanche of positive testimonials. He was careful about which voices he amplified and which he silenced. He also used testimonials to build his image as a beloved public figure. He presented himself as a caring doctor who genuinely wanted to help people. He even played testimonials from women who praised him for curing their husband's quote weakness and saving their marriages. My husband was tired and distant, but after seeing Dr Brinkley he's back to his old self. Our marriage is stronger than ever. Thank you, doctor.
Speaker 1:These stories weren't just testimonials, they were narratives. They created a fantasy of hope and transformation, convincing men and their families to spend thousands of dollars on a dangerous, unproven procedure. But for every glowing endorsement there were hidden tragedies. In 1932, after Brinkley lost his medical license, more patients came forward revealing horrific complications gangrene, impotence and excruciating pain, and some reported losing their livelihoods due to lingering health issues reported losing their livelihoods due to lingering health issues. Morris Fishbein, editor of the Journal of AMA, as we mentioned, he exposed those stories, revealing the dark side of Brinkley's empire. In his scathing articles, fishbein pulled testimonials from victims and their families, breaking Brinkley's carefully constructed illusion. Fishbein knew that the only way to fight Brinkley's testimonials was with testimonials of his once made him rich, now contributed to his downfall.
Speaker 1:Testimonials can be powerful both for building and destroying reputations. In Brinkley's case, they were his greatest weapon and his ultimate undoing. His story reminds us of the power of words and the importance of questioning what we hear, even when it's spoken from the heart. Some of his former patients later testified against him in court, detailing horrific side effects from his so-called rejuvenation operations. In many cases, the inserted goat tissue rotted inside the body, leading to deadly infections. Yet Brinkley's skill in public relations kept the negative press at bay for many, many years. In fact, brinkley's medical empire was built on more than just surgical procedures.
Speaker 1:He was a master of mass communication, recognizing the power of radio. In the 1920s he launched KFKB Kansas First, kansas Best, one of the earliest commercial radio stations, and through his broadcasts he promoted his controversial procedures, advertised patent medicines and even dispensed medical advice over the airways. His folksy charm and ability to connect with the everyday American made him a household name. He pioneered an early form of infomercial radio, blending entertainment with promotion and attracting thousands of new patients. His radio station also featured country music, farm reports and religious programming, creating a community that trusted him implicitly.
Speaker 1:You're tuned to KFKB Kansas' finest, bringing you music, medicine and a whole lot of miracles. And reading about this, I mean this was really revolutionary, because it kind of reminds me of the age of the Internet, because there weren't any regulations about what could be on the air or what kind of content would be out there. There was no filter, there was nothing. So, um, he literally had so much money, he just built this massive radio tower, plucked up a station and started talking. Almost sometimes it was 15 hours of content a day. Can you imagine, um, right, so so he would fill the airwaves with music, entertainment, health advice, but then he ran a segment called medical question box and listeners would write in with their symptoms and he would prescribe treatments for them, including, obviously, his own branded medicines over the air.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we all know I we all know that this is fraught with issues but also just to say, he created his own supposed medicines that he patented, and he wouldn't call them what they were, he would number them. He'd be like number 40, so that nobody could like just replicate it. And number 40 would probably be like arsenic and a little, a little, yeah, a little, yeah, a little dash of alcohol, a little session of you know paprika or something. And so, um, he would say, well, you need to rush to your nearest pharmacy and get Brinkley's miracle cure number 50. And um, so, I know, um. But in spite of all of this, what made kfkb stand out was the music. He hired musicians to perform live on his station. They weren't polished orchestras, they weren't. They were folk musicians playing fiddles, banjos and guitars. It was the music of rural america, which people back then called hillbilly music. And to his surprise, the music was a hit.
Speaker 1:Farmers, ranchers and small town folks across the Midwest tuned in daily, brinkley realized he tapped into something big, a deep cultural vein that mainstream radio had ignored. He began broadcasting more live performances featuring local talent like Fiddler Fiddlin', john Carson and bands playing traditional ballads, gospel tunes and dance numbers. These shows were among the first to bring rural folk music to national audience, which laid the groundwork for what we know as today's country music. Brinkley didn't just popularize hillbilly music, he legitimized it by putting it on the radio. He turned a regional, often stigmatized style of music into a national phenomena. But his ambitions didn't stop there, because when Fishbein and the AMA figured out a way to shut him down because of his medical suggestion box, they shut down his license to broadcast. So then he figured out oh well, guess what? I can go to Texas, right on the border, and actually get a staggering 1 million watts to broadcast my radio station, not just in the Midwest but in the entire United States. So this guy loses his license and his broadcasting license in Kansas, moves to Del Rio, texas, and builds a new station called XERA, and they called it the border blaster, yeah, and so he circumvented all the regulations and continued his and actually broadened his lucrative medical empire. Xera's powerful signal reached as far north as Canada and as south as South America. It was the most powerful radio station in the world and Brinkley used it to promote his dubious cures and, of course, hillbilly music. Broadcasting from Villa Acuna, mexico, it's Zira, the voice of the continent, bringing you the best in music, news and health. Zira introduced countless listeners to artists like the Carter family and Jimmy Rogers, who would go on to become country music legends. The station became a cultural force, spreading the sound of rural America across the continent. Ironically, while Brinkley's medical empire was built on guys the airwaves, he brought rural music to urban audiences and help shape American popular culture.
Speaker 1:In 1930, brinkley bid for political power, running for governor of Kansas as a write-in candidate, because, I mean, you know, celebrities, running for office isn't a new thing, right, yep, yep. His campaign was fueled by his radio influence and promises of economic prosperity and health care reform. Despite his medical controversies, he nearly won, demonstrating his profound influence over the public. It was widely believed that he would have won if it had not been for a last minute legislation that dictated that the writing candidates name needed to be J, period, r, period, brinkley, and nothing short of that. So if somebody wrote John Brinkley or J Brinkley, that wouldn't have been counted, so yeah. So if somebody wrote John Brinkley or Jay Brinkley, that wouldn't have been counted, so yeah. So I mean, but for a writing candidate to be that close, he probably should have won, right? So after that his empire began to collapse. His medical license was again revoked and lawsuits from disgruntled patients started to pile up. The Federal Radio Commission had shut down KB, as we know, but the AMA, led by Morris Fishbein, intensified his campaign against him.
Speaker 1:Brinkley's fortunes dwindled and he was eventually found guilty of mail fraud in 1941. So the mail fraud was tied to how he used to bounce his signal to Kansas and then actually broadcast from Kansas. So he was doing some. I know he was super clever anyway. Yeah, I know. Yeah, don't mess with the USPS, right? Folks, who is this? Morris Fishbein? As the Journal of the American Medical Association editor, fishbein saw Brinkley for what he was. He knew he was a fraud and he wanted. They called him the. What do they call him? The quack buster. He didn't want, he wanted to protect the vulnerable. Um, and brinkley was just one of those untouchables with money power in his own media empire. So basically, fishbine made it his lifelong mission to to get him to nab him. Um fishbine was born in st louis, missouri, in 1889, when the medical field was teeming with snake oil salesmen and dubious cures, as we talked about those patent medicines that we talked about, that were filled with alcohol and I'm like from this whole story so far, you were found guilty of mail fraud.
Speaker 1:Well, so-called doctors offered treatments that were more dangerous than the diseases themselves. So in 1924, fishbein became the editor of the journal of the american medical association, or jama, and so that position gave him an influential platform. So he didn't waste any time using it. He launched a full-scale assault on all quacks, frauds and charlatans, exposing them in the pages of jama with biting wit and relentless scrutiny, and addressing the advertisements of the time, such as this one feeling tired, lost that spark, visit Brinkley's clinic for rejuvenation treatment. Like no other, youth is just a goat gland away. It sounds absurd now, but back then people were desperate and Brinkley was charismatic. He used his radio station to advertise his quack cures. He became that media mogul and a millionaire. But he wasn't just selling false hope. His procedures were dangerous and, as we talked about, led to infections, complications and deaths. But people believed him in spite of all this. So Fishbine knew he was up against powerful forces, advertisers, manufacturers and even some in the medical community who profited from the fake remedies. But he never backed down and his efforts weren't in vain. By exposing dangerous quacks and promoting evidence-based medicine, fishbein helped pave the way for stricter regulations on medical advertising and drug approval, protecting countless people from harmful treatments. But he knew he needed a strategy. So he began meticulously collecting evidence, those testimonies from victims, medical records and even interviews with doctors who had treated Brinkley's failed surgeries. He built a case, piece by piece, determined to expose the truth.
Speaker 1:For months Fishbein followed Brinkley's movements, attending his public lectures, gathering his pamphlets and ads. He studied Brinkley's broadcasts, taking notes on his outrageous medical claims. Fishbein was patient and strategic. He stalked Brinkley like a predator circling its prey, and then he wrote article after article naming names and shaming fraudsters. He took on giants like Harry Hoxie, who sold herbal cancer cures without a shred of scientific evidence. He was fearless. He wasn't just debunking false claims, he was fighting for the integrity of medicine itself. He understood that public trust was the foundation of medical science. Fishbein's crusade was dangerous, though. He faced lawsuits, threats and intense backlash. Hoxie sued him for libel not once but twice, and although Fishbein lost one of the cases, he refused to be silenced. Instead he doubled down, continuing his fight against medical fraud until his retirement in 1950.
Speaker 1:In 1930, fishbein published a scathing expose in the Journal of American Medical Association, calling Brinkley a charlatan and labeling his goat gland procedure as the quackery of the most vicious sort. It was a public declaration of war. Furious Brinkley sued Fishbein for libel. It was a bold move, but that was also his fatal mistake, because the trial became a media circus. Brinkley strutted into the courtroom confident and defiant, but Fishbein came prepared, armed with his mountain of evidence. He systematically dismantled Brinkley. Strutted into the courtroom confident and defiant, but Fishbein came prepared, armed with his mountain of evidence. He systematically dismantled Brinkley's defense, exposing his lack of medical credentials and the bogus nature of his treatments. Under cross examination, brinkley admitted he never graduated from any accredited medical school and Fishbein revealed that Brinkley's patients often suffered severe complications and sometimes died from his procedures. The judge ruled in Fishbein's favor, declaring that Brinkley was a charlatan in the ordinary, well-understood meaning of the word, which I thought was an interesting way to say that the verdict destroyed Brinkley's reputation. He lost his medical license, wealth and eventually his radio station.
Speaker 1:Fishbein didn't just defeat Brinkley, he sent a message to every would-be quack in America His legacy is a testament to the power of science, truth and persistence. But the victory came at a cost. Brinkley never forgave Fishbein and he blamed him for his financial ruin. Fishbein spent his final years fighting lawsuits, facing bankruptcy and battling illness. He died penniless.
Speaker 1:But his victory over brinkley was more than personal. It was a turning point in medical history. It set a legal precedent that quackery would not be tolerated, and it paved the way for stricter medical advertising and licensing regulations. It was a battle of fact versus fraud, and fact won. That doesn't often happen these days. He showed that truth and science must always come before profit and deception. And today, as we navigate an age of misinformation and miracle cures which are still sold online, fishbein's story is more relevant than ever. So, in conclusion, john R Brinkley's life was a paradox. He was both a visionary and a con artist, a pioneer in radio and a fraud in medicine. His rise and fall underscore the power of persuasion and the dangers of medical misinformation. His legacy is a cautionary tale about the intersection of media, medicine and regulatory oversight. His story continues to be a significant chapter in the history of medical fraud, a reminder that even the most charismatic figures must be held accountable for their actions.
Speaker 2:Wowzers, that was such a wild story. That was such a wild story and I wasn't expecting it to like take that turn from medical procedures and whatnot to oh, now we have a whole ass radio station and oh, we're in trouble in Kansas, so screw it. So head on down over to Mexico. Don't know why I whipped out that accent, Sorry. And now we're reaching whipped out that accent, Sorry. And now we're reaching up to Canada and South America, and yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, it seemed like he was unbeatable at every point. It was like downtrodden and then it got worse. So if he hadn't been shut down in Kansas, he wouldn't have been able to broadcast to basically the entire continent, like all the americas they were like we got him, and then they're like now he's worse, he's reaching more people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, you did a really good job. Thank you for sharing that. I've never heard of this quack before well, we'll put um.
Speaker 1:there's also a really um like indie documentary made about this where it's like animated partially and partially. Uh, I think the author makes um the author of the book that I keep referencing documentary to watch, but also the book is just so well-written so there's so much more detail. I was telling Amanda I could have talked all week about this, so I tried really hard not to make this a two-patter.
Speaker 2:Two-patter. She thought it was going to be a two-patter. Good job you did well. Yeah, you still yeah, you covered the whole story and you did it in one. Look at you, go girl.
Speaker 1:Look at me, we're learning. So, amanda, what can our listeners expect to hear next week?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so next week you'll be hearing about a little slime ball who earned himself the nickname Dr Death. But no, no, no, not not the dr death you're thinking of. Oh no, no, there's another one in town oh no, I know it's not as light and funny as this one, but it's I so far.
Speaker 1:It's not as heavy as my last one, so yeah okay, you know if it's all relative, we got to tell the stories, whether they're heavy or not. We'll try and bring some palate cleansers to our listeners.
Speaker 2:Oh, please, please, please, you guys email in those stories. What did Richard call them?
Speaker 1:Medical mishaps.
Speaker 2:Medical mishaps. I'm really looking forward to that.
Speaker 1:Me too. I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say.
Speaker 2:Yeah, looking forward to that. Me too. I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say. Okay, so in the meantime, don't miss a heartbeat. Subscribe or follow Doctoring the Truth wherever you enjoy your podcast, for stories that shock, intrigue and educate. Trust, after all, is a delicate thing. You can text us directly on our website at doctoringthetruth, at buzzsproutcom. Please email us your own story ideas and comments or medical mishaps at doctoring the truth at gmail. Be sure to follow us on instagram and facebook we're on facebook now, um, at doctoring the truth, and remember to download rate review so we can continue to bring you quality content. Until then, stay safe and stay suspicious. Goodbye.
