Aug 5, 2008 Posted by Nancy Williams on Aug 5, 2008 in Non-Fiction, Science, Skepticism | 1 comment

Charlatan: The Fraudulent Life of John Brinkley – Pope Brock

If someone casually mentioned to you that they had discovered the secret to eternal youth and vitality, would you sit up and listen? If they then told you that in order to achieve this, and the rampant sex drive which would naturally accompany it, you may have to undergo surgery, would you ask for more information? What, then, would you say if you were told that this secret required you to go under the knife of an unlicensed doctor, who would slice open your scrotum (or abdomen if you were a woman) and literally drop in to the incision a pair of goat’s testicles (or ovaries), and then charge you half your annual salary for the privilege. Would you run a mile or get the chequebook out?

It seems that thousands of poor souls didn’t run. In fact, thousands were so convinced by the person who I would safely say was the father of spin and PR, that they subjected themselves to this ridiculous procedure (and many died) and happily paid the bill.

Charlatan is the story of one of the most amazing examples of clever marketing I have ever seen. Brinkley was a charlatan through and through. Yet he was also a brilliant ideas man when it came to self promotion, realising that there were ways he could broadcast to hundreds of thousands of people during the Great Depression when his rivals were still standing in county fairs. Brinkley was one of the first people to use radio to self promote. He also used direct mail including psychological tactics to convince people to come and have the procedure. He took the promotion required for running for politics to the next level. And for more than 20 years, he remained one step ahead of the people who knew, and right in front of the poor, stupid and hopeful souls who didn’t.

The reason Brinkely flourished was that he was fortunate enough to be born at a time where medical licensing was haphazard, and quacks and magical remedies were rife. He was also one of the first and being the first meant that the majority of people simply didn’t even think to question his methods. But for almost the whole period of his long career, he was pursued by another, equally as egotistical medico, Morris Fishbein who had made it his life’s mission to bring down the quacks who were threatening the lives of the nation.

Pope Brock has written an incredibly entertaining, journalistic account of the battle between these two characters. His statement “…though perhaps not the worst serial killer in American history, ranked by body count alone he is at least a finalist for the crown” exemplifies his quick, amusing prose and pacey storyline. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this book is that it is as much didactic as it is historical. We may scoff at people doing something so ridiculous for youth and sexual prowess, but when you see the demand for Viagra, the ridiculous pseudo-scientific and new age claims for eternal youth, long life and rejuvenation, and the aggressive marketing campaigns aimed at making us do and buy anything to hold the wrinkles back for another year, you have to ask whether we are in fact any different? OK, so perhaps not so many goats may suffer in our quest, but Brinkley’s master stroke was identifying a basic human desire, and putting in the average man’s grasp for a fee. I am sure there is many a marketer today who surreptitiously takes notes from ‘Doctor’ John Brinkley, and his unbelievable goat testicle cure for all.

Rating: 8/10
ISBN: 978-0-297-84566-9
Publisher: Orion Books
Year: 2008
Date Finished: 24 July 2008
Pages: 305
Challenges:

One Responseto “Charlatan: The Fraudulent Life of John Brinkley – Pope Brock”

1. Jeane says:

   August 6, 2008 at 1:39 am

   For being about someone who did such terrible things to innocent, unknowing people, it does sound like a fascinating book. Will have to consider it.