Goat Testicle Transplants: The Bizarre History

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

History Hit

Society, Sex, Scandal, Education, History

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 7 February 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Quack doctors have made some INCREDIBLE promises throughout history, but what good would a goat testicle transplant do for you?

In the early 20th century, John R. Brinkley became a sensation for - you guessed it - implanting goat's testicles into men. He promised virility and boosted fertility.

Did it work? Did the law ever catch up with him for such outrageous claims? And what became of the people (and goats) who were involved in his operations?

On today's episode, Kate is talking with Tim Hartford on his wonderful podcast, Cautionary Tales, created by Pushkin Industries, to find out more about this remarkable quack doctor.

This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producers were Stuart Beckwith, Marilyn Rust and Charlotte Long.

You can listen to Cautionary Tales wherever you get your podcasts. Cautionary Tales is a Pushkin Industries Production. For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm your host, Kate Lister.
0:02.4	If you would like betwixt the sheets, add free and get early access, sign up to History Hit.
0:08.7	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of original documentaries with top history presenters.
0:16.0	And enjoy a new release every single week.
0:19.8	Sign up now by visiting history hit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:24.6	Hello, my lovely betwixters.
0:26.3	It's me, Kate Lister, you are you, I am me.
0:28.8	This is betwixt the sheet.
0:30.5	And if you're a regular round here, you know what's coming.
0:32.7	And if you're a newbie, well, just buckle up because I have to tell you,
0:35.6	this is an adult podcast spoken by adults by other adults about adulty things and an adulty way covering a range of adult subjects and you
0:40.2	should be an adult too. That is just our way of making sure that you feel safe and we are not
0:45.8	liable for your trauma. We call that the fair do's warning. Right on with the show.
0:57.6	Good. Warning. Right, on with the show. Good day to you, but Twixters, I appreciate you joining me here in small town America.
1:03.2	It's the turn of the 20th century and the strangest travelling medical show is about to take to the road.
1:09.6	From the bed of a flatbed truck, this peculiar charismatic fellow
1:13.7	John Brinkley will put on a show that makes bold and outlandish claims. He will talk of miracle
1:21.1	cures, of being able to stop impudence and how to reverse aging, but really all he's doing is
1:27.0	he's flogging coloured water.
1:28.7	But that doesn't stop him and he will go on to have an astonishing medical career,
1:34.5	taking the name of quack doctor to whole new levels as he pioneered the treatment of
1:40.3	goat testicle transplants. Not into other goats, no, no, into people.
	...

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