Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society7 Feb 2025

Goat Testicle Transplants: The Bizarre History

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.

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