The Smoky Hill Museum will host “Feel Your Oats (with Help from a Goat),” a presentation and discussion by Jerry Harper, Thursday, June 6, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

When J.R Brinkley established a medical clinic in Milford, Kansas, in 1917, few imagined the success he would achieve with his questionable practice of transplanting goat glands into humans, a dubious cure for flagging male virility. To many, Brinkley was a quack and a con man. For others, he was the great rejuvenator, a man of the people, and a marketing genius. This presentation looks at Brinkley’s life to see what cautionary lessons might prove helpful in today’s world.

Jerry Harper is a semi-retired lawyer with an ongoing interest in Kansas’s more colorful characters.

“Brinkley is always good for a few laughs, but the fact is that by the time of his death, ‘Doc’ Brinkley had a thriving medical practice in three states,” said Harper. “He transformed radio broadcasting, revolutionized political campaigns, and almost become Governor of Kansas.”

“Feel Your Oats (with Help from a Goat)” is part of Humanities Kansas’s Movement of Ideas Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and workshops designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.