Chapter X

THE SPARK OF LIFE

By J. R. Brinkley, M.D., C.M., Ph.D., Sc.D.

Chief Surgeon, Brinkley-Jones Hospital and Training School for Nurses, Milford, Kansas

(Written October, 1920)

For many years scientists have believed that a part, or all of the glands of the human body influenced longevity. They believed our glands contained the “life spark.” Men for hundreds of years have been seeking the “fountain of youth.” Ponce de Leon when he landed in Florida and saw the beautiful springs and flowers thought he had found it, and so announced to the world. Long ago we learned that the pituitary gland influenced growth and development. For instance if the pituitary gland over-functioned we had Giantism. If it under-functioned the opposite was the result—a dwarf. If the thyroid gland was at fault we would have either the low mentality commonly spoken of as cretinism, or myxedema. We found that by feeding children the fresh gland substance a marked improvement would be obtained and sometimes a cure. Some years ago there was a surgical craze which called for the removal of the women’s ovaries. It was thought that many nervous troubles, including epilepsy, etc., were due to diseased ovaries, so the surgeons removed ovaries just about as promiscuously as tonsils and teeth are now taken out. Ageing took place early. A loss of interest in the pleasant things of life existed. As a wife or companion for the home the woman was worse than useless. Her life was so miserable that all who came in contact with her were made miserable, also. She was unsexed, and one of the “sparks of life” had been taken away. She assumed characteristics of the male. If the testes of a man are removed he will assume the characteristics of a woman. Many changes will take place. His mind is no longer clear, he tires easily, cannot concentrate upon any subject, and has marked loss of memory and of physical well being. The things that once appealed to him are now undesirable. The opposite sex are repulsive and he shuns their society. A man or woman who suffers the premature loss of their glands of regeneration will become more or less defective mentally and their life will be materially shortened.

At one time a favorite expression was, “A man is as old as his arteries.” We know better than this now. A man is just as old as he feels, when said feeling is directed to his sex organs.

The cures that I have effected by gland transplantation up to the present time are enough to justify me for all of my work and efforts along this new line of science. Should I never operate again, I feel justly repaid and know that I have started something that will go on and on and live forever. Gland transplantation for the cure of disease within the next ten years will be as common as the removal of a diseased appendix is now. You can hardly pick up a daily paper without reading an account of some surgeon performing a wonderful operation of transplanting bone or tissue from some animal to replace that which was diseased

THE TOGGENBURG GOATS

My first efforts in gland transplantation were directed towards the cure of sterility. A man came to me who had been impotent for sixteen years. Every known means had been used in his case. My experiments in the use of glands from animal to animal, led me to believe that if the gland from a goat could be transplanted into the human body this impotency and sterility could be overcome. This man was willing to try anything as he was 46 and his wife was 42. They were very anxious for a male child. Twelve months after the transplantation I delivered his wife of a 10-pound baby boy, who is alive and well today. In appreciation of what the goat glands had done for them they named the baby “Billy.” He lives within four miles of me now. This first case being a wonderful success encouraged me to experiment with humans on a larger scale. Willing subjects were not easy to obtain. After obtaining, it was difficult to operate. The operation or experiment could not be performed in any of the general hospitals. Ethics as well as country and little town gossip forbid such work. It was necessary for me to build a hospital of my own so that my experiments could be carried on without the public or profession knowing anything about them. If good results were obtained I could announce to the world; if none were obtained the matter could be dropped. After four male children had been

It was unsafe for his wife and children to be near him. Men remained with him, day and night. Finally his guards had to tie him in bed. His arms and feet were securely fastened, as well as his body, to a heavy iron bed. Application for his entry into the state institution had been made when I was called. With the assistance of neighbor men he was conducted into my hospital here. Immediate gland transplantation was performed, and three days after said operation he asked me to remove his irons so that he could rest comfortably. He informed me that he was in his right mind and we need have no further fear of him. Soon afterwards he was permitted to roam around the building and over town. He went home more than a year ago and is transacting his business as a sane man should. No evidence of his former trouble has occurred. He did not know until the day that we discharged him what my line of treatment had been. Another notable case was that of a man who had spent 11 years of his life in three state institutions for the insane in New York. He

I have operated upon and cured 5 cases of locomotor-ataxia. It is almost impossible for me to get cases of locomotor-ataxia. When a man writes me he also asks his family physician, who very quickly informs him “there is nothing to it; it’s all bunk!”

My cases have ranged in age from 18 to 75 years. My patients that are from 60 to 75

My greatest number of men come for impotency, next for prostatitis, and many for a general improvement in health. Many come with but one purpose—to prolong their lives. I believe that those who receive gland transplantation will live much longer than without it. Possibly as much as from 10 to 25 years can be added. Then successive transplants can be made, and we have no idea how long they will live. Their skin takes on the appearance of youth. I know that after the ovaries have been transplanted into women who have none their menses return on a 4-day period regularly. Women who had passed the menopause have a return flow. Hardening of the arteries as well as high blood pressure are returned to normal in 100 per cent of the cases. Eyesight is improved from 50 to 100 per cent. A well-known judge was operated upon by me a short time ago, and his eyesight was so much

With the best will in the world I am unable to describe on paper just how my fellow practitioners should perform this operation, because I never meet with precisely similar conditions in any two cases. I can say positively that I do not know just what I shall do until the case itself is under my hands in the operating room. The operation is simple in itself, but in my early days of operating I made a number of mistakes because I was on new ground, and there was no authority from whom I could learn the technique. Now, after my six hundred operations have taught me what to do and how to do I am able to avoid these earlier mistakes, and as a consequence I hardly ever have an operation that is not a success. Not very many months ago I was called to San Francisco to re-operate on a number of cases which had gone wrong in the hands of a fellow practitioner. I re-operated on these cases successfully. The surgeon who had performed the operation in the first place is skilful and experienced in all lines of surgical work, but in this particular line of transplanting of goat-glands into human bodies in such wise that the tissue of the goat will blend with and nourish the human tissue no living man except relinguish the goat-gland in favor of the human-gland or the monkey-gland. Results have taught me that I made a wise choice in pinning my faith to the young goat as the healthiest possible animal from which tissue could be used for transplanting into human bodies. The goat is immune to practically all diseases. The human being and the monkey, on the other hand, are liable to tuberculous or some tropical disease. For his splendid work with human glands I give full credit to Dr. Frank Lydston of Chicago, who was not only the pioneer in this use of human glands, but actually made his first transplantation upon himself. This is but another instance of that fine confidence in our beliefs and convictions which is typical of the medical profession as a whole. In the use of the human-gland Dr. Lydston is as supreme as I am in the use of the goat-gland, and you must understand that in saying this I am not throwing bouquets at myself in idle vanity. I have a clear cold reason for saying this. I have devoted my life to this particular work, and have brought it to a point where I can speak with authority upon it. I foresee that because of the marvelous results obtained by the transplanting of the goat-glands at my hospital there will be a great awakening of interest in this operation on the part of the public and the medical profession. A great many operations of a similar character will be performed

Briefly, the operation for men means that the glands of a three weeks’ old male goat are laid upon the non-functioning glands of a man, within twenty minutes of the time they are removed from the goat. In some cases I open the human gland and lay the tissue of the goat within the human gland. The scrotum of the man is opened by incision on both sides under local anesthetic. Conditions of the case may show that there are adhesions of tissue which must also be broken down before the new gland can function. I find that after being properly connected these goat-glands do actually feed, grow into, and become absorbed by the human glands, and the man is renewed in his physical and mental vigor.

The operation upon women means that the ovaries of a female goat not more than twelve months of age are removed and inserted into

I can use only a certain breed of goat, a Swiss milk goat, and only animals of a certain youth. My goats cost me about $75 each on an average, and that is one reason why it would be impossible to conduct this work as a free surgical clinic might be conducted, unless the undertaking were specially endowed with funds to meet the expense.

Some time in the month of June I expect to make a trip to London, England, and will be away possibly until the end of August. Even the month of May in Kansas is sometimes too hot for this operation to be successfully performed, and I make it a rule to suspend operations entirely throughout June, July and August. Experience has taught me that when the outdoor temperature is high the operation

In many cases that are brought to me I do not operate or even advise that the goat-glands be transplanted later. I cannot go into details of such cases in these pages, but might cite the case of a man, syphilitic, who was sent to me. Certainly I have never made the statement anywhere, at any time, that this operation would cure syhpilis. The man is being treated now for syphilis, and should not have been sent to me at all.

I quote the case of a woman of forty, who is normal in every way, and the picture of health at the present time. Her desire is that she may never grow to look any older than she does at this moment, and she asks me if this gland-operation will hold her at the point she has now reached. Frankly, this is pure experiment. I do not know. After another ten years of work in this gland-surgery I might be able to give her a definite opinion, but not at this stage, seeing that my oldest cases go back only three years. On one point only I can speak with positiveness, namely, if I cannot answer this question there is no man living who can answer it, because I am the only man alive who can give an opinion on this work that is founded on first-hand knowledge. We learn in this work only by experience, and we draw just conclusions only from quantity of

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