Mishaps and Adventures
One of my job assignments takes me to Del Rio Texas. It is an all day drive for me–through Houston and then the southern border of San Antonio and on to the Rio Grande. I’ve been there several times and try to explore the area a bit each time I go.
Seminole Canyon with the pictographs and the Amistad Reservoir were easy first choices and I have been to both several times. Sometimes the weather is not cooperative for outdoor exploration and my day ends too late to do much exploring.
Last time I visited the Whitehead Memorial Museum featuring Judge Roy Bean. This time I wanted to find the Brinkley Mansion.
Brinkley was known as the goat gland doctor; implanting goat glands into men for impotence. He did not have a formal medical degree; his diploma was from a mail order place. His mansion was opulent and showy–at one time painted apple green with his cars in a matching color. Light shows against the fountains were entertaining for the general public; he had a 4 inch water pipe installed in this area of irrigation–just for his fountains.
While it seems silly to us to think of someone implanting goat glands (testicles) into people, at that time, Banting and Best were working on an exogenous source of insulin–grinding up beef pancreas to extract the insulin for diabetics. There are a lot of goats in this area—and provide one of the main meat sources for many here—-I had never heard someone list goat after beef as a meat they didn’t eat.
I didn’t visit the mansion itself–rainy mist made for an unpleasant day–spent better in my hotel room with a good movie and a hand-sewing project.
Sylvia Weir Art 