Judge, 1897-01-23 · page 11 of 16
Judge — January 23, 1897 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **patent medicine advertisement**, not satire. It features a mother testifying to Pabst Malt Extract's health benefits for herself and her infant child. The image shows an elaborate ship (the Mayflower, referencing American heritage) and a "Pabst Milwaukee" logo. The testimonial claims the mother used this product to regain strength after childbirth and to promote her baby's growth—the child allegedly gained six pounds in six weeks and now weighs 32 pounds at nineteen months. **Historical context modern readers need:** This reflects early 20th-century patent medicine marketing, when unregulated tonics containing alcohol and various substances were widely advertised with health claims—even for infants. Such advertisements exploited maternal anxiety about child nutrition. This practice is now recognized as predatory and medically dangerous. The "scientific" testimonial format was standard advertising technique of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A young mother, flushed with per- fect health and strength, said as she exhibited, with pride her baby, “I must confess that my present health and the almost phenomenal develop- ment and good health of baby are due to the use of PABST MALT EXTRACT, The “Best” Tonic. The necessity of feeding the chil was such a tax on me at first that i recommen: I took it and began to build at once. Baby began to show the effects with- ina we I continued its use for ve gained six progressin; ea ry poe » Just thi is nine- teen tnonths old, weighs 32 pounds, and Ihave not weaned him yet.” BInneR Cri. comicbooks.com |