Judge — November 9, 1901 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Fat Man's Trials" This page satirizes the struggles of an overweight man named John Podge, who is repeatedly advised to lose weight. The cartoon mocks his resistance to diet advice—friends suggest egg diets and other remedies, but John dismisses them. One friend notes John ate "sixteen snake eggs" without result, leading John to complain that eggs "don't take off fat" and function "like a serum." The humor targets both obesity itself and the era's obsession with weight-loss fads and amateur medical advice. Other cartoons on the page ("What's in a Name?", "A Doubtful Compliment") offer unrelated humor about naming conventions and social awkwardness. The overall tone is light satirical commentary on vanity and bodily concerns rather than serious social critique.