Judge, 1927-02-05 · page 7 of 36
Judge — February 5, 1927 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page contains a humorous story titled "Some Surgical High Jinks" rather than a political cartoon. The narrative describes a doctor (Doctor Spicer) convincing a patient to have unnecessary surgery—removing teeth, liver, and appendix—under the guise of treating ear pain. The accompanying illustration shows a traffic policeman visiting a dentist, captioned "A traffic policeman visits his dentist." The satire targets medical overtreatment and unnecessary surgery, a common concern in early 20th-century healthcare. The joke exploits the irony of a law-enforcement officer (traffic policeman) seeking dental care, though the specific relevance is unclear from the text alone. The story mocks doctors who perform procedures patients don't actually need, reflecting broader public skepticism about medical professionalism of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Hovusrenotper—Oh, thank heaven, yowre come! Some Surgical High Jinks m sorry, but if you want to get rid of that pain in’ your ear, those teeth of yours will have to come out. It’s a clear case and I would give the same advice to my own son.” “But doctor,” Lobjected, “couldn't we make a little arrangement about a kidney—I mean, couldn't you take instead? You see, those teeth of mine, well, I don’t like to ed, but they do look rather nice,” I said, preening myself with a pocket preener, will ever miss a kidney in me. And besides, I'd have one left anyway.” “No,” said the doctor firmly, “I'm afraid that’s final. And remember. no cheating! Don't try to hold hack any of them on me. Even the gold and nobody ones count “Oh, very well!” I pouted. “If you will be a great big nasty. But I had thought that being my family doc—” “And another thing.” interrupted Doctor Spicer. “You s a pain in the small of your back. ha ‘ow listen, doctor!” I said irri- tably, “if T want to be reasonable. can’t you meet me half way? What I want to say is this: I’ve an appen- dix here that everybody has told me is as good as new; it’s never been operated on and Ive been saving it till the right man came along. Now what do you say? Let me have my liver and you take the appendix.” “No, the appendix is off side imed the doctor curtly. “Let's see: the teeth, the liver—the liver, now T could swear there was som .. Why, of course! know, before you do another thing. you ought to have your heart taken out and the valves ground. And it might be a good idea to take out a thing else. . A traffic policeman risits his dentist. know, to give the body a chance to re “Now, that’s a good idea, doctor!” 1 exclaimed delighted. “Do you know. I'm just as mad as mad at that old lung. a time when I used to have great times with the There wa pair of them; you know, romping on the lawn, overnight hikes, and But of le years I've heen so busy what with all that sort of thing. making money and all that we've sort of drifted apart. Why, last year they didn’t even send me a and the friends we .. And now, this.” Christmas card. were too! . said the doctor, his eyes suspiciously moist, “I know, I know. But it’s all for the best, and as the poet says: “There, there,” “For rain-drops bring the flowers And blossoms follow showers, So what the hell do we care, boys?” “Here, throatily, overcome with emotion, “When you're in that mood I can't Here, take these; Ive heen concealing you.” doctor,” I whispered resist you. something — from And handed him my spleen, a piece of my left leg, and one of my ears, And then, girls, we just broke down and had a good old- fashioned ery. Perelman Man needs but little here but “dough.” comicbooks.com