Life, 1897-10-21 · page 1 of 20
Life — October 21, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Professional" - Life Magazine, October 21, 1897 This cartoon satirizes a veterinarian's assessment of a valuable hunting dog. A well-dressed man on horseback and another figure consult a doctor about a sick dog with visible hunting dogs in the background. The dialogue reveals the joke: when asked what's wrong with the dog and whether surgery ("going to operate") is needed, the doctor replies "No, he is too valuable"—suggesting that the dog's high monetary worth paradoxically prevents proper medical treatment. The satire targets professional ethics and class-based decision-making: a valuable animal receives *worse* care precisely because owners fear losing their investment through risky procedures. The cartoon mocks how economic considerations override proper professional judgment, even in animal care.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XXX. NEW YORK, OCTOBER 21, 1897. NUMBER 774. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mall Matter. yright, 1897, by Mrrcmett & MILLER. iment, wal sTNcanys EL SVM. EAR PROFESSIONAL. & S “WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH THE DOG, DOCTOR ? * APPENDICITIS.” “GOING TO OPERATE?" ‘*NO, HE IS TOO VALUABLE.’ comicbooks.com