Life, 1900-01-18 · page 8 of 20
Life — January 18, 1900 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Cartoon Analysis This page contains two satirical illustrations accompanying a dialogue between a patient and "Doctor Von Serum." **The larger cartoon** (bottom left) shows a chaotic scene labeled "A RUNNING MATE," depicting what appears to be a political candidate or figure in disarray, surrounded by scattered objects and confusion—likely satirizing political partnerships or campaign chaos. **The upper right illustration** shows figures in what appears to be a honeymoon scenario, captioned "SAY, OLD CHAP, WHERE ARE YOU BOUND?" / "WE'RE OFF FOR OUR HONEYMOON." The accompanying text is a heated debate between a doctor and patient about medical authority, competence, and treatment methods. The satire criticizes doctors who claim superiority while disagreeing with colleagues, suggesting arrogance undermines their credibility. The political cartoon references remain unclear without additional historical context about specific 1890s-1900s figures or events.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
48 carelessness in treatment of certain cases I bave often observed, and your con- tempt for human life, as shown by the doubtful experiments you are constantly making, though you may endeavor to conceal it, are very evident,” **Come, come,” said the doctor, ‘ You are extremely pointed, to say the least. Let us see what truth there is in your assertions. Begin again at the begin- ning.” “T will begin, doctor,” I replied, “right where you left off. My first objection is the manner with which you made that last remark. Your whole bearing and attitude indicate that you consider yourself my superior. ‘Come, come,’ you say. Am I, from whom you derive a good part of your support, 80 unimportant ? Because I have a pain in my side and I come to you and pay you for the special knowledge which you ure supposed to have accumulated, is no earthly reason why you should assume any superiority. If you tell me that you can cure me of my illness and I keep on being ill in spite of your un- koown treatment, I know that you are either a first-class liar or don't understand your business. I say ‘unknown treat- ment,’ because, if 1 should dare to ask you what is contained in the prescrip- tions you order for me, you would be en- POLITICAL TERM, A RUNNING MATER. - LIFE: raged, You would consider preposterous any desire to know on my part what is being introduced into my own system. Yet all the time you may have been carrying on an experiment. I require of the painter who paints my house to know the kind of paint he uses. I must have the maker's name, and he must mix itin the proper manner. My obser- vation has taught me that a great many more lives are sacrificed by bad treat- ment than houses spoiled by bad paint, and I am not willing to place any more confidence in my doctor than in my painter. “Tf you assume that your education and training entitle you to more respect than a common laborer, then my reply is that that very superiority of discipline should also have given you an added caution of demeanor. But just because you are immune from the consequences of your own criminal thoughtlessness, you display a continual disregard for them. For this reason, you are not entitled to as much confidence from me as I would give my painter. If he spoils my house, I can sue him for dam- ages, but if your cocksureness of method ata critical time results in the death of my child, I can do nothing.” Doctor Von Serum smiled supercili- ously. ‘My friend,” he said, blandly, ‘your arrogance is astounding. Have you ever studied medicine, that you thus presume to question my authority ?” “No,” I replied, ‘*I have not studied medicine, but I have a limited acquaint- ance with certain species of humbug, and you happen to be onc of them. The nature of your calling enables you to exercise a certain sway over weak men and hysterical women, and this habit of expecting deference from others has become so fixed in you that you are getting to be a positive nuisance. It is because you do know, or are supposed to know. more about medicine that I employ you, but Iemploy you as much for your opinion as I d» for your treatment. Asa human creature endowed with a certain amount of intelligence, I claim the right of being the judge of the experiments you are about to try on my life. You are such a stickler for professional courtesy, why don't you extend some of it to your patients? And if it be true that your knowledge is so superior to mine, why is it that no two doctors ever agree about a critical case? To operate or not to AY, OLD CHAP, WHERE ARE YOU BOUND?" “WE'RE OFP FOR OUR HONEYMOON.” operate, that is the interesting question. A consultation of physicians is a good deal like a mecting of the Powers of Europe. Each one has his private judgment about the case, a division of the profits being the uliimate object of the meeting. There ure, of course, honest, intelligent men in medicine, who have not reduced it to a trade, and who frankly admit that, with all the advan- tages of study and chemistry and applied science, they know as yet very little about the causes and progress of the most fatal diseases ; who are, moreover, willing to tell you what they do know