Life, 1900-05-10 · page 3 of 20
Life — May 10, 1900 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "A Necessary Part" This cartoon depicts a domestic conflict between a man and woman, likely a husband and wife. The man sits reading while the woman stands beside him. The caption quotes the man saying the doctor ordered him to "run down and must go away for six months," but he protests: "But, John, dear, I can't leave town" and adds "That's part of the cure." The satire mocks the common excuse husbands used to escape domestic life by claiming medical advice required travel. The woman's protest—that she cannot leave town—suggests she sees through this transparent excuse. The joke targets both masculine avoidance of family responsibilities and the dubious medical justifications men invented to justify leisure trips away from home.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A NECESSARY PART “THE DOCTOR SAYS f AM BADLY RUN DOWN AND MUST GO AWAY FOR SIX MONTUA.” “BUT, JOHN, DEAK, I CAN'T LEAVE TOWN.” ‘THAT'S PART OF THE CURE.”