Life, 1902-05-29 · page 5 of 20
Life — May 29, 1902 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** "A Well-Aimed Gunn" depicts two figures in conversation—one labeled "TRUTH" confronting what appears to be a medical or political authority figure. The accompanying text discusses Dr. Gunn's declaration that vaccination caused no harm, countered by claims that analogs actually increased disease transmission. This satirizes a contemporary medical debate (likely early 1900s based on style) about vaccine safety and expert credibility. **Lower Section:** Contains commentary on food shortages and religious hypocrisy during wartime or economic crisis. References to starving subjects, the coronation being omitted for cost reasons, and Cicero's observations about rival religions meeting suggest satirizing government priorities and aristocratic indifference to suffering masses. The page overall critiques institutional authority figures and social inequality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Sick One ? wEut,t NEYEU! A Well-Aimed Gunn. “TF computsory | vaccination should be attempted on me or on any member of my family, 1 would shoot down, as I would a burglar, the officer who'made the attempt. I'am confident that no jury of American freemen would find me guilty of mar- der for my act. This declaration was made last night by Dr. Robert A. Gunn in an address on the subject * Vaccination: a Fallacy and a Crime." which he delivered be- fore the Manbattan Liberal Club. Dr. Gann claimed that smallpox has Increased with the use of vaccine, and held that tt was the Isolation, and not the vaccination that prevented the spread of the disease. No healthy per- fon, he sald, ever got smallpox. It was only the debilitated that were ilable to infection. Medical science had not yet been able to discover whatit was that caused the contagion. In concluding, Dr. Gunn referred to an attempt to pasa law making vaccination compalsory, and he said that if any such tthog was attempted on him orany member of his family he would shoot down the officer who made the attempt, In the discussion that followed, aman, who Was annoanced as Dr. A. i. Wi ber, sald that Dr. Gunn's {deas were wrong. A Mr. Westcott and a Mr. Cavanagh agreed with Dr. Gunn. The Audience favored Dr, Gunn's views. —New York Herald, Many thousands of thought- ful—and otherwise peaceable — citizens will probably sym- ever PF MY OLD PAL ISN'T DIGGING A GRAVE FOR ME! pathize heartily with Dr. Gunn. If the educated Ameri- can may not decide for himself what medical treatment ho and his family are to receive, it is certainly time for action of some sort. i is in the ebb-time of desire that we fail of success. Food. V HEN it was urged that the coronation be omitted and the money it would cost used to buy rice for subjects who were starving, the Nation protested elamor- ously. “What! and feed our vanity nothing?’ they cried, aghast. Man does not live by bread alone. (rc expressed wonder that two augurs of the reli- gion in voguo in his day could meet without laughing at each other, Cicero seems to have underestimated the capacity of the average man for taking himself seriously when his salary depends on it. They say chaplains of Congress pray for divine guidance at the opening of each day's session, with perfectly straight faces. . CONSISTENCY is ashamed of being wiser to-day than yesterday. . comicbooks.com