Life — August 6, 1903 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis The main cartoon (top left) depicts two men in Victorian dress discussing smallpox vaccination. One says he's been "thoroughly inoculated" against smallpox, diphtheria, measles, and other diseases, with his "latest inoculation for snake bites." The other responds that snake bites mean "sure death—for the snake." **The joke:** This satirizes the contemporary craze for vaccinations and medical inoculations. By claiming immunity to snake bites (absurd, since vaccines don't work that way), the cartoon mocks people who place excessive faith in medical science's expanding promises. It's also a joke about the vaccinated man being so protected that *he'd* be dangerous to a snake. The page is otherwise filled with advertisements (Prudential Insurance, Saratoga Racing, Champagne) and racing schedules, typical of Life magazine's mixed content.