Life — February 14, 1907 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Prayer" — Anti-Vaccination Satire This page contains an anti-vaccination prayer and related satirical content. The prayer mockingly requests God to eliminate "superfluous" organs (tonsils, adenoids, appendix) and prevent vaccination, which the author calls a "superstition" and "dangerous filthy rite." The left cartoon by Sh. Franks Artsully depicts a thin, gaunt figure in profile—likely representing an anti-vaccination advocate—shown in an exaggerated, undignified posture. The elephant illustration with caption mocks someone asking about the animal's "trunk," implying stupidity or naiveté. The page reflects early-20th-century vaccine skepticism, presenting anti-vaccination arguments as absurd religious pleading. Life magazine used satire to ridicule what it viewed as medically ignorant positions regarding public health interventions.