Life, 1909-02-04 · page 30 of 40
Life — February 4, 1909 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **public health advocacy piece**, not a cartoon. It presents government warnings against benzoate of soda, a chemical food preservative used in the early 1900s. The page quotes the U.S. Department of Agriculture (1908) declaring benzoate of soda "highly objectionable" and calling for its exclusion from foods due to metabolic harm and digestive injury. The rhetorical argument—"When in Doubt, Protect Yourself"—frames the issue as consumer protection: if scientific doubt exists about a food additive's safety, consumers should prioritize their own health over manufacturers' commercial interests. **Historical context**: This reflects the **Pure Food and Drug Act era** (1906), when progressive reformers challenged unregulated food additives. The page leverages government authority to persuade readers to avoid products containing this preservative, positioning consumer caution as rational self-defense against corporate indifference to public health.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
United States Government Says: “* Benzoate of Soda (in foods) is highly objec- tionable and produces a very serious disturb- ance of the metabolic functions attended with injury to digestion and health.’’ : “There is only one conclusion to be drawn from the data which have been presented and that is that in the interests of health both benzoic acid and benzoate of soda should be excluded from food products. ’’ U.S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 84, Part 4, 1908. When in Doubt — Protect Yourself While experts may differ upon these points, the weight of scientific opinion, the world over, is opposed to Benzoate of Soda and all artificial preservatives in foods. There is, therefore, a grave doubt, at least, and where a doubt exists conceming a matter that affects your own health, who should have the benefit of that doubt — you or some manufacturer who is not concerned for your welfare ? comicbooks.com . a3