Life, 1910-01-27 · page 13 of 36
Life — January 27, 1910 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page critiques Dr. Carrel (likely Alexis Carrel, a famous early-20th-century surgeon), who conducted animal experiments behind closed laboratory doors. The main illustration shows a woman discovering a monkey or dog being vivisected in a chamber—a moment of horrified realization. The satire attacks the moral hypocrisy of conducting cruel experiments "in the name of science" while claiming to benefit humanity. The text argues that such cruelty represents degeneracy rather than progress, and that men conducting these experiments are actually enemies of the human race, not benefactors. The bottom cartoon appears unrelated—a humorous domestic scene about a lost watch. The overall message: scientific advancement doesn't justify hidden brutality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“GOODNESS ME, JOUN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" “WHY, MARIE, I CAN’T FIND MY WATCH ANYWHERE, SO 1 THOUGHT I WOULD LISTEN AT BaBify’s TUMMY What Other Explanation? S Dr. Carrel, of the Rockefeller In- stitute, a degenerate? He permits no intruder when contvet- ing his experiments upon animals. He carefully locks the door and when alone with his victim—a monkey or a dog— he proceeds to cut him up at his leisure. Mangled bodies are dumb testimony to what has taken place within this chamber Dr. Carrel takes his time when Alone with of death: conducting his experiments his victim what takes place? Ever since the world began cruelty has been one of the prominent forms of degeneracy. The higher a man is in the scale in- tellectually does not seem to count. The thirst for a victim's blood grows with what it feeds upon, until it finally be- comes insatiable. most 161 A normal man starting out upon this path with a presumably innocent desire to benefit the race by what he may discover will gradually turn his innocent experiments into a carnival of blood. The habit of torture opium or hasheesh. No experiments, no how which ducted in the name of science are safe from this danger. Every pathologist knows this. Every doctor, who has been led to make experiments on animals, is aware that abhor- rence may be succeeded by in- difference, and this by desire. Dr. Carrel, conducting his ex- periments alone behind closed doors, refusing to be interrupted, hears every evidence of inhuman degeneracy. Tt would be immensely inter- esting and instructive if it should be determined that men of his stamp are among the real ene- mies of the human race, instead of the “benefactors "” that th so passionately declare them- is like matter innocent, are con- selves to be. This hot resentment ference and the hypocri tense to be of benefit are indeed among the certain marks of a pathological condition which in- variably leads to degeneracy t inter- 1 pre- SOTISM parade is self-reliance on “Gre! YOU BETTER TAKE THAT UMBRELLA OUT OF YOUR MoUTIT; IF YOU FALL DOWN YOU'LL SWALLOW 17,”" comicbooks.com ,