Life, 1911-08-17 · page 23 of 40
Life — August 17, 1911 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the medical freedom debate of the early 20th century. Edmund Vance Cooke's essay defends the right to consult alternative practitioners—osteopaths, homeopaths, hydropaths—against what he sees as the medical establishment's monopoly on healthcare authority. The beach cartoon depicts a father and child, with the caption suggesting that understanding comes with age. The juxtaposition appears ironic: just as the child cannot yet comprehend the ocean's purpose, society supposedly cannot yet grasp medical freedom's logic. The accompanying text mocks *Collier's* magazine for opposing such freedom, suggesting the publication is controlled by pharmaceutical or orthodox medical interests ("under the desk, or behind the door, lurks an old school bogie"). Life itself takes Cooke's side, advocating for patient choice while criticizing what it views as censorship by established medicine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“OM, A GREAT MANY—EVERYTHING HAS For Freedom a virile pamphlet Mr, Edmund Vance Cooke expresses in few words some wide-spreading sentiments. “T have nothing against ‘ regular phy- sicians,’ except when they attempt to arrogate to themselves all medical wis- dom and authority. Some of my best friends and my family physician are ‘regular’ doctors. At the same time I reserve the right to consult an osteopath, homeopath, hydronath, or any other ‘path,’ or ‘non-path.’ In other words, I “WHAT'S THE OCEAN Goop FoR, por?” 1TS—ER—NEVER MIND, WILLIE, YOU'LL believe in that freedom which Collier's decries, and I believe the great majority of the members of the National League of Medical Freedom are of like mind. I do not mean that they all believe as I do, except that they believe in letting the other fellow believe as he does, and they deny the right of a Department to de- stroy that freedom. “You don't want a Department of Health. You want a Department of Medicine, “Tam in favor of sanitation—public and private—and I do not consider it sanitary to put diseased pus into healthy UNDERSTAND BETTER AS YOU GET OLDER.” veins ‘to prevent disease!’ Collicr’s evidently does.” But Mr. Vance should remember that Collier's is probably not a free agent in this medical matter. Under the desk, or behind the door, lurks an old school bogie, who, at proper intervals, scares the editor by fearful sounds and horrid threats. Still, we have hope for Collicr’s. Some day it will begin to think for it- self. comicbooks.com