Life, 1912-06-06 · page 39 of 56
Life — June 6, 1912 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct elements: **Left Side - "An Exceptional Case"**: A humorous anecdote about a doctor's visit. A man named Danston describes how he rushed to pay his specialist immediately after treatment—not from politeness, but from self-preservation. The joke relies on the era's anxiety about unchecked medical bills. By paying cash on the spot, Danston prevented the doctor from having time to calculate a larger fee based on the patient's perceived ability to pay. The satire targets both doctors' allegedly inflated billing practices and patients' powerlessness against medical costs. **Right Side - Advertisement**: An advertisement for Weed Anti-Skid Chains, automobile safety equipment. It references a real incident involving aviator Frank Coffyn, who was severely injured when his car skidded on a wet bridge in Central Park, New York. The ad argues that anti-skid chains would have prevented the accident, using a dramatic real-world example to sell the product as a safety necessity. Both elements reflect early 20th-century concerns: healthcare cost anxiety and automobile safety hazards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
) An Exceptional Case happened at the club, 1 Street and politics had heen duly visposed of it turned upon doctors and sLeir charges. @] had roher of an interesting and ctience a short time ag “ My little girl had some- with her ear, She grew iddenly. We sent for the n, and after a brief ex- amination |. cccided that the thing was feyond bis. and advised getting in a sal © specialist. came, pet- as presumably a necessary The discus» aed after VY instructive formed ration— Oh, F him the benefit of the doatt,” br» in Dilber. “You speak as though regarded most operations y. That's the average toward operations any- as uanec man’s att way.” “Tha replied Danston, that the < man is right about it. Well, after ‘t was over with, and the specialist. ss going out, T nailed him ja the hal!‘ Doctor,’ said I, ‘how much & 1 owe I want to pay you now and get tis thing off my mind.” He koked sur and, said, ‘Ob, I'll send abil. There's no hurry." ‘No,’ I re- flied, firm'y, ‘1 would rather pay cash.” Very well, he said, and he went away With the money.” “That was busine par—youns Langam. " said the third “1 suppose your tif he got away he'd have time to ficure out how much you would urge you accordingly.” QUALITY Lubricants HARRIS TRADE MARK REG.U.S. PAT. OFF, OILS base of HARRIS OILS highest de Premium Crude stock. most carefully compounde -deposit forming i are elim- finest eylin- Harris Oils They give Ask your for folder. 18 tor ship same prepaid W.HARRIS OIL COMPANY Bs. ws 41No, Wabash Ave, CHICAGO,ILL- SECURED OR ATENT FEE RETURNED ree search of Parent Office Records. How Beas st wharte ovect Su Mat of foveetigns waate entions sent MICTOR J. EVANS & CO., Wi Is Your Car Safe? This picture shows the acci- dent in which Frank Coffyn, the well known aviator, was badly hurt, nearly costing him his life. He was pitched out of the automobile, and was thrown to the street pavement twenty feet below when his car skidded on abridge in Central P: New York, and went through the railing. @ Slippery pavements were the cause of the accident, according to the chauffeur. He said ‘‘I was driving ata moderate speed and as the front wheels struck the slippery roadbed they skidded and the car became wholly unmanageable. @ The accident could not have occurred if the car had been fully equipped with Weed Anti-skip Chains “‘With the Creeping Grip’’ as they would have prevented the front wheels from skidding when they struck the wet pavement, and the back wheels would not have slipped when the brakes were applied. An absolute necessity on both rear tires, and to doubly guard yourself against accidents and to make steering comfortable and easy, put them on the front tires too. @, Don’t you wait until after an accident before skid-proofing your car. Stop at yourdealer’s today and fully equip your ti with Weed Chains Weed Chain Tire Grip Co. New York “ Exactly,” replied Danston. “I really couldn't afford, in these hard times, to let him go. You sce, if he once got away and had time to size me up and consult with the family doctor, why there wouldn't have been any limit to the amount of his bill, except my ability to pay. He was taken so by surprise that he charged only seventy-five dollars; that was enough, heaven knows, but if he had once gotten away it might have been—oh, five hundred.” “Why didn’t you? “Wait a minute! He went away and 1179 I thought no more of the matter except to tell my wife, and supposed his part of it was concluded. But the next day the child developed a temperature. The family doctor, who was, of course, in charge of the case, was sent for; of, rather, he came on his regular visit. He said in view of the child’s slight relapse he thought the. specialist. ought to be consulted again. And so I called that gentleman up, but I'll be hanged if he'd come! Eh? What do you think of that?” Both men turned toward Danston. comicbooks.com