Life, 1913-04-24 · page 40 of 48
Life — April 24, 1913 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This comic dialogue mocks Dr. Alexis Carrel, a real French surgeon who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on organ transplantation and tissue preservation. The satire imagines a phone conversation between "Lire" (Life magazine's persona) and Carrel. The joke targets the implications of Carrel's discoveries: the cartoon exaggerates them absurdly—freezing workers for "vacations," creating artificial organs for sweatshop children, and eliminating poverty through biological engineering. By having "Lire" propose increasingly outlandish applications (synthetic lungs for child laborers, stomachless workers), the cartoon critiques both scientific utopianism and capitalist exploitation. The punchline—that poverty might be "largely bacteriological"—exposes how easily scientific rhetoric masks unwillingness to address actual social injustice. The page also contains period advertisements (Diamond tires, Swiss hotels), typical of Life magazine's format.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
On Life’s Wire ELLO. Live?” “Yes. This is Live.” “Dr. Alexis Carrel speaking.” “Hello, old chap. Congratulations on receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine Forty thousand is a nice little nest egg.” "Indeed it is, Lire.” “What are you going to do with it? “Oi, I don’t know, Lire. I guess I'll keep right on, cutting and patching and slashing and slicing and splicing.” That's right, Doctor. Hack away. That was a great discovery of yours that pieces of the human body could be tucked away in cold storage until needed to patch up some imperfect lady or gen- tleman.” “Yes, it is hard to realize the rami- ficotions of that discovery. Perhaps by crtending the cold storage idea to the entire human body it might have some effect on the cost of living.” “Bully notion, Doctor. And then if a fellow wants to get a little vacation, all he will have to do is to register him- self at a cold storage plant. Is that the idea?” “Tam not clear yet. I'll have to freeze a few monkeys before I am ready to present my thesis.” “Oh yes, there's another thing, Doe- tor. While you are transplanting organs and repairing the human body, we were wondering if you could contrive to sup- ply patent leather lungs to the little children who are working in the close air and dust of sweatshops and cotton mills.” “1 don't know, Lire, but I’m willing to sacrifice a few guinea pigs in the attempt.” “And could you arrange to provide a durable kind of for workers in match factories, who suffer frightfully Your car can’t skid if you ride on Diamond Safety Tread (Squeegee) Tires Won’t slip—Won’t slide Won't skid—They grip So this time buy Diamond Vitalized Rubber Tires with the Safety Tread—you can get them to fit your rims at any of the SWITZERLAND Picerare” °"* Veit ST, MORITZ Sooveses With its World-Renowned Mineral Springs The Highest and Most Fascinating Resort in Switzerland The exhilarating Alpine air and sunshine of ST. MORITZ promote RENEWED HEALTH and VIGOR. Sa% GRAND HOTEL ST. MORITZ The Hotel de Luxe of the Alps Opened in 1905. Every modern improvement. 300 rooms. Private Suites, with Bath and Dressing Rooms. Thorough quiet secured by double passages. Grand Society Lounge, with most beautiful view on the Lake and Mountains. Most modern Sanitary and Ventilating arrangements. Vacuum Cleaner. Lifts to all Floors. Daily Concerts by the Milan Orchestra. Alustrated Tart from "Town and Ci “ountry"* Travel Bureau, 389 FUtA Ace., N. ‘rym GOULD & PORTMANS, Lid., 54 New Ozfor SEASON from June to September Tennis, Golf, Croquet, Boating on the Lake. Trout Fishing, Varlety of Delightful Excurs Engadine Express Train: Calais—Parts-St. Morita from the Hotel Manager; or (in England), Surect, London. from the effects of the phosphorus? This would be a great boon and relieve Congress from becoming too prophy- lactic.” “It's worth trying, Lire. Mode surgery stops at nothing, you kno “And it would be a splendid service to the poor if you could provide them with stomachs that did not need food That would enable them to work much more cheaply, reduce their cost of living and lift a great load from their minds.” “It is all possible, Lire. Give me a little time. I wouldn't be surprised at the ultimate discovery that poverty was lurgely bacteriological.” “Take all the time you need, Doctor, but keep us advised from time to time as to the progress you are making.” “Oh certainly, Lire. Indeed, you are about the only representative of the laity for whom I have any respect. Good-bye.” “ Good-bye.” comicbooks.com