Life, 1914-02-12 · page 41 of 44
Life — February 12, 1914 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This story mocks the early 20th-century obsession with serum therapy—the belief that injecting animal serums could cure virtually any disease. The narrative follows "Willie," a boy who survives childhood illnesses (whooping cough, measles, rabies) through increasingly exotic animal serums: cat, monkey, dog, cow, and horse serum. The satire targets medical practitioners' blind faith in this unproven treatment. Each illness is "fortunately" cured by serum from a different animal, presented as miraculous scientific discovery. By age forty, Willie has become a "blamed menagerie," having received serums from multiple animals. The joke culminates when Willie dies from "general debility"—ironically, from the very treatment meant to save him. The scientist remains eager to try serum from a hen and alligator, oblivious to the absurdity. This reflects genuine medical debates of the era: serum therapy was popular but unreliable. The piece suggests doctors chased fashionable treatments without questioning their actual efficacy.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Fr name “Cheney Silks” in the neck- band, is being shown in pleasing variety at leading men’s shops. Wash ties—tubu- lars, open-end scarfs and other fashion- able styles and designs. Ask to see them. CHENEY BROTHERS Silk Manufacturers 4th Avenue and 18th Street, New York ECKWEAR, identified by the CA soft. rich whishey with the flavor ofan old vintage. Bottled Old fashioned dis. inBond — tillation—ripened by age only. PEBBLEFORD Old Fafioned Quality Kentucky Bourbon CLEAR SPRING DISTILLING CO. BOURBON, NELSON COUNTY, KY. Once upon a time. not so very long ago, a boy was born, and they named him Willie. This boy's mother did not nurse him, but he was put on the bottle. Fortunately, a learned scientist had dis covered how to pasteurize milk, so that the boy did pretty well on cow's milk. When this boy was two years old he had whooping cough. Fortunately, Pro- fessor Bordet, of Brussels, had discov- ered that serum from a cat would cure whooping cough, and some cat serum was injected into Willic. Soon after Willic got about again he was taken with measles, Fortunately, Dr. John P. Anderson, of Washington, had discovered that serum from a monkey would cure measles. So they pumped monkey serum into the boy, and the measles didn't kill him. One day Willie was playing with his pet terrier, when the dog scratched him. So his folks, dreading hydrophobia in its worst form, rushed him down to New Jersey, where there is a great institute in honor of the late Professor Pasteur, who, fortunately, discovered that serum from a dog was a fine thing for rabics. They pumped dog serum into little Willie for two months, Willic pulled through nicely, but on the way home rode in a Pullman sleeper in which a smallpox case was dis- covered. Fortunately, Dr. Jenner had discovered that scrum from a cow would cure smallpox, and so, on getting home, they pricked some cow serum into Willie's arm. Well, Willie lived along until he was ten years old, when one night his folks were sent into a panic by discovering that he had black diphtheria. Fortu- nately, a noted German physician had discovered that serum from a_ horse would cure diphtheria, if anything would, and so they gave Willie some horse serum. Finally, at forty years of age, Willie was taken with a mysterious malady, None of the doctors could tell definitely what it was. At last, as Willie was very low, a very learned scientist from a great castern institute visited him and pro- nounced it “general debility”. “ But, cheer up, my man,” said the scientist, “T have a serum from. — “No more menagerie in mine,” sighed Willie. “Life has been but one blamed serum after another.” Whereupon Willie died, much to the regret of the scientist, who felt sure that he was about to en- rich medical science with a great dis. covery, since he was about to try scrum from a hen and an alligator on “ general debility". We don't know that there’s any moral to this story. But there's a whole lot of truth to it, anyhow.—Boston Post. Personatty we think it is all right for a man to wear a wrist watch in warm weather, but in winter we think he looks better carrying a muff. —Dollas News. For the Traveling “400” The Overland Limited was put into commission to accom- modate people who demand the scale of luxury provided by the modern Ocean Liner and the great Metropolitan Hotels. The only daily extra-fare train to California, it shortens the trip to 64 hours and 30 minutes be- tween Chicago and San Francisco. Overland Limited Leaves Chicago every day at 7 p.m: arrives San Francisco at 9,30 the morning of the third day. Buffet-Club Car, Dining Car, Observa- * tion-Library Car, bathing facilities, barber shop. Ladies’ maids, valet, stenographer, Route is the finest roadbed in the coun- try, double-tracked, dustless, protected by automatic electric block safety signals. CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN UNION PACIFIC SOUTHERN PACIFIC The Overland Limited Book de- scribing this unique train briefly, is free on request, together with any specific information you may desire. Or we will send a representative to call and make arrangements for your trip. Special attention given to mail inquiries, Address Chicago or New York asking for Overland Limited Book Number 65. J. B. DE FEST. Gent Eisen Agent. Union Pacific 287 Broadway, New York W..G. NEIMYER. Gen'l Agent Southern Pacific Company 55 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago H.A GROSS, Gen'l Agent, Nerh Wesern a Rae 148 S. “chase Ticket Offices in. All ‘hres Cities; Including Boston, Philadelphia. Parsburgh. Detrox, Sree. Cincinnan, St. Lous, hicago. “pip YOU WASH YOUR FEET THIS MORNING, ALCIBIADES? NO? THEN TAKE THEM OUT OF THE TROUGH” comicbooks.com