Life, 1917-03-08 · page 4 of 42
Life — March 8, 1917 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily an editorial announcement rather than a cartoon. The illustration shows a well-dressed man in a top hat labeled "M.D." (Medical Doctor), tipping his hat in greeting. The text announces an upcoming "Family Physician's Number" of *Life* magazine, which the editors acknowledge will be "the dullest number ever issued." The satire targets doctors: the piece suggests that while doctors deserve criticism for greed and poor ethics, some physicians genuinely try to help patients efficiently. The editors paradoxically warn potential subscribers *not* to subscribe yet, promising to announce when future issues contain worthwhile content worth paying for. The joke is self-deprecating—*Life* admits it will publish something boring, but frames it as necessary social commentary on the medical profession's failings and occasional virtues.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Good Morning, Everybody ; Have You Abandoned All Hope? The dullest number ever issued by Lire will appear next week. The name of it is the Family Physician’s Number. It is intended to show that there are some good doctors. It doesn’t show it. When you read this number you will be glad that you are not a sub- scriber. You will be glad that you have never obeyed that impulse. This number has, however, some good things in it, we regret to state. Try as we will, we cannot always prevent good things from getting into Lire. They get by us somehow. ‘The contributors are an earnest, conscientious lot. Every doctor is entitled to death, slavery and the pur- suit of operations. In the next number—strange as this may appear—we shall attempt to show that some doctors are different ; that they are trying to get people well as quickly and i ine expensively as possible; these are the family physicians. If you are thinking of ‘subscribing, don’t. Wait until we get out some good numbers. We will let you know when to pry yourself loose from that five-dollar bill. At present look not upon the seductive coupon opposite when it isn’t being read by anyone else. “Special Offer Enclosed find One Dol- lar (Canadian $1.13, Foreign $1.26). “Send Lire for three months to Open only to new subscribers; no subscrip- tions renewed at this rate. y LIFE, 17 West 31st Street, New York. _/ One Year, $5.00. (Canadian, $5.52; Foreign, $6.04. comicbooks.com