Life, 1918-03-28 · page 25 of 40
Life — March 28, 1918 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces: **"A Tough Customer"** (left): A humorous story about Mike, a ringtail monkey at the New York Department of Health who survives eighteen disease inoculations (measles to anthrax) that would kill horses. Rather than sicken, Mike thrives—gaining weight and energy after each injection. The satire targets medical establishment arrogance: doctors gave up trying to kill him but made zero effort to understand *why* he remained healthy. The author (Kenneth L. Roberts) uses this to critique how people ignore the actual causes of health, focusing instead on symptom-fighting. **"Nay! Nay!"** (right): A political cartoon showing a man refusing to draft striking workers. His reasoning: drafted workers would gain voting rights and subsequently vote *against* him in elections. The satire mocks self-serving politicians who oppose labor conscription not from principle, but from fear of electoral consequences—exposing cynical political calculation masquerading as reasoned debate. Both pieces exemplify Life's satirical style: attacking institutional hypocrisy through exaggeration and pointed humor.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
fee 2 ie! STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN A Tough Customer HE toughest customer ever discovered by the New York Department of Health was Mike, a ringtail monkey, who throve on disease germs and waxed blithe and chipper on deadly inoculations that were sufficiently potent to kill a whole racing-stable full of horses. At one time and another, Mike received eighteen inoculations, the germs running all the way from measles to anthrax. He was a great disappointment, however. After each inoculation the it for him to keel over ; doctors would gather around and w. but, instead of that, his eyes would glisten, his whiskers would curl, and he would radiate health and energy. Bored by Mike's persistent and offensive robustness, the doctors decided to get rid of him. They accordingly gave him an especially deadly inoculation—whereupon Mike gained two pounds and cried for heartier meals. Then a kind-hearted animal-lover heard about Mike, begged him from the De- partment of Health, and gave him a good home where the only germs are those which float in through the windows. The significant part of the whole affair is that the doctors made no effort to find out what made Mike so healthy. That, though it had no effect on Mike, is what makes the rest of us ill, Kenneth L. Roberts. Nay! Nay! “P)YON'T you think that these men who go out on strike should be drafted?” “What! And have them all vote against me at the next clection?” comicbooks.com