Life, 1919-05-01 · page 7 of 44
Life — May 1, 1919 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a vintage advertisement, not satire. It promotes Beeman's Original Pepsin Chewing Gum as a digestive aid. The ad features a testimonial from someone named "Beeman" (shown in the portrait) claiming that chewing the gum for ten minutes after meals relieves indigestion, sleeplessness, and nervousness. The pitch reflects early 20th-century medical thinking that attributed modern ailments like nervousness to poor digestion caused by rushed eating and inadequate chewing. The gum, containing pepsin (a digestive enzyme), was marketed as a convenient solution for busy professionals. The American Chicle Company produced this gum, with offices listed in major U.S. cities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LEEPLESSNESS, imitation and nervous let-down are conditions that often arise from slight forms of indigestion. The speed at which we live, and the high tension under which we work are largel responsible for the lack of care we give bot to the selection of our food and its proper mastication. I have found in my own personal prac- tice that chewing my Orginal Pepsin Gum ten minutes after each meal frequently re- lieves these conditions. AMERICAN CHICLE COMPANY Cleveland Chicago Kansas City comicbooks.com