Life — May 22, 1919 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Shock" — A Medical Domestic Drama This is a narrative fiction piece, not political satire. The story concerns Abner Morton, who has suffered a nervous shock from an unspecified fall or accident. His doctor explains the condition affects "association areas of his cerebral cortex." The two illustrations show: (1) two young girls in a countryside setting picking flowers, and (2) passengers in a dining car on a train. The narrative focuses on Morton's wife consulting a doctor about her husband's mysterious condition and a letter the doctor sends. The story appears to explore early 20th-century attitudes toward neurology, nervous disorders, and psychological recovery — subjects gaining medical attention during this period. The page demonstrates Life magazine's practice of mixing serialized fiction with illustration.