Life — September 20, 1923 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page contains **"A New Philanthropy" by Don Herold**, a satirical article about hospital noise pollution. The cartoon depicts a man on a Ford vehicle labeled "D.H. FREE HOSPITAL NOISE SERVICE," riding past a "Hospital Street" sign. Herold's satire targets the assumption that hospital patients should endure constant disruption. He ironically proposes creating entertaining street noise—bird calls, animal howls, motorcycles, even a circus calliope—to prove that hospitals are unnecessarily quiet, contradicting the popular "Make Interesting Noises" campaign mentioned in the article. The humor lies in **mocking hospital culture's obsession with silence** and suggesting absurd alternatives. The accompanying illustration shows crowded hospital visitors, reinforcing how hospitals were already far from peaceful places despite their supposed quiet requirements.