Life — February 15, 1929 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine Page: "Emergency Case" This page satirizes romantic heartbreak through an illustration showing a woman and cherubs gathered around what appears to be a medical kit or collection of bottles and supplies. The title "Emergency Case" treats emotional pain as a medical emergency requiring treatment. The accompanying poem by Arthur Guiterman uses medical language humorously—"broken heart," "Heal it and mend it"—to describe the speaker sending their damaged heart to someone for repair. The final couplet subverts this by mocking the recipient's advice to "break it" further, suggesting cynical commentary on romantic relationships and the futility of trying to fix a broken heart through another person's intervention. The overall tone is satirical commentary on romantic suffering in early 20th-century culture.