Life — April 1934 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Modern Medicine Men" This is a satirical page from *Life* magazine mocking four prominent figures by depicting them wearing Native American headdresses—a visual gag equating them with "medicine men" (fraudsters). The four men shown are: - **Warden Lawes** (promoting Sloan's Liniment) - **Rudy Vallée** (endorsing Fleischmann's Yeast) - **George Gershwin** (promoting Fenamint) - **Albert Spalding** (advertising Castoria) The satire targets celebrity endorsements of patent medicines and commercial products, suggesting these famous figures are charlatans peddling dubious remedies—no different from stereotypical "medicine men." The headdresses visually reinforce this accusation of fraudulence, mocking both the endorsers and the products they promote.