Cholera persecution

(Dr. Bacillus is spraying carbolic acid solution on the streets of Budapest.)
Cholera: “A well-bred skeleton does not tolerate such a stench!”
(Bolond Istók, Budapest, 1910)

From “Sun and Moon”

Waiting for cholera, lurking,
Day and Night are keen competitors.
There’s no cholera and they moan: lo,
All the crooning comes to nothing.
(Borsszem Jankó, Budapest, 1910)
(French operetta composer Charles Lecocq opened Le jour et la nuit in 1881, featuring a somewhat racy farce of concealed nuptial identities. The Hungarian premier, under the title “Sun and Moon,” came in Debrecen in 1884, while a 1899 Budapest production seems to have become a modest staple of the repertoire for a time, enough so that Budapest readers would have appreciated the rhymed couplets here. The return of cholera in 1910 proved not to be as deadly as the experience of 1892.)

Beneficial souls

“You went to the dance, eh?… If you tell me that, you’ll make me go crazy with your madness!…”
“Yes, boy, yes, come back… If consumption didn’t exist there would be no Tuberculosis parties…”
(La Esquella de la torratxa, Barcelona, 1910)

Measures against cholera

Vasile Morţun [Romanian politician and writer]. And with that phrase we end the circular. Continuing, Mr. Copyist:
“Therefore, the mayors of rural communities are invited to take emergency measures to combat cholera, whose so-called comma-bacillus is currently wreaking havoc in neighboring countries.”
The mayor of Pelagroșii de Jos. “Stan Poşircă, why don’t you take the paper back and go to hell with it! Do you want to fill the village with cholera?”
“Me, Mr. Mayor ?!”
“You and your petition that has more than 14 commas: I counted them myself!”
(Furnica, Bucharest, 1910)

Victims of science

“And how’s business?”
“Ah! Don’t talk to me about it, their “606” has killed condom sales.”
(L’Assiette au beurre, Paris, 1910)

Remarkably, the entire issue is devoted to Paul Ehrlich’s “606” miracle cure for syphilis.

Tuberculosis

(Elderly figures apparently labeled according to the degree of their consumption affliction, reading poster for 1st Spanish International Congress Against Tuberculosis, convened with the help of 375 physicians.)
“Three hundred and seventy-five doctors?… Alas, alas, alas, poor us!”
(La Esquella de la torratxa, Barcelona, 1910)

Fowl play

“You haven’t been out hunting, you’re lying: this partridge is already all green!”
“…I did have my suspicions…, it looked very sick: no doubt it comes from Italy, it has cholera!”
(Le Rire, Paris, 1910)

The heroes of the day

The city ordinance councilor and the public health official at work.
“United in life and in death!”
(Pss… Pss…, Bari, 1910)

Reliable protector

(News reports that foreigners are projecting they will have to interfere in Russian public health arrangements.)
St. Petersburg leaders: “Dear Cholera! Only you can protect me from foreign interference!!!”(Satirikon, St. Petersburg, 1910)

Popular championship

Referee: “So far the following fighters have signed up for the fight with the Russian human in today’s international championship: Plague—champion of India, Cholera—champion of Asia, Red Rooster [implying fires of rebellion]—champion of Russia, and Double Vinegar—champion of Petersburg!!!”
(Satirikon, St. Petersburg, 1910)

Old friends

Civil War: “Hello, calamity! Where are you doing?”
Cholera: “To Spain.”
Civil War: “Well, you are wasting your time, because there they are warned, and neither you nor I can count on the honest masses.” (Given the poor legibility of the final phrase and my ignorance of the living Spanish language, this probably needs correction.)
(Gedeón, Madrid, 1910)

The two calamities

The Pope to Cholera: “You go to Spain, and since they don’t want to listen to me, let’s see if they will pay more attention to you.”
(La Campana de Gracia, Barcelona, 1910)

The Pope on a Vatican spire is not so odd once you’ve seen this cartoon of the first radio transmitter installed in the Vatican. (L’Asino, Rome, 1908)

Cholera and its end in Bohemia

A multi-panel cartoon by Karel Stroff from Humoristické listy (Prague, 1910)

I must visit humanity again. It seems to have become too wanton. They will come after me with disinfectants, but I’m not afraid of that, it no longer applies to me.

Pardon me, I am a representative of the “Chiseler”* scythe factory. We have excellent, proven wares of great quality, please give it a test. We have fifty first-prize awards, thousands of commendations, we deliver to all parts of the world under the most advantageous payment terms and —
*(very loosely; no bonus for noticing the ethnic stereotype employed)

That was a terrible man! He spoke to me as if I was completely stupid!

Zounds! What kind of diabolical invention is this? There has never been such a thing…

That cost me dearly! My ears are buzzing, my head is splitting…

But I will not give up and I will bravely go on — What kind of monster is going over there?

Achoo! Achoo! Ugh, taxi. Yuck, yuck, yuck…!

And the crows fell upon his tortured body…

The best precaution

“Are you already taking precautions in case the cholera is coming?”
“Vaya! Yesterday we went to get life insurance at Universal Epidemic Prevention.”
(La Esquella de la torratxa, Barcelona, 1910)

Records of a famous cholera. “Story of a Terrible Traveler”

I certainly lack the expertise to annotate it properly, but this storyboard from the Catalan satirical magazine La Esquella de la torratxa (1910) seems worth archiving.