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Photo, Print, Drawing "It was a real wonder drug -- I kept wondering about it" / Herblock.

[ digital file from original drawing ]

Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress.

About this Item

Title

  • "It was a real wonder drug -- I kept wondering about it" / Herblock.

Summary

  • Editorial cartoon drawing shows two men, one labeled "Food-and-Drug Administration" and the other, a fat cat labeled "Pharmaceutical Houses" smoking a cigar and holding a wad of money; they are standing over the prostrate body of a dead man labeled "Fatalities from inadequate warnings" lying on the ground next to an open bottle of pills.

Names

  • Block, Herbert, 1909-2001, artist

Created / Published

  • 1/3/1967.

Headings

  • -  United States.--Food and Drug Administration
  • -  Pharmaceutical industry--United States--1960-1970
  • -  Medicines--United States--1960-1970
  • -  Lobbying--United States--1960-1970
  • -  Dead persons--United States--1960-1970
  • -  Consumer protection--United States--1960-1970
  • -  Government regulation--United States--1960-1970

Format Headings

  • Drawings--American--1960-1970.
  • Editorial cartoons--American--1960-1970.

Genre

  • Editorial cartoons--American--1960-1970
  • Drawings--American--1960-1970

Notes

  • -  Caption label from exhibit "Herblock Looks at 1967": Between 1965 and 1967, the Food and Drug Administration enforced stringent laws against the pharmaceutical industry, whose failure to properly research and test the drugs they marketed led to bodily harm and deaths. Morton Mintz, Herblock's colleague at the Washington Post published an indictment against industry practices in The Therapeutic Nightmare (1965), which he updated in 1967 as By Prescription Only. Herblock admired Mintz, who had exposed the dangers of thalidomide and other drugs that caused birth defects in pregnant women.
  • -  Title from item.
  • -  Signed "Herblock" lower left.
  • -  Inscribed in pencil at top left: 1-3-67.
  • -  Published in the Washington Post, January 3, 1967.
  • -  Copyright, 1967, by Herblock.
  • -  Forms part of: Herbert L. Block collection (Library of Congress).
  • -  Exhibited: "Herblock Looks at 1967 : Fifty Years Ago in Editorial Cartoons" at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., September 2017 - March 2018.

Medium

  • 1 drawing : graphite, India ink, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing with paste-on ; sheet 56 x 38.2 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BLOCK, no. 6709 (BB size)

Source Collection

  • Block, Herbert, 1909-2001. Herbert L. Block collection (Library of Congress)

Repository

Digital Id

  • hlb 06709 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hlb.06709

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2012636857

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-hlb-06709 (digital file from original drawing)

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: Herbert Block ("Herblock") - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: Publication may be restricted. For information see "Herbert Block ("Herblock") Rights and Restrictions," https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/res/271_herb.html
  • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-hlb-06709 (digital file from original drawing)
  • Call Number: BLOCK, no. 6709 (BB size)
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

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Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

  1. If a digital image is displaying: The qualities of the digital image partially depend on whether it was made from the original or an intermediate such as a copy negative or transparency. If the Reproduction Number field above includes a reproduction number that starts with LC-DIG..., then there is a digital image that was made directly from the original and is of sufficient resolution for most publication purposes.
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  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Block, Herbert, Artist. "It was a real wonder drug -- I kept wondering about it" / Herblock. United States, 1967. 1/3. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2012636857/.

APA citation style:

Block, H. (1967) "It was a real wonder drug -- I kept wondering about it" / Herblock. United States, 1967. 1/3. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2012636857/.

MLA citation style:

Block, Herbert, Artist. "It was a real wonder drug -- I kept wondering about it" / Herblock. 1/3. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/2012636857/>.