National Lampoon Magazine — May 1975 (Medicine: The Nation's Number One Killer)

The May 1975 "Medicine" issue of National Lampoon opens with one of the most viscerally effective covers in the magazine's history: five surgeons in scrubs and masks, shot from below — from the patient's perspective on the operating table — leering down with fangs bared, eyes wild, lit from beneath by the surgical lamp. The headline reads: Medicine: The Nation's Number One Killer.

It's a perfect piece of visual comedy that doubles as genuine cultural critique. American healthcare in 1975 was expensive, opaque, and increasingly distrusted. The Lampoon took that anxiety and made it monstrous — literally. The image is unforgettable.

A strong copy in good condition, bagged and boarded. A standout issue from the magazine's creative peak.

• National Lampoon, May 1975
• "The Humor Magazine" — $1.00 cover price
• Bagged and boarded
• Vintage collectible magazine, sold as-is