The Abbott Tree

I know a few people who work for Abbott Labs, and I thought they might like to see some scans from the Abbott Tree. The book has long been missing, rumoured lost. But recent subterranean recovery efforts have brought the book to light once more.

"What is this book?" you ask. Well, it's a 1959 corporate propaganda piece. Being from 1959, it has some things that seem, well... a bit out of place to modern eyes. For instance, the cover of the book is the tree of the title. What exactly that fluffy greenery near the blue man's crotch is meant to represent, I'll leave to the viewer's imagination. As for the cylindrical object of rather enormous girth which descends from the same area - well, the less said, the better.

Other moments of delight are the image of a man (and the page title makes it clear that this page is about The tools and the men of Abbott Laboratories, perhaps a reference to the man on the cover with the enormous - uh, or at least an unintended comment on the perception that men were the important part of the company) recording an expirement in his laboratory notebook. His tools are close at hand: slide rule, pen, stapler and ashtray. Current Abbott smoking policy is, I believe, "Not on our land, you stinky S.O.B.!"

The final page of the book does acknowledge the contribution of women to the company, in the form of the Abbott Escort Service! The book assures us that these are "personable young ladies who have been specialy trained". Say no more, say no more, nudge-nudge, wink-wink .