It was the Bellyache Heard 'Round the World. Some news reports said Ruth had died. Others described a "flu" or "indigestion" or an "intestinal abcess" brought on by too many hot dogs, too much beer, too much carousing. More than likely, it was the latter—to be specific, a venereal disease. Here, in this 6 ½ x 8 ¼ inch photo dated 4/8/25, Babe has just returned home briefly before undergoing surgery and spending the next almost two months at St. Vincent's Hospital. Underwood & Underwood's paper caption reads, "Babe Ruth, Home-run promoter collapsed under an attack of the grip in the railroad station at Asheville, N.C. He has gone home to let his wife nurse him." The intimate portrait captures a dazed Ruth being spoon-fed medicine by his first wife Helen. Edge/corner chipping, otherwise typical minor peripheral wear from newsroom usage. This photograph comes with a LOA for Type I from PSA/DNA (1P06493).

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