Judge — February 2, 1918 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is **not satire or political cartoon** — it's a straightforward advertisement for Nujol, a laxative product made by Standard Oil Company (New Jersey). The ad uses health messaging typical of early 20th-century patent medicine marketing. It warns that winter causes lowered vitality through constipation, claiming this makes people susceptible to illness. The solution: Nujol provides "clockwork bowel regularity" to maintain health. The phrase "Regular as Clockwork" references the mechanical precision desired from bowel function. The visual of bottles arranged like a timeline emphasizes consistency. This reflects a historical period when constipation remedies were heavily marketed as general health tonics, often without medical basis. The ad notably targets soldiers and sailors, suggesting wartime distribution.