Judge, 1922-08-19 · page 36 of 36
Judge — August 19, 1922 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Nujol laxative advertisement** disguised as editorial content in Judge magazine. The "cartoon" is actually a narrative advertisement featuring a conversation between a young mother (Mrs. Wilson) and her elderly mother about constipation remedies. The setup depicts a modern, health-conscious daughter educating her old-fashioned mother about a new medical treatment. The daughter explains that Nujol—a mineral oil "lubricant, not a laxative"—solved her post-natal constipation without affecting her breast milk or baby's health, unlike traditional laxatives which caused colic. The satirical angle, typical of Judge's advertising style, is mild: the contrast between the grandmother's outdated remedies and the scientifically-endorsed modern solution. The granddaughter's final line about teaching the baby "to keep clean inside" extends the product's appeal to child care. This reflects early 20th-century advertising's use of pseudo-medical authority and generational conflict to sell products. The reference to "noted baby specialist" literature lends credibility through appeals to expertise.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Giving Him a Fair Start Mrs. Wilson is assisting at the daily rites: performed before the altar of her grandson, Master John Edward Phillips, Jr a HY, Molly, you don't give that poor little tyke a lax- ative every day, do ye This isn’t a laxative, mother. It's Nujol. It was the only thing I could use while the baby was nursing. I was ter- ribly constipated, you know, just after he was born.” “Well, that’s to be expected, I guess. I remember the trouble I had when you were born, dear.” “Oh, mother, I was in awful shape. I tried everything. And everything failed. All the laxatives and catharties I was taking began to affect baby. He had colic and lost weight. My milk really seemed to poison him. Then the doctor ordered the Nujol treatment. You know the body doesn’t absorb Nujol at all, and consequently Nujol doesn’t affect the milk. It was an ideal treatment for my condition.” “How did you learn of this treat- ment?” “From a book written by a noted haby specialist. He so-called lubric ises mothers that the ting method is the proper one as it tends to permanently correct constipation. For Constipation Nujol REG. U.S. PAT. OFF, A Lubricant—not a Laxative fou see, mother, in perfect health a natural lubricant keeps the food waste soft. But when a person is constipated there is not enough of Nature's lubri- cating liquid produced by your system to Leading medical scientists, after much ly, found that Nujol, which is a gentle lubricant, acts like this natural lubricant and so takes its place. “And a big advantage of Nujol for nursing mothers is that, unlike laxatives, no particle of Nujol is absorbed into ep the food waste soft and moving. the system and so it cannot affect or the baby. It is not a medicine, either, in any sense of the id like pure water, it is abso- armless.” the 1 word, lutely “My graciou If. I'd only had Nujol youl were adéoungster.” “Yes, ir /&But this young sample of the ris generation He is going to learn that it to keep clean inside as it is to be clean outside—with Nujol. And look, mother, how nicely he takes it.” s having it. as necessary PRESS OF WILLIAM GREEN, NEW YORK comicbooks!com