Life, 1918-02-21 · page 5 of 40
Life — February 21, 1918 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for Nujol, a laxative product made by Standard Oil Company (New Jersey). The ad uses health messaging common to early 20th-century patent medicine marketing. It claims constipation causes "lowered vitality" and winter illness, positioning Nujol as a "sound health investment" that provides "clockwork bowel regularity." The visual shows product bottles arranged on an upturned hand, emphasizing the product's reliability. A special note mentions a "kit size" for soldiers or sailors, suggesting this ad ran during or after wartime when such products were distributed to military personnel. This represents typical vintage advertising rhetoric blending medical pseudoscience with consumerism—practices now heavily regulated.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
285 What is the Par Value of Your Health? Almost everybody has a sick spell during the winter. More people die every day during January, February and March than during any equal period. Vitality is at its lowest point. Lowered vitality is largely caused by constipation which undermines health and strength and makes yow susceptible to the whole host of winter disorders. 'To keep your vitality at par, you must obey the first law of health. You must maintain adequate bowel functioning at regular intervals. Nujol will give you clockwork bowel regularity. It will relieve constipation gently and surely without harm. It is a sound health investment. STANDARD OIL COMPANY (New Jersey) Bayonne New Jersey Nujol is never sold in bulk. Send 50c. and we will ship our new kit size to soldiers or sailors anywhere. Nu} ol Jor constipation P xun | comicbooks.com