The early 20th century was constipation’s belle époque. Sales of purgatives, tonics, syrups and patent medicines like Carter’s Little Liver Pills went through the roof as ordinary people were encouraged to closely monitor the frequency and quality of their bowel movements. In Britain, the campaign against costiveness was spearheaded by a man named William Arbuthnot Lane, who spent much of his medical career popularising the idea that bodily health depended on the regular elimination of its waste.