Vintage enema equipment

Hi,

Finding usable vintage enema equipment is becoming increasingly difficult. Much of it has undoubtedly been discarded during house clearances. Nevertheless, rare items occasionally surface on online marketplaces. Unfortunately, often at exorbitant prices.

Anyone with a well-filled piggy bank might consider acquiring a rare, old French 3-liter porcelain irrigator.

I just had to share this discovery with you.

https://www.ebay.fr/itm/358076621013?_skw=lavement&itmmeta=01KJR15ZKDSVYB59EVDSCQ5E4X&hash=item535f07a0d5%3Ag%3AXNwAAeSwp5hpV86E&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAA0GfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xC2FyicskDXTxPzjIvwBBM7ad2uhdqIx1gCydGqRbW3%2BIgXl5yp2CRkbWNlJ%2BKXINBMw22bOlBwT%2BLuTT9Stc5n7dckl9zKgiaJAIfsU%2FgeLmgOBRk4YohSHcfzh0m4CKfD3OSvpxtKyYUSQs%2FHm%2BEnWeZSxTWZUSoTmNCuW6p8HI9hX0hGPTHcvySRKfqoRSUnFt6Coc%2B%2FxIeNAEc2lfCQyUhqJhprFf94%2F7UqfyWLU9s%2Fq0yD%2F7mVr6YyJxQRk2I%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-z5l4GWZw&keyword=lavement&sacat=0&relatedSearch=true

This Fontange Rouge enema irrigator is gorgeous. That being said, I couldn’t justify spending upwards of $700 on it.

I did some research on these for a story I wrote. The French and English made lovely porcelain enema cans, usually in white with either a pinkish-red or deep blue floral decoration, while the Americans' were brass, ugly, and much harder to break.

The one in the link is better designed than some--it has a flat side with a hanger that can fit onto a nail or small hook in the wall, as well as a flat bottom so it can sit on a dresser or other piece of furniture. And it's pretty!

No mention of its capacity in the description, is there?

@PinotNoir

INo mention of its capacity in the description, is there?

One of the uploaded images shows the inside of the irrigator. The scale shows up to 3 liters. The height of 33 cm (approximately 13") mentioned in the (French) description also indicates this capacity.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on some lovely, hand-painted French porcelain irrigators from "Limoge," with a capacity of two liters. The occasional enemas that my lady administered to me were a true delight.

In the contest of posterior versus posterity, I think I’d be afraid to damage such a beautiful piece through use.

Plenty of enamel ones, an odd earthenware one I think but I have never seen a delicate porcelain one before. I suspect not many were made & even less have survived...

I look at these things with great respect, love to look and grin imagining our ancestors laying or bending with their butts exposed, enjoying the ministrations of whomever was giving it to them... they belong in museums, even if I can see one enameled piece, or even better a copper one... adorning my living room...what a conversation starter!!! But, do not see any of it being put to use in our fast moving world, where stuff needs to be moved constantly. We all love to look at the pioneers carriages, but nobody would like to travel in one of them. In any case, if one of my efriends had one and wanted to use it, I would be the first in line....taking in one of those vintage nozzles, wondering whose butt it had entered...very exciting....

Here you see two smaller ones in porcelain, unfortunately, the spout is missing, much cheaper :-)

https://www.willhaben.at/iad/kaufen-und-verkaufen/d/zarte-kuriositaet-zwei-porzellan-irrigatoren-paris-1900-1279416857

@carlienet They don't look damaged in any serious way, I wonder if originally there was a metal spout somehow bonded into the ceramic?

@alan20cm yes, I think so, but no idea how they were fixed, seems it was : "Système du Docteur Eguisier".

@PinotNoir One of the uploaded images shows the inside of the irrigator. The scale shows up to 3 liters. The height of 33 cm (approximately 13") mentioned in the (French) description also indicates this capacity.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on some lovely, hand-painted French porcelain irrigators from "Limoge," with a capacity of two liters. The occasional enemas that my lady administered to me were a true delight.

When my MIL died, I was the one who sorted through her things, deciding what to keep and what to sell or donate. Limoge, I learned, is a first rate maker of collectible porcelain goods, and has been for over a hundred years. We got a good price at auction for some vases.

Hi,

Our unusual, hand-painted porcelain jewelry is prominently displayed in our apartment. So far, we haven't received any feedback. Apparently, no one dares to comment on it. Some, however, can't hide their furtive glances at the pieces.

Speaking of vintage equipment…

As many of you know, I was put in charge of handling an estate that had an ungodly amount of vintage enema gear. I’ve been working through the massive cache and posting the stuff for sale in the buy/sell/trade section of this site.

@Iris1858 though not as ornate as the French enema can, I will be posting a three liter enamel enema can that is in stellar shape, and I’ll be asking a lot less than that for this piece of enema history.

I've had a couple of recent finds, but nothing particularly exotic. Several years ago I found an unlabeled enema can at a flea market. It was close to the end of the day and the vendor wanted to pack up and take home as little as possible and I got him down to $7. He had no idea what it was and rather explain its purpose to him told him it was to hold flowers. With a new hose and a recycled nozzle it gives perfectly good enemas. I keep it on top of a cabinet in the bathroom with plastic flowers in it for disguise. Great fun.

90,000 Euros? Je pense c'est trop chere, mon ami! C'est $105,000!

From some vintage photography circa mid-late 1800s to the early 1900s, it seems that there existed a substantial selection of quite large capacity enema bags, all of which were of European manufacture. Nothing like that is available today, or at least I've not been able to find it. If anyone has such vintage gear or knows of it being for sale, I'm in the market.

I was infected with the virus at a time when most enema supplies were made of red rubber, the nozzles usually of black Bakelite. That certainly left its mark on many, including me. Well, ultimately it doesn't matter what you get your enema from. But, as with many things, I think presentation matters.

I have posted some pics of my classic Faultless Wearever fountian syringe that some of you may enjoy looking at.

@peartree: At a time when most enema supplies were made of red rubber, the nozzles usually of black Bakelite.

There was a time when this was the most common enema bag. It is what we grew up with and is the one that I bought just before we got married. It's still used and gives perfectly good enemas. While we also have the enema cans which I think are wonderful for fast and easy cleanup the red combination syringe has a lot of nostalgia going for it.

I too grew up with our grandmother's open top red bag, and mom's "red squeeze thing" that Tess called it, which we used on each other from about 5 years old until puberty interrupted. Many enjoyable times over mom or grandmother's lap watching the entire operation in the mirror on the back of the bathroom door. Part of the enjoyment was as I took my pants, and undies off watching the bag being filled with a measuring cup, bag hung on the hook next to the window, administrator sitting on the window seat, me laying on her lap, waiting for the insertion, watching her hand reach for the metal clamp and the marvelous sound of the CLICK!

That's why I'm still,

LostInThe50s

Have always enjoyed antiques ... especially irrigation type items. Here are a few I have collected over the years. I probably have another dozen on another wall. Wouldn't it be great to know the history of each. My imagination runs wild. Hope you enjoy ...

https://en.zity.biz/gallery/image/312130

Actually unbelievable:

A porcelain irrigator was auctioned on eBay. The minimum bid was 40 euros. I was the only bidder. There is an additional 13 euros in postage. The part is a bargain for this price.

https://de.zity.biz/gallery/image/312757

After its arrival, it will of course be included in a welcoming ritual

Actually unbelievable:

A porcelain irrigator was auctioned on eBay. The minimum bid was 40 euros. I was the only bidder. There is an additional 13 euros in postage. The part is a bargain for this price.

https://de.zity.biz/gallery/image/312757

After its arrival, it will of course be included in a welcoming ritual

Congratulation about this found !! - hopefully you will enjoy the ceremonies of the first use !!

Although I got enemas from as early as I can remember, I don’t remember ever getting one from an enema can. I am thinking that maybe I had seen an enema can in someone’s bathroom as a child but since one was never used on me, I would not have recognized it for its true purpose. Based on some of the photos of enameled enema cans posted here, I probably thought it was a flower pot or vase.

@Cheryl77177

That was and still is the beauty of it: you didn't have to hide them in cupboards. First the enema, then decorate with flowers. Of course, remove the hose beforehand.

@Cheryl77177: That was and still is the beauty of it: you didn't have to hide them in cupboards. First the enema, then decorate with flowers. Of course, remove the hose beforehand.

Exactly right! Also when kept on top of the old cupboard in the bathroom nobody bothers to take it down to examine, which means coiling the hose and keeping it and the nozzle in the can under the flowers makes for a perfect storage arrangement. Who would have thought?

For a number of years, I had an enamel Enema can hanging on the wall in the bathroom. I ran a cord down through the hose and put an inline switch close to the plug, where a clamp would go and had a nice night light. It did get a few comments.

Dan

Some years ago my two sisters and I cleaned out our mother's house because we were moving her to assisted living. Trust me when I say that there was a lot to clean out including old clothes, dad's tools, a seven year old case of beer (!), and the bathroom. Us three siblings divided up the house and set to work. My older sister had the bathroom and came across both syringes that we remembered from growing up. The combination bag was no longer pliable and cracked, but the open top which mom had used for douching and still had a packet of douche powder in its box was in near perfect condition. Rather than throw it out, my younger sister took it and since she was the sibling who enjoyed enemas I'm guessing that she has put it to good use.