How many enemas during the "Golden Age" ?

I'm guessing the "Golden Age" of enemas as referred to here on zity , was from around 1950 to 1970. During that time the population in the United States went from 150 million to 203 million. Given the number of companies that made enema (and douche) equipment back then and the prominence of said equipment in drugstore displays , I think we can infer that "rubber bags" populated many, if not most homes in the United States. Having read many posts here in the forum about how enemas were regularly given for everything from constipation to colds and flu and other evidence of "enema popularity" , such as hospital use, it boggles my mind to think about how many enemas may have been given in the US everyday. Anyone care to guess a number? LOL

I'm not 100% sure it was as prevalent as most here believe. I was born almost right smack in the middle of "the golden"age" and there was no evidence, as far as I could tell, of any enema apparatus in my house. It might be because most people developed their "taste" ( I really don't like to associate the word fetish with enemas) as a child and gravitated towards zity, that it seems more common here than it really was. I don't think my enema free childhood was really so unusual. As a girl growing up, I talked with other girl friends about all kinds of intimate things and that subject just never came up. I do know that a male cousin, my age, who was a "holder", did get enemas..but that was the extent of my exposure to it... I might be very wrong..as I am about lots of things..but my guess would be a far smaller amount than many here think.

Is there a prize if we guess correctly, Bottoms?

David 😃

@ Dr. Daddy

David , I think the prize is obvious !!!!!!!! LOL

I was born in 1959 and everyone that I knew of got an occasional enema. How many the average person got in a year I have no way of even guessing, but I suspect it might not be as much as many of us think. For me, during those golden years I likely didn't get more than 3-4 a year. Still, with a family of 4, and I don't ever remember any reference to my father getting one, that is still 10 uses of the enema bag annually. When I started douching in college my syringe got more than double that.

Grace and Emom may be quite right in that enema use may have really started to taper off by the time they were born. While many of us, in hindsight, would like to believe they were more prevalent, it's possible that there may be some degree of wishful thinking.

By the mid 60's, enemas had started to diminish quickly in my family. My older sister and I were subjected to far more enemas than our 2 younger sisters. We were both born in the early 50's, and my younger sisters came along in 60 and 63. Our pediatrician had retired by then and there was a change in the prescribed or suggested enemas with the new doctor. The available equipment had also begun to diminish.

Enemas, and suppositories, were more common in toilet training for awhile. Daily BM's were expected, and failure to produce resulted in an enema for my sister or me. As my younger sisters came along, suppositories became more common when they couldn't have a BM. That doesn't mean that enemas were totally abandoned. We always had an enema/douche bag hanging in the shower. If my mom wasn't using it all that often, I certainly had been putting it to good use by then.

I had a couple of surgeries in the 60's, and enemas were still prevalent in the hospital setting. Enemas were also given to women in labor through the 70's around here. I have written a story about having to purchase an enema bag for my mom. It is a combination of fact and fiction. The incident actually occurred in the early 70's. My sister was actually being given an enema when the bag gave up the ghost. My experience at the local drug store really fueled my lifelong interest as far as the sexual/sensual attraction. A hospital experience in that same time frame, assured that I would be hooked forever on the simple pleasures.

I grew up in the 50's and 60's. All I know is that most of my friends got enemas or knew what they were, which probably means they got them but didn't want to admit it. Also, I've always been a bathroom snoop and almost every one that I checked out during my youth had an enema bag as well as laxatives and/or suppositories.

I was born in 1941, a few months before the Day of Infamy. I got rectal squirts from Mommy Dearest before I could talk. As time passed I got the red bag with Ivory soap whenever Mommy felt that were necessary. Neighbor ladies gave them to me. The nurse at CYO camp gave them to any boy who the nurse thought needed one. That went on until late grade school. In high school, with fear and trembling, I took matters into my own hands. Try though I did for so many years to eliminate the habit, it stuck with me. Now I enjoy anything anal - solo. If with another person, there must be chemistry to make the magic happen.

EChuck

Bottomsup2000 -- Interesting the way in which some of us think about the subject -- haha but I do like the way ya think !!

However seen from an Australian perspective I'd say virtually impossible to even estimate as there as so many variables.......If for example one were to take the given US Population Statistic of 203 Million (1970 timeline ) then apply a conservative 10 % ratio of that figure, which equates to 20.03 Million "SINGLE" administrations of total population for that year one alone ....Capitalize that up to say 12 Given / received (one per month ) for that year & the figure is staggering ....Even at say 5% the figure is still quite something !!!

Then as Grace 1 mentioned there were those that never acknowledged or even discussed in conversation, either due to embarrassment or possibly for fear that their friends of that time may consider them somewhat weird ,we all know how kids can poke fun at others....The stories some Schoolyard days could reveal huh !!.

Add to that those that will never ever come forward ( let alone admit too ) for reasons only known to themselves --- Guess we'll never know...

Then there is those that have taken their final bow & left the planet !! -- R.I.P.

So just for the fun of it I applied a simple 20 year incremental population growth based on the law of averages at 2.65 Million, being a combination of both newborn & migratory intake residents per annum (impossible to calculate transients--no known statistics ) over that time span....

Beginning & including the stated year population of 150 Million :

1950 to 1955 inclusive >>163.25Million Pop.---10% applied for each & every year 93.975 Million.

1956 to 1960 inclusive >>176.50Million Pop.---10% applied for each & every year 85.600 Million.

1961 to 1965 inclusive >>189.75Million Pop.---10% applied for each & every year 91.505 Million.

1966 to 1970 inclusive >>203.00Million Pop.---10% applied for each & every year 98.850 Million.

So arriving at 369.930 Million "single" or one time only's (based on the 10% p.a. factor for each & every year) & considering Emom's figure of approximately 10 given / received per singular entity--- Now arrives at 3.69930 Billion "spread" over 20 years...mmmmmm !

Averaging out at 18.4965Million "special delivery's" per annum or 50,675.342 Per Day ..... Give or take--LOL.

No wonder you guy's had to build the "HOOVER" Dam..

Anyone care to "Work Out " the Quarts ??

Sorry folks, but the "golden age" of enemas long predates the 1950's. Around the turn of the century until the discovery of penicillin in the late '30s or early '40s (in other words, before the age of what we call "modern medicine"), both children and adults were vulnerable to all manner of diseases from diphtheria, polio and whooping cough to scarlet fever and a host of other deadly childhood diseases, without an effective means of medical treatment. Either you slowly got better on your own - or you died. Throughout history, water has long had a reputation for curative and preventative powers. The bowels were universally believed to be the breeding ground of poisons and toxins that lessened the child's ability to fight off infections. So concerned mothers would give their kids enemas (and in some cases, LOTS of enemas) in order to 'cleanse and purify' the colon as a protective and preventative measure against infectious diseases ....because there was little else that a caring mother could do. The German medical profession was particularly enthusiastic about enemas for 'health' reasons, so much so that literally dozens of Spas in Germany and Switzerland catered to the wealthier families with young children from all over Europe, offering a full course of 'medical' treatments that usually involved intensive colon cleansings administered by highly experienced nurses. Enemas were so popular around the turn of the century, that English aristocracy, including The King of England, flocked to German Spa resorts during the Summer to "take in the waters" as they called it. So the true golden age of enemas began in the late Victorian Era and continued until the end of WW II.

@hospitalcare -- Well I guess in this instance one shall just have to agree to disagree as no one can really say beyond all reasonable doubt just what is the "Golden Age" as perceptions vary....

As no accurate or substantial records were kept about that era,this then becomes just another point of view based upon one's own interpretation...

Furthermore there are numerous library repositories around the globe containing medical compendiums & antiquated literature that pre-dates the Victorian era as to the practices of the day & there is no way that I would categorically state what particular era best represents this without having proof absolute....Topic being lighthearted & best left that way ---Just sayin & merely my 2cents worth.

While I'm sure that you guys and gals are quite correct in your assessments and perceptions, I can only surmise that most of us considered our responses relative to the time frame that we actually participated or at least had some verifiable background or confirmation. If my mom or grandma told of circumstances, I likely believed them. Consequently, my perceptions likely are somewhat expanded beyond my personal recollections.

It may be that some of those beliefs were conjured up based on "old wives tales". I'm sure that those early treatments occurred as memorialized in the various texts and journals. I just feel fortunate that I have some actual and factual recollections regarding my favorite hobby and topic. Some of those memories are "golden" in hindsight.

@ That Australian. Your statistical analysis is amazing ..Loved it !!!!!!!

As an engineer I happen to love making calculations. Now if Emom says that her family averaged 10 bag enemas per year at 2 quarts each that comes to 5 gallons per year. Over a 20 year period we can assume that that is 200 enemas or 100 gallons. If anyone ever questions the return on investment of a family enema syringe my guess is that it comes to maybe 2¢ per enema if you have a $4 enema bag, which was what a deluxe one would have cost maybe in 1970. Even today you can probably buy one for about double that, which still makes the investment a good buy. Emom says that her feminine syringe got much more use so women who regularly douched were getting an even better bargain. No wonder the drug companies pushed disposable products.

I was born well after that Golden Age and never had an enema until I was in my early 30's. There is no regular frequency, so I have to guess I have had maybe 40 to 50 enemas and have liked every one of them. Maybe I had a deprived childhood.

My mother gave me enemas during that time period for all sorts of ailments (this will help bring your fever down (cool enema), this will take the bad germs out of your system (warm and soapy(, this will help you sleep (warm water), this will cure your upset tummy (hot water). I don't know where she got her information, but I lived. Now they're for fun and relief of constipation. I have doctors who are much better at prescribing relevant treatments. I only self prescribe for horniness and fun.

Sweet Julie, maybe many of us had a depraved childhood. :->>

Our parents must have known of the erotic aspects of enemas from their own experiences growing up. I wonder how it affected their thinking in deciding to give us enemas? Did they just ignore the erotic aspects because they felt that the benefits of an enema outweighed the other aspects? I notice that a lot of people, me included, stopped getting them at puberty, which is an indication that they felt that prior to that, we had no significant erotic reactions to the procedure.

hankb

Sweet Julie,

I'd love to make it 51!

Teddy hugs

I hate to say this, but you are all WAY off base! The real Golden Age of enemas was actually the 17th & 18th centuries at least so in Europe. In the French court, enemas were the latest rage! They were supposedly taken for health, of course, but I suspect there were other reasons as well. They were so commonly accepted tahe there it is said that Loius 17th received visitors while the Roiyal Physician administered his enemas. Ladies were considered gauche unless they washed out their bowels regularly. I think most, if not all of us came in during the death knells of the enema age.

Hundreds! Would have lost count in my mid teens.

I hate to say this, but you are all WAY off base! The real Golden Age of enemas was actually the 17th & 18th centuries at least so in Europe. In the French court, enemas were the latest rage! They were supposedly taken for health, of course, but I suspect there were other reasons as well. They were so commonly accepted tahe there it is said that Loius 17th received visitors while the Roiyal Physician administered his enemas. Ladies were considered gauche unless they washed out their bowels regularly. I think most, if not all of us came in during the death knells of the enema age.

You´re 100% spot on right about this. The 17th and 18th centuries were indeed the age of enemas and clysters in many European countries - especially among the better-off classes who could afford the procedure as given by barbers and surgeons or else purchase their own devices for introducing water or whatever into the bowels. Images as woodcuts and references in literature abound - with Molieres´play ´La Malade Imaginere´ being the classical example in which clysters are spoofed and made fun of, they being used as a catch-all cure for just about anything.

And not only was water, oil, soap and other liquids used as solutions, tobacco smoke was also often introduced into the rectum via clyster like devices. It was said to be used to revive fainting ladies or just to provide a pleasurable feeling. The practice is still echoed in the somewhat archaic American colloquialism ´to blow smoke up someone´s ass´ - meaning to flatter and (insincerely) praise someone.

Even now in France, at flea markets and junk stores, you can easily find old clysters, cans and all kinds of enema devices at very reasonable prices. Most of these will however probably be of 19th century origin - but still nice as collectors items in their own right.

And indeed, life at court was conducted via a very rigid set of protocol and ceremonial pomp that demanded that nobles see how the sovereigns conducted themselves - eating, dressing, evacuating their royal bowels etc. It was good to be the King as Mel Brooks would say, but there were some aspects less appealing ... ha ha

Btw - just a small thing, but there was no Louis XVII. Nominally that would have been the son of Louis XVI (who was beheaded during the Revolution). The young son was imprisoned and died during captivity. There was one more Louis - the XVIII - but by his time customs had changed and all the rigamarole was no longer done in public.

I’m sure that the “Golden age” started well before the 1800’s but for me it was 1958 when I was 4, almost 5 and for my husband he thinks in 1953 when he was about 4.

Enemas in my parents’ home were given for constipation or illness which happened 3 to 6 times a year and in the case of constipation it was usually 2, a soapsuds followed by a saline rinse. If it was for a cold or flu enemas were given daily for as many days it took for the symptoms to be gone often up to 11 or 12, and then for one day more. If you hadn’t had a BM on the first day it was a soapsuds followed by a saline, if you had it was just saline, after that it was a saline.

I have 3 sisters and each family member had their own enema bag including mom and dad. They were hung in the back of our bedroom closets and to tell them apart our initials were put on them with India ink, we each also had our own 18” rectal/colon tubes with our initials also. During flu & cold season you could see as many as 6 bags hanging in the bathroom to dry.

Of course when all the females reached the point of requiring feminine care each had their own bag for that too.

I became a Klismo at age 14, one other sister also did but not the other two.

My husband only got enemas when they were ordered by the doctor so it was 3 or 4 times a year up to age nine, then he had an emergency Appendectomy and received 9 enemas during his 14 day hospital stay. Those enemas resulted in him becoming a Klismo and he’d fake constipation and receive enemas every couple of weeks. At age 12 his mother who was an LPN, got him his own bag, and taught him how to enema himself and he’d often have 4 or 5 multi enema sessions a month.

Marlene

Not sure what the "Golden Age of Enemas was.

The Golden Age of anything is always a time before your own or a time before you realized that something which is no longer around was actually pretty neat and fun ... 😃 😃 😃

For enemas people usually end up talking about their youth or younger days and designate these as the Golden Age of Whatever ... You know, when summers and school vacations lasted forever, the sun always shown and everybody had enough money in their pockets to have a good time.

Conversely, a far better candidate for the golden age of enemas would be the late 17th and about the whole of the 18th centuries. Enemas, or more correctly, water irrigations usually by means of clyster pumps and bulbs, were used by people from all walks of society, with the nobility and the rich the most fervent users of enemas for any and all ailments. They were mentioned in classical theater plays (think Moliere with plays like 'la Malade Imaginaire') and illustrated in numerous drawings and engravings, used in political cartoons and the devices themselves were often ingeniously crafted as well as cheap enough for the lower classes.

The "golden age" was when enemas were much more common place for almost any ailment, from a headache to a hang nail. Most every home had enema equipment of some type, and drugstores had huge selections to choose from!!!

Let's remember that things don't always happen at the same time everywhere.

While enemas may well have been prevalent in the aristocratic courts of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, that doesn't necessarily mean they were enjoyed by the masses at that time.

And what was happening in Europe didn't necessarily translate to the new world where most folks were trying to eek out survival and a living pushing farther and farther into the West.

I feel certain that the discovery of rubber and efforts to make it affordable probably had the biggest impact on the American masses. So as far as the US is concerned, I'd peg the golden age as the first half of the 20th century.

All's good IN THE END.

Hey Australian, I bet we all know which end you refer to.

For me the golden age of enemas began when I was about 5 years old and lasted until I was about 17. Back in those days almost every family had their enema bag in the bathroom closet or hanging on the back of the bathroom door ready for almost instant use.

Bottomsup, I believe your assumptions are correct. During the Golden Age the use of enemas was very common and widespread. There were few options available to use to relieve constipation. The enema from a reusable bag was cheap with many bags sold for about $2. Societal change and declarations from the medical community that traditional water enemas were useless, unnecessary, time consuming and obsolete (after several thousand years) the emphasis shifted to pills and simple single use enemas. Families, not wanting to be odd or different disposed of the enema idea. At the same interval, the feminine hygiene practice of douching the vagina took a similar course. Now the vagina was self cleaning, ?? and the practice was not recommended. So the dual purpose bag was doomed. More than a dozen American companies making bags and bulbs went out of business. Countless jobs were lost in the rubber goods industry. Today, it is recognized that We still find relief or joy in these practices. We hide our "stuff" afraid of discovery, use in fear of criticism, but I imagine there are a lot of closet users that appreciate this forum.