'50's-'60's The Golden Age?...maybe not!!??!!

The true historical golden age of the enema/clyster was in late 17th and 18th century France. The preferred instrument was a clyster bulb or an enema syringe, but the idea was still basically the same.

And everyone in French society, from the king (often semi-publicly at court) and nobles on down, got clystered with regularity, the practice being incorporated into many works of literature and into plays (Moliere's medical characters are often portrayed as incompetent fools clutching a huge outsized enema syringe). The practice was reinforced by the notoriously unhealthy and prodigious meals to excess that were thought to indicate social and monetary success and by the quack physicians (as in ‘le Malade Imaginaire’ by Moliere) who took to the practice of prescribing clysters for just about any and all ailment, in the same manner as they prescribed bloodletting when they know not a single thing about how to treatment an ailment. It was: when in doubt, just open a vein for a while or squirt some water up the anus.

Aside from injecting water into the bowels, French clystering practices also included injecting tobacco smoke to counteract fainting (in women) and other feelings of unease, the nicotine obviously acting as a stimulant and just as with alcohol, being more easily absorbed into the body in that manner. That is where to somewhat old-fashioned saying: 'blow some smoke up her ass' comes from, the practice of injecting tobacco via clyster syringe. You can bet the ladies were frisky after a few applications.

Anyway, just to that this was the period when clystering/enemas were all the rage, both among members of all classes in society and by the medical establishment. Much more so that at any time on our youth.

When members talk talk about Golden Ages, they are obviously referring to their own memories and to the all too prevalent tendency of people to look back fondly on their personal past.

@agracier – now way! that is where the expression ‘blow smoke up your ass’ came from?

@agracier – now way! that is where the expression ‘blow smoke up your ass’ came from?

Apparently so. If you search the web you can come across images showing the process, 18th century imagery mostly.

And as has been described so often here how alcohol is absorbed more readily and thoroughly by the colon, the same applies for other stimulants, making the stimulants very effective indeed.

My father used this expression very often for many kinds of occasions: how to pick up a girl (take her to dinner, a movie and all the while blow some smoke up her ass) or how to suck up to a boss.

I thought the blowing smoke came from First World War when British troops would hold a paper-mâché dummy over the trench parapet to attract the fire of enemy snipers and determine their position. For added realism, the fake Tommy would have a cigarette in its mouth, and a soldier crouching below him would blow smoke out of it through a tube.

Wow! thats a great story. cant possibly be true

I thought the blowing smoke came from First World War when British troops would hold a paper-mâché dummy over the trench parapet to attract the fire of enemy snipers and determine their position. For added realism, the fake Tommy would have a cigarette in its mouth, and a soldier crouching below him would blow smoke out of it through a tube.

That does sound like something soldiers would do. But the part of blowing it up the ass doesn't fit in I'd think.

Besides, blowing smoke up someone's ass is supposed to mean you should flatter them … nothing flattering about trying to shoot someone's head off … ha ha

That does sound like something soldiers would. But the part of blowing it up the ass doesn't fit in I'd think.

I've actually seen a movie clip showing it being done…