This topic brings back memories of my first boy scout summer camp when I was 11. The camp week ran from Sunday morning to Sunday morning. I already had constipation problems and this environment made it so much worse. The only edible food was bread and mashed potatos. In addition, the heat and humidity pretty much guaranteed that everyone was dehydrated. The only toilets for the campers were outhouses that consisted of a bench with three holes in it. The smell in that heat was the worst thing I had ever smelled.
On Tuesday, I remember having a slight urge to have a bowel movement. I walked down a trail to the outhouse to give it a try. I walked in and the stench was just too bad to stay. Plus there were two other boys seated on the bench. I could not imagine sitting down between them. On Wednesday at breakfast, the camp ranger got up in front of all the boys and staff and announced that anyone who had not yet had a bowel movement was to report to the camp nurse.
After breakfast, my scoutmaster questioned each boy in our troop about whether he had had a bowel movement. I lied because I figured that the constipated boys were going to get a laxative or an enema. The boys who admitted that they had not pooped were escorted to the camp nurse by the scoutmaster. One of them was my tentmate.
At the nurse's cabin, the constipated boys were given a laxative. I later spoke to a few of them and they each described a horrible tasting salty drink. I am guesing it was magnesium citrate or something like that. I discretely asked several of them if there was an enema involved and they each denied it.
Even though this was the 1960's, I believe that laxatives were the only weapon used to combat constipation in my camp. I was a budding klismaphile and I would have probably agreed to an enema if it had been offered.
My tentmate's dose finally kicked in about 2 AM. He ran out of the tent three or four times during the night to relieve himself in the woods. My stomach was starting to hurt from being so backed up but I much preferred that to having laxative induced diarrhea and being forced to use the outhouse or woods.
I did not poop the entire week I was at camp. On the way home, my parents figured out how backed up I was and scolded me for not using the toilet the whole time I was at camp. I got a very thorough enema as soon as I got home.