Golden Age

The following was imported from another site. Have you had any of these or other experiences like them?

.

I was born in the mid 40s and grew up in what I now realize was the tail end of the Golden Age of Enemas. Here's what I mean:

When I was a girl, I got an enema every Saturday, whether I needed one or not. So did my brothers and sisters. So did my cousins and schoolmates. It was a normal thing for a kid in those days.

I also got plenty of other enemas. Any sickness that kept you from going to school meant getting an enema and probably a series of them until "returns were clear" as the saying went. You didn't even have to be that sick. A fever or just about any symptom of anything would get you an enema.

Every Sears, Wards, Pennys and Spiegel catalogue had at least a third of a page devoted to a wide range of enema and douche syringes. Sears had them in the "sickroom supplies" section, but you could find "enema syringes" and "douche syringes" in the regular index. It was not unusual to see three or more fountain syringes and combination syringes for sale plus multiple bulb enema and bulb douche syringes. You could buy two or three types of folding travel syringes. You could get fountain syringes with a built-in higginson bulb in the hose.

Many fountain syringes came with four pipes: infant and adult rectal, and two vaginal pipes. On some sets, the second vaginal pipe was as long and thick as the pipe on a bulb douche.

New types of syringes were constantly being invented. Right after plastic tube squeeze type ketchup dispensers were invented, somebody screwed a douche nozzle on it, slid a shield over the pipe and it was in one of the major catalogues. Ironically, they put the shield on upside down.

We'd get little catalogues in the mail, something like Lillian Vernon today. Most of them had at least one douche syringe inside, sometimes a new design.

And that was the tail end of the Golden Age! Find some Sears and other mainstream catalogues from the tweens, twenties, thirties and forties! You'll find full pages devoted to enema equipment. I've seen JBL bags in those catalogues and also hose and nozzle /stand combinations that would covert a hot water bottle into a JBL syringe. Three quart syringes are normal and four quart bags aren't uncommon.

And then read about the Victorian era and my god, those kids' bowels never had a chance to dry! If you could afford a nanny you expected her to keep your children's bowels open and they probably hardly ever got a chance to poop normally.

Bring back the Golden Age!

That sums it up perfectly.

Every drug store had a large selection of enema/douche equipment in stock and on display, often including a large display in the window. Most of the stores were Mom 'n Pop operations and there were very few chain drugstores.

I remember a Walgreens in town, but that was about it. Some of the other stores were local stores that were affiliated with a cooperative like Rexall or similar groups to provide a better selection or pricing.

There was enough variety that a person could actually have a problem deciding which item to buy. There were bulbs of various sizes, open top and combination bags, and other types available. Usually near the "rubber goods" section there was also a "surgical /convalescent" area with things like catheters, colon/rectal tubes, bedpans, and other mysterious items openly on display.

If the local stores weren't enough there were always the Sears and Wards catalogues with a section devoted to various enema / douche systems.

There was nothing openly exotic or erotic about enemas at the time. An enema was indicated and given for nearly everything from an upset stomach to more serious conditions, and were as likely to be given/taken by an adult or a child. Nearly every bathroom had a well used red bag hanging openly on the back of the door or a nearby hook.

If you were hospitalized for nearly anything, you were almost surely given an enema as part of the admission process. If surgery was involved, another enema was likely given as part of the "prep". Afterwards, you were watched and at the first sign of a missed bowel movement, another enema was in store, and maybe even another before you went home.

When I was a kid in the late 40's and early 50's, I got one whenever it was "needed". Unlike many of the early experiences of others in the forums, in our home there were no "Spring cleaning" or "back to school" enemas. They were not given as punishment, but a kid who was "cranky" surely "needed" one.

I totally agree. Bring back the "Golden Age".

K2mmw, I know which plastic douche device you are referring to with the upside down vaginal guard cup. It was called the DUTEX Retention Douche and I have an unused example still in its original box. A picture of it appears in the 1961 Wards catalog. The strange thing is that the nozzle is molded to the cup...meaning it was meant to be upside down. I guess the cup was intended to create a suction seal so the liquid could be retained in the vaginal canal longer without spilling back out. I don't think they made a big hit with the ladies, since I didn't see the item again in subsequent catalogs.

Today its just the basic economy douche/enema kit, if you want anything else you pretty much have to buy them online.

Many of us post about commonly seeing fountain syringes hanging in peoples bathrooms behind doors or in bath tubs during the 50's. I too recall this. Most of the posts I see always refer to enema bags in these settings. My observations were that in every case I saw the syringes in bathrooms, they invariably had a vaginal nozzle attached to the hose. Douching was very common then, after sex, after periods, twice a week to stay "fresh", etc. I believe that most of the "wet" bags hanging up had not been used for enemas, but for douching.

My mother's bag was out at least twice a week after she douched. It was draining after enema use , maybe 4-5 times a year. We folks are arroused by the thought that someone got an enema, but I think in reality, what we saw was usually the aftermath that some female had douched.

I agree that most bags that I saw in the 50s did have douche nozzles on them. My mom kept a douche nozzle on it unless she was going to give an enema to someone. I think it was great to have a douche nozzle on the bag because that was what I liked to use for enemas

Chemistry made suppos that obsoleted enemas, only fleet ones are sold. l had a pharmacist friend and told me so

Isn't it strange how we have found a chemical for every malady, be it real or imagined. Even the OTC chemicals do super things to our bodies.

Then there are the "Side Effects!" At least there is an occasional warning lable on some packaging. Little regard is paid to the long term effects, damages?, caused to the body and they are often unknown.

Of more consideration should be the immediate effects of these chemical reactions when you mix them in the blood stream with other chemicals.

Your suggestion that "chemicals" have replaced enemas should therefore be approached with like caution. A simple 3H enema cannot be harmful since the chemical used is water. That is the same chemical that composes over 90 percent of our bodies.

I fail to see how chemical laxatives like bisocodyl can do anything but move our composition away from that natural state.

It's your call!

I think that one reason that enemas are not seen as having the therapeutic value that they did back 50 years ago is that people are much more diet conscious today than they were back then. Many more people today eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and other sources of fiber than they did back then. So the maladies that enemas cured 50 years ago are less prevalent today.

Not absolutely sure about all that, but that's my perception anyway. Anyone see it differently?

I get the idea that most of the chemical replacements for enemas produce a higher profit margin than plain old H2O

My Mom gave me a bunch of enemas and suppostiories when I was little. When I got older I began to enjoy them. Things have changed, too bad

I was reflecting back on the golden years...and recall that people had more time for each other. Naturally enemas take time when people can help each other. I think time is a big factor in health care. Many times I felt like a piece of meat on an assembly line.

I think that one reason that enemas are not seen as having the therapeutic value that they did back 50 years ago is that people are much more diet conscious today than they were back then.

I absolutely disagree with you. Fast food, which is the main source of digestive problems, was ten times less popular back then.

Is there anything other than a good enema?

Giving a slow loving enema was not considered "child abuse" back then. It is now and I think that is part of the overall problem. i think that it is OK to teach your kids about sex, masturbation and and how to enjoy a good enema. It is not Ok to have sex with them. Any thoughts on this?

The Victorian era is my favorite! if i only had a time machine! piper you are awesome!!! cant wait to meet u!

I love the Victorian age and I loved reading about the big enemas that they gave back then. I also loved the equipment especially the white enemas cans.One of my fantasies is to get Victorian enemas.

I was just wondering if your aunt took the time to clean the equipment while you were all waiting your turn, or just refilled the bag for the next person.

I should have also said in my post that I would love to give Victorian enema.

Can you post a picture of this?

The golden enema age is making a comeback as this website will attest to.

The really strange thing is all of the colon detox crap that's going around. I get a half dozen detox emails every day. Why would I put God knows what down my throat in order to clean out my colon. The infomercials crack me up, I want to scream to the guy to just give himself 4 qts. and let it go at that.

Time is the issue. Or lack thereof.

Do you think that any of the 18-to-35 set that is passing me on the right in a school zone in order to beat me to the next stoplight is actually going to roll back the clock and not go for the modern split-second remedy?

Once again, before you jump forward and purchase a quick and dirty 'Fleet' anything, read the label completely. If you read the list of toxic chemicals there on my guess you will put this "enema" back on the shelf. It's better to use a bag !

Absolutely no comparison between a Fleet enema and a home remedy enema. There are plenty of recipes on this site to satisfy one for a long long time. Why waste your money on a cheap synthetic unhealthy Fleet enema, and one that's not very satisfying at that. Makes no sense to me!

It sounds to me like you don't like the tantalizing, poisonous Fleet ..... Squirt bottle!

The golden age of enemas for me was between the period of 69 to 77.During that period I was a member of a water sports club that got together once a month to explore the pleasures of the enema.

I became involved with this group through a Mistress /nurse that I would visit for enema sessions on a regular basis. I was addicted and I was visiting her once a week. During one session she inquired if I would be interested in meeting them. She told me that they were a group of older ladies and men who worked or had associations with the medical profession. My mistress explained that they were looking for younger members interested in the same. And here was the best part, if they accepted me and I agreed I would not have to pay as much as I was for the services. Of course I was interested, for me this was a golden opportunity.

The mistress informed me that the next time I schedule a session with her that there could be someone from the group to join us. The next week the arrangements were made.

I will tell more about my experiences in other postings

From the quote above:

"My observations were that in every case I saw the syringes in bathrooms, they invariably had a vaginal nozzle attached to the hose. Douching was very common then, after sex, after periods, twice a week to stay "fresh", etc. I believe that most of the "wet" bags hanging up had not been used for enemas, but for douching."

This is probably true. At home we had a combination bag and infant bulb for enemas, but my mother also had a douche bulb in the closet as well. Any of these were likely to be out drying in our bathroom at some point.

When I went away to college in the 1970s I wasn't yet douching, but that first year bought a folding syringe that got used after my period as well as other times when it seem just like a good idea. Most of the women on my floor did the same and seeing somebody in the single bathroom at the end of the hall standing at the sink with their douche syringe was not uncommon. My mother douched well past going through menopause and I've douched regularly since college and still do despite the bad name that it now has gotten. Sometimes it just seems appropriate.

For me it was in my thirties when my wife first consented to submit to an enema from me as part of our foreplay. She really didn't want to, but did it to please me. She still remembered getting them from her mother as a prepuberscent teenager (naked, laying on the cold bathroom floor on a towel, hot, fast, cramps etc.). She discovered that, on a bed in the knee-chest position or on her back where she had control of the rate of flow, she really enjoyed the sensations and they became a regular part of our lovemaking.

The Golden Age, which I place in terms of my memory, was really in the '50's, the earlier the better. Unfortunately, in the family I grew up in, the views of my father and grandmother (enthusiastically approved) and my mother (totally and angrily opposed) to any use of enemas in our home, particularly by or on children. Hence, I had about 2 enemas only administered by someone else from my birth to when I graduated from High School. There was enema equipment around the house. Our library had a plethora of books extolling the virtues of frequent "copious" enemas and the like.

Fortunately for me, I started reading some of those books, and as well as I could understand, pretty much agreed with them. Also, I did sneak out and examine some of the enema equipment around the house. I got a lot of joy playing with an "infant" syringe while I was in the bathtub, also would take the sprayer off of the hose that one plugged into the bathroom faucet, and running some water in and out of my hunger nether regions.

But other than that, the whole enema scene was in fantasy land. I formed an opinion about the guys in the locker room about whether they were "man enough" to take a whole bag, the enemas they got from the fathers, etc., etc., etc.

So by the time, I got free of all that confusion, and realized that the world had lots of enema-lovers in it, and discovering that there were actually some materials to be read that were positive in a more modern sense, that being gay wasn't automatically associated with Klysmaphilia (didn't know the term yet, but sure knew the reality), and that there were lots of folks out there like me. And organizations like the famous Fraternity of Enema Buddies was in its prime, and was there to guide me through the thicket of misinformation and prejudice that had made my life very difficult. So the Golden Age is something I recognize now that was going on, but didn't have much positive effect on me, but I'm glad it affected many others, including probably some of you who are reading this.

I am just wondering what is "The Golden Age"