How many enemas during the "Golden Age" ?

As I remember the "Golden Age", the last twenty years or so at least, they were not always so golden. enemas were given for most everything. If you went to a hospital, they gave you an enema, then asked you what was wrong. Well it was almost that bad. The problem was that privacy was often abused, a lot of enemas were given in a manner that caused unnecessary discomfort and had less personal touch that getting a band aid put on a cut.

All of these things had a lot to do with the demise of the "Golden Age". Quantity often did not equal quality. Most people now know little about them or their advantages. There just a few of us now that understand the good feelings that can be had.

We have all seen adds on TV about laxatives that will "give genital relief in the morning". As little as 8 ounces of water can give instant relief but our medical world will not advocate it any more. If people only knew what a little water could do for bloating, constipation, relaxation, sex relations and just plain fun, I think the world would be a better place to live in. The euphoria felt after a series of enemas can never be the product of pharmacy chemicals.

This is long and rambling just to say that the "Golden Age" destroyed itself by poor methods of some enema givers and stigmatizing of anyone that enjoyed the benefits that can be had from them. This my take on the subject. Doubt many will agree but it is my observation.

I don't hide my enema-douche bag with the approptiate nozzle attached to the hose.

I keep it on the back of the bathroom door even when I have visitors. I am not embarrased or ashamed for them to see it, even if it is an intimate object.

I also keep my jar of vaseline on the counter and allow the visitor to assume what they want.

Sandi has got it right. My enema bag hangs on a hook next to the john. While my bathroom is not the one guests would normally use--I'd have no problem. In the "golden" age enemas were mainstream, (so to speak) When a batchelor I and in law school my enema bag was on the bath door. Occaisional comments but never negative. I think, to some extent they are coming back.

gdfru

And having said that, my nozzle is a little erotic so it is not always there.

gdfru

I had one fleet at six or seven, but it wasn't till I found the bag that things turned more golden in my late teens. I do wish I had an enema mom growing up though...sigh. I wish that I could come home and if I was constipated I didn't have to hide my bag, but have a mom that took my temp rectally and gave me my enemas. It would help being the frequently constipated chick that I am.

Growing up on average I received at least two to three enema's per week. Ninety percent of them were given with the eight ounce red or black enema bulb. My mother and step-dad loved to do multiple insertions. They loved to spread my bubble butt and then slide the big black nozzle into my little rosebud hole and then squeeze the warm Ivory soapy liquid into my rectum and bowels. This continued until I left for college and even after when I came home for breaks or holidays. So I'm guessing the number is in the millions.

At age 9 -- 12 (1959--62+) 2x a month. At age13--14 more infrequent @ none or once a month .

In the Golden Age the hospital in our town was small and private, run by nuns. My first experience in that hospital I have shared here in other posts...about my appendectomy and the treatments I received. Not too long after that experience my grandmother was hospitalized. I don't remember why. So we would go to visit her every day. It was 1949-50. I was 12 or so. One day on a visit, I wasn't feeling well...had a tummy ache...pain in my side, and felt listless. My two aunts and I were visiting my grandmother. She didn't seem very sick. At any rate, my on aunt commented to the nurse that I wasn't feeling well. She took my cheek and looked into my eyes. Then she felt my forehead to see If I had a fever. Then she said, "Why don't we put him up on the bed an give him an enema". My aunts agreed. I was stunned. I couldn't believe they would do that right there in the hospital. This was apparently not out of the ordinary. So there I was, with no choice. My grandmother got out of her bed. I was completely undressed and put naked on the bed. The nurse returned with a tray with the silver enema bucket on it and a long hose. I was near tears but couldn't do anything but lie there and let them do it. I was the "good boy" so didn't complain. In the presence of my grandmother and two aunts the nurse gave me a huge enema. She must have used a colon tube because I remember it took awhile to pull it all the way out. I kept saying, "I can't hold it", and she would say, "Yes you can". Finally it was over and I was taken to the adjacent bathroom to let it out. I couldn't believe it. To this day I can't quite believe they could do that. But that was all part of the Golden Age!

I started getting enemas from my mom after a doctor prescribed them when I was 10 years old (mid '60s). Initially I got enemas 2 or 3 times a week. Then after several months it slowed to once a week. That rate continued for a year or so until I entered Jr. High. The weekly schedule became harder to maintain and sometimes would slip a days or even a week. That continued until I was 13 and had an orgasm and ejaculated during an enema. Mom decided that maybe 'I' would be more comfortable if my dad handled my enemas. Dad quickly taught me to self administer. (Which was easy since I'd been sneaking enemas for several years.).

Officially, I took enemas once a week. Unofficially, there were many more. This continued until I left home and got my own apartment.

For how many men whose introduction to enemas--as a child or as an adult--was a treatment for a medical condition such as chronic constipation has the use of enemas remained primarily that--a solution to a medical issue? For how many men has enema use moved from primarily being a medical necessity to personal pleasure? For how many is it both?

For how many men whose introduction to enemas--as a child or as an adult--was a treatment for a medical condition such as chronic constipation...

This should probably be its own thread or potentially merged with a "why do you take enemas" thread, though it is a bit different from a straight "why" question.

Those of you who have read my earlier posts on similar topics certainly know why my answer is, "WAY too many to count!"

I'm guessing the "Golden Age" of enemas as referred to here on zity , was from around 1950 to 1970.

Quote from first reply... As for when the Golden Age was; I can't define a beginning as I've seen allot of mail order catalog ads for enema items going all the way back to 1900; and it appears to have been on the increase from then till the 1960's when Doctors really began frowning upon using enemas...

In my neighborhood every home had atleast 1 sometimes 2 enema bags. Some also had a small--medium size red enema bulb. Once a (boy) was age 5 or 6 the transition to the enema bag occurred. Somehow I escaped that and did not experience my first enema bag enema until two weeks after my 9th birthday..in 1959. Back then the enema bag (or bulb) enema was the primary Dr.approved solution to boyhood constipation issues. There seemed to be a negative mindset with Pediatricians over giving constipated children harsh oral laxatives.

...up until the 1960's when Doctors really began frowning upon enemas...

Has anyone ever figured out why the transition? Was it all down to drug companies pushing oral laxatives? I can't imagine that's the whole reason since ExLax, MoM, Castoria, etc. were all around at that time. Did someone in the medical community figure out how many klismos were being created? All down to enemas not being used in hospitals due to nurses' time required? Or what? If there was an uptick in injuries or bad outcomes, I never heard about it but of course it was decades before the internet and greater access to medical information.

During the 40s and 50s, science actually developed drugs that worked. The previous 1000 plus years of fake medicine was replaced by drugs that actually worked. Dr.s now could sell cures rather than hope. Enemas were part of the treatments that lost out to science. The process continues.

Has anyone ever figured out why the transition? Was it all down to drug companies pushing oral laxatives? I can't imagine that's the whole reason since ExLax, MoM, Castoria, etc. were all around at that time.

The answer is real simple, “Money.” Big pharmaceutical companies wanted to sell their products and eliminate the competition. The competition was the tried and true rubber douche/enema bag. The drug companies started by funding Medical Schools to teach new Doctors to push their products, not douche/enema bags.

Example: My kids (circa the late 70’s through the 80’s) two pediatricians were both old school and didn’t believe in harsh laxatives for children under age eighteen. Hence, they prescribed enemas for constipation, moodiness, and being ill tempered. Worked for the kids, as well as their parents, my wife an I...

I have posted on this subject in different locations. I agree with the previous post. Our family doctor when I was born told my Mother to give me enemas daily because my colon was not working properly. We moved to another town when I was 2. Mom's new doctor prescribed the same thing and did so until he got ill and had to give up his practice. It's then when a problem presented itself. The new doctor did not believe in the use of enemas for anything. He told my mother in front of me that enemas were barbaric and had no place in modern medicine. He prescribed oral laxatives for me... Castoria, Milk of Magnesia, Ex-Lax, etc. He even had lots of samples from the drug companies. There is little doubt that big Pharma was subsidizing his practice. So sad! Big Pharma takes in $$$Billions of $$$ every year from the sell of laxatives. Ladies and gentlemen .... Money talks.... and I'll tell you this... I am not spending a red dime on that crap when I can take an enema for pennies on the dollar and take a great crap! Amen!

FSP: Has anyone ever figured out why the transition? Was it all down to drug companies pushing oral laxatives? I can't imagine that's the whole reason since ExLax, MoM, Castoria, etc. were all around at that time. Did someone in the medical community figure out how many klismos were being created? All down to enemas not being used in hospitals due to nurses' time required? Or what? If there was an uptick in injuries or bad outcomes, I never heard about it but of course it was decades before the internet and greater access to medical information.

Yes, I like your reasoning.. it was more than money... there was a change in attitude and the way mothers in the 1960's thought about parental practices. It went hand-in-hand with spanking also falling out of favor...

Perhaps it wasn't the drug companies and medical schools. It's possible that the Dr.s decided that all of those children that developed "constipation" at 2 PM every Sunday, were just the victims of sexual child abusers. It may just have been a subtle hint that they should stop.

Didn't they also move to the realization that constipation in general wasn't a very big deal and could be better handled by diet modifications? I know that in the '80s I would get pretty constipated before anything was done about it, and I remember laxatives being discouraged.

The discussion is interesting, and the reasons many, as to the transition to chemicals/meds away from the various solutions of the past. Certainly, convenience and personal preferences are part of the equation.

I enjoy reading the old texts regarding enemas, douches, and the equipment for these. The Wayback Machine, Google Books, and other sources of these older written media sources are quite enlightening.

One of my favorite sources is in Google Books and the subset "newspaper articles". It's amazing that several physicians published columns regarding enemas, constipation, and other issues. Some took questions and published answers. There was obvious disagreement on all sides of the issue.

One thing is for sure, my mom and grandma followed those who advocated the simplicity of an enema, and the concerns about affecting the entire digestive system. Our family doctors hadn't shied away from prescribing an enema for a variety of issues. Cost was certainly a factor in my family and may well have influenced others. Dr. Spock may have convinced some moms that enemas could have a very negative influence on kids.

I hated my mom and maternal grandma, and enemas may have triggered many of those feelings. The crazy part is that I learned to really enjoy enemas and self-administered from 6 years of age. As an old fart, I've come to understand their reasoning although some other hangups drove me crazy.

Has anyone ever figured out why the transition?

There where multiple reasons. By the beginning of 1950 knowledge was spreading rapidly that enemas were not benign as had been believed. Mom's who had been stay at home suddenly were entering the workforce. Enemas were (are) time bandits, and taking one to two hours to administer an enema took away from family life that suddenly was in short supply. In the clinical setting most patients loathed the enema and still do. Hospital beancounters and insurers were eager to use lower cost methods of laxation. Laxatives were a perfect solution as the hospital cost shifted the expense of the nurses labor of preparing and administering an enema to the patient in the form of bloating and uncomfortable cramping chemicals. Beancounters and Insurers do not care you are uncomfortable for six to twelve hours before the laxative acts long as their costs go down with oral agents. Face it, four bisacodyl tablets cost much less than just the disposable large volume enema bag.

If you find a way to make the cost of an enema less than that of oral agents, look out for a stampede to embrace the enema again. Until then, it will remain a novelty used mostly by denizens like found on this board.

@Victoria1951 your post makes great sense !!

Back then the old fashion red bag with all the attachments was the way to go. Still in this day and age it is the best of the best which gives much better results. Store purchased fleets just don't work as well at the old fashion bag set up. Nothing better than the SSE's!

I think the reality is that the "golden age" in hospitals was in full swing by the 1930s and 40s. From older relatives' accounts in my own family, most patients who checked in the afternoon before a surgery or procedure were given enemas as a matter of routine. And during their stay in the hospital, which was often multiple days, laxatives and enemas were common. The nurses also would give a "going-home" enema if needed. So, if a patient was in the hospital in the medical surgical unit, I imagine in the old days it was hard to escape when a nurse would come into the room rolling a cart with an enamel container and a long rubber tube, asking visitors to please step out for a few minutes. I'm sure everyone knew what was going to happen.

The nurses also would give a "going-home" enema if needed. So, if a patient was in the hospital in the medical surgical unit, I imagine in the old days it was hard to escape when a nurse would come into the room rolling a cart with an enamel container and a long rubber tube, asking visitors to please step out for a few minutes. I'm sure everyone knew what was going to happen.

I remember that happening in the early 1950's, from friends who had this happen - so I'd extend the golden age to the mid-1950's. In fact, might even go as far as the mid-1960's - since my wife at the time was given the standard ubiquitous 2qt enema when she went in to the local large major hospital to give birth. They used a disposable enema bag back then, it held 2qts and the end of the tubing served as a nozzle or rectal tube Nurse left it in her room to be used again for her going-home enema!

I was in the hospital in 1966 for an appendectomy . I was 19 years old. I did not get an enema coming in or going out. One middle aged nurse threatened me with " enemas until clear", but never carried it out. That hospital stay was one week. I have often thought about that middle aged nurse and I should have asked her for a rain check at her home just to see the response.

Here in my neck of the woods, the time frame extended well into the 70's. I can attest to that from personal experiences. There was a transition underway toward the end of the decade, that included Fleets and other disposable types of enemas. I suppose some doctors and hospitals were a bit slower to change.

I think that Vicky V is very close. In 1948 I was in the hospital for 4 days and received 3 big soapy enemas from a can. The day before, the day after, and the night before I went home. The same thing happened when I returned in 1950. Yes, the enemas were on a rolling cart with a towel throwed over them. I must have been on the early list as mine were very hot. After all that, I was hooked and am always looking for an enema nurse! 😎 😉 Allen