A normal clyster syringe (in front) and the nozzle for a syringe designed for self-administration (in the back). The latter avoided the need for a second party to attend an embarrassing procedure.

Clyster is an old-fashioned word for enema, more particularly for enemas administered using a clyster syringe — that is, a syringe with a rectal nozzle and a plunger. Clyster syringes were used from the modern era to the 19th century, when they were largely replaced by enema bulb syringes, bocks and bags. Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 931 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 931 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... This 2qt (about 2 liters) enema bag, or fountain syringe, equipped with a rectal nozzle, is to be filled with water or a solution, then suspended near the patient using the hook. ... A syringe consists of a plunger fitted to a tube, called the barrel, which has a small opening on one end. ...

The patient was placed in an appropriate position (kneeling, with the buttocks raised, or lying on the side); some servant or apothecary would then insert the nozzle into the anus and depress the plunger, resulting in the liquid remedy (generally, water, but also some preparations) being injected into the colon. A historical re-enactor protraying a 19th century apothecary in Old Salem, North Carolina. ... Male Human Anatomy This article is about the bodily orifice. ... Grays Fig. ...

Because of the embarrassment a woman might feel when showing her buttocks (and possibly her genitals, depending on the position) to a male apothecary, some contraptions were invented that blocked all from the apothecary's view except for the anal area. Another invention was syringes equipped with a special bent nozzle, which enabled self-administration, thereby eliminating the embarrassment.

Clysters were administered for symptoms of constipation — and with more questionable effectiveness, stomach aches and other illnesses.

a clyster syringe

found this old print File links The following pages link to this file: Clyster Categories: Author died more than 100 years ago public domain images ...

17th and 18th century craze

Clysters were a very favorite medical treatment in the bourgeoisie and nobility of the Western world up to the 19th century. As medical knowledge was fairly limited in those days, purgative clysters were used for a wide variety of ailments, the foremost of which were stomach aches and constipation. Bourgeoisie (RP [], GA []) in modern use refers to the wealthy or propertied social class in a capitalist society. ... The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the Windows of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A disease is any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected or those in contact with the person. ... Stomach ache is a non-medical term used to describe various forms of nausea or abdominal pain. ... Constipation or Irregularity, is a condition of the digestive system where a person (or other animal) experiences hard feces that are difficult to eliminate; it may be extremely painful, and in severe cases (fecal impaction) lead to symptoms of bowel obstruction. ...

Molière, in several of his plays, introduces characters of incompetent physicians and apothecaries fond of prescribing this remedy, also discussed by Argan, the hypochondriac patient of Le Malade Imaginaire. More generally, clysters were a theme in the burlesque comedies of that time. Molière, engraved frontispiece to his Works. ... Physician examining a child A physician is a person who practices medicine. ... A historical re-enactor protraying a 19th century apothecary in Old Salem, North Carolina. ... Hypochondria (sometimes hypochondriasis) is the unfounded belief that one is suffering from a serious illness. ... Le Malade imaginaire (roughly The Hypochondriac) is a play and the last work by Molière. ... Burlesque was originally a form of art that mocked by imitation, referring to everything from comic sketches to dance routines and usually lampooning the social attitudes of the upper classes. ...

In the 18th century, Coffee clysters were taken by some people who wanted the effects of caffeine but disliked the taste of coffee. Tobacco smoke clysters were administered to fainting women, hence the term "to blow smoke up her ass". (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Coffee in beverage form. ... Flash point N/A RTECS number EV6475000 Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references Caffeine (sometimes called mateine when found in mate, and theine when found in tea) is a xanthine alkaloid found in the... Species N. glauca N. longiflora N. rustica N. sylvestris N. tabacum Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005 Tobacco (, L.) refers to a genus of broad-leafed plants of the nightshade family indigenous to North and South America, or to the dried and cured leaves of such plants. ... Fainting or syncope is a sudden (and generally momentary) loss of consciousness due to a lack of sufficient blood and oxygen reaching the brain. ...

According to Saint-Simon, clysters were so popular at the court of King Louis XIV of France that the duchess of Burgundy had her servant give her a clyster in front of the King (her modesty being preserved by an adequate posture) before going to the comedy. Saint-Simon can refer to various people: Claude de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon (1607–1693), French courtier Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon (1675–1755), French soldier, diplomatist and writer of memoirs Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon (1760–1825), the founder of French socialism Simon... Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715), reigned as King of France and of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death at the age of 77. ... Coat of arms of the 2nd duchy of Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy Burgundy (French: Bourgogne) is a historic region of France, inhabited in turn by Pre-Indo-European people, Celts (Gauls), Romans (Gallo-Romans), and various Germanic peoples, most importantly the Burgundians and the Franks. ... Modesty describes a set of culturally or religiously determined values that relate to the presentation of the self to others. ... Comedy is the use of humor in the form of theater, where it simply referred to a play with a happy ending, in contrast to a tragedy. ...