Can you identify this strange old device? Do you know what it is used for?
See below, read and learn.
It's a Tobacco Smoke Enema Device, circa 1750s to 1810s.
The tobacco enema was used to infuse tobacco smoke into a patient’s rectum for various medical purposes, primarily for the resuscitation of drowning victims, but western medical practitioners also used the device to ward against cold and drowsiness.
A rectal tube was inserted into the anus and then was connected to a fumigator and bellows that forced the smoke into the rectum.
The warmth of the smoke was thought to promote respiration.
There were doubts about the credibility of tobacco enemas; hence, the origin of the popular phrase, “to blow smoke up one’s ass.”
BTW, this device has been reintroduced in Washington D.C. by the Obama Administration. It will be part of the New Health Care Program.
Thought some of you might enjoy this educational moment in American history.