Autoclistère

With the autoclistère, you administer an enema yourself. You fill the tube with a liquid, sit on the pin and pump the contents “inwards”. This loosens constipation, which then flows “outwards”. The enema machine is manufactured in Tournai. A handy feature of this edition is that all the parts can be easily dismantled, stored and taken with you. A new item to add to your “travel list”...

The autoclistère proves the importance of enemas in the 18th century. Constipation and diarrhoea were widespread in higher social circles due to a lack of exercise and an abundance of unhealthy feasts. And constipation can be stubborn. That is why enema syringes gained popularity as the ideal solution.
The liquid in the enema syringe is injected into the intestines via the anus. The stool is loosened and the patient, relieved of their pain, uses the chamber pot. Other ailments are also increasingly treated in this way. For example, diarrhoea, cramps and nausea are combated with an enema of wine or soapy water.
Enema syringes became a real trend. Even King Louis XIV is said to have enjoyed regular colonic irrigation while the public looked on. An example that the elite were only too happy to follow. They also believed that such a treatment would give you younger skin and better health. By the end of the 18th century, customs changed and enemas were no longer performed “in public”. From then on, the preference was for the private use of an autoclistère.
Two fun facts:
In the weekly comic strip Tintin (Kuifje) of Thursday 8 May 1947, “clysopompe” is one of Captain Haddock's swear words in the adventure of Tintin and the Temple of the Sun. However, the word does not appear in the album version. After Tintin author Hergé received a complaint about the use of the word, he removed it from Captain Haddock's vocabulary.
   
A student circle at the Université Libre de Bruxelles owes its name to this curious object: la Société du Grand Clysopompe. But don't ask us what the main activity of this club with a strange name is.