Today I came across a facinating article in the Pink News on the a range of medical butt plugs that were sold as “miracle cures” of constipation right through to insanity.
As noted in the article:
Writing in a 1893 medical journal, the eponymous Dr Young touted the devices as a cure for insanity, insisting that it could cure 75% of people considered insane “in a few weeks’ time”.
The device grew in its alleged benefits the longer that it was on the market, benefiting from lax regulation on medical devices that permitted its sale as a ‘cure’ for a range of maladies.
However, Big Government eventually put a stop to all the fun with 1938’s Federal Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, which introduced probably-quite-sensible regulation for the first time, consequently clamping down on the sale of magic butt plugs.
Other claims included:
– It was a simple, harmless, convenient, nonhabit-forming, and ideal treatment to bring satisfactory results and permanently overcome constipation and piles by inducing natural and regular bowel movement by reaching and correcting the cause of constipation by strengthening and toning the muscles controlling defecation
– It would improve and strengthen the body, not weaken or injure it; that it would be efficacious in the treatment of piles and troubles caused by faulty elimination
– It would restore the sphincter muscles to a normal condition, relieve congestion of blood and establish a healthy, vigorous circulation
– It would relieve constipation of long standing
– It would bring health and comfort and promote more refreshing sleep, and would be efficacious to aid nature in conditions commonly associated with constipation such as coated tongue, foul breath, bad taste in the mouth, sallow skin, acne, erythema, urticaria, anemia, lassitude, mental hebetude, insomnia, more or less marked degree of anorexia, headache, “spurious” diarrhea, colicky pains caused by enterospasm, neuralgic pains, hemorrhoids, fissure pruritus, occasional prolapse, auto-intoxication, flatulence, indigestion, nervousness, irritability, and cold extremities.
Clearly medicine has come a long way since this day. It’s nice to see that with anal sex now legal in many places of the world there is no need for medical reasons for people being able to enjoy anal exploration…
Ahh the days of yea olde medicine eh!
Yours in good health, Dr George
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