Smoke enemas were used in human therapy as late as 1865 not only for curing
obstructions of the bowel, but also for killing parasitic worms and for
treating certain kinds of hernia.  These treatments came with serious risks
that were magnified at high doses and cases of fatalities have been
reported.  Stille (1860), p. 406; Wood and Bache (1865), p. 822.  Full
references available on request.
Allen 


> [Original Message]
> From: Martin C. Perdue <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 7/27/2009 3:49:20 PM
> Subject: Re: medical kit?
>
> My guess would be that the bottles contained one or more varieties of
tobacco and (logically, if one can assume such in this case), a lubricant.
>
> A quick perusal of "smoke enema" hits in google books indicates that the
practice persisted into the late 19th century, and perhaps later, in human
and animal medicine.  (There is an illustration of smoke enema device for
horses in an 1860s veterinary manual.)  At that time physicians were aware
of the poisonous qualities of nicotine, but they believed that in small
doses it could relieve impacted bowels (via the smoke enema).  Perhaps they
were on to something as I seem to recall, in an episode of "House," the
doctor prescribing one cigarette per day to alleviate the symptoms of
Crohn's (sp?) disease or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  Of course I'm mixing
fact and fiction, but I'm fairly sure there was a factual basis (as well as
medical consultants) behind the T.V. show.
>
> I find it interesting that the device and the practice lingered for so
long, as if to say "Well, it doesn't save people from drowning, but it must
ge good for something."  In other words, there was strong believe in the
practice that outweighed the medical evidence.  
>
> Marty Perdue
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Allen Vegotsky 
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:17:37 +0000 (UTC)
> Subject: Re: medical kit?
>
> Bob,
> Very interesting image and discussion.  Is there any chance that the glass
> vessels are paper-labeled?  That would help.  Another question-  Are the
> vessels pontilled or free blown?  Incidentally, while the vessels appear
to
> contain powders, it should not be assumed that the chemicals or substances
> were used as powders.  Doctors in the 18th and 19th century often prepared
> their own solutions.
> Allen
>
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: Bob Skiles 
> > To: 
> > Date: 7/26/2009 1:33:27 PM
> > Subject: medical kit?
> >
> > Dear Listers,
> >
> > I am wondering if any subscriber may recognize what this specialized kit
> of (medical ?) instruments was used for (see image at):
> >
> > http://skiles.net/medical_kit.jpg
> >
> > The kit is believed to have come from the estate of a medical doctor
(who
> served several terms as a member of Congress in the early 1800s); it is
> suspected to have had a very specialized medical purpose, as none of the
> modern medical doctors I've shown it to could identify it.
> >
> > ~ Bob Skiles