"Blowing smoke up someone's ass" is a phrase used to describe a disingenuous compliment meant to boost the person's ego or to flatter them. But who knew that this phrase meant to describe flattery was practised literally, back in the late 1700s as a medical procedure. A process, known as "Tobacco Smoke Enema" literally involved blowing smoke up the ass and we shit you not! Doctors would legit blow "medicated" tobacco smoke up people's rectums as a mainstream medical procedure. While it was known to fight ailments, the procedure could even cause DEATH if done incorrectly! Let's know more about tobacco smoke enema.

What is Tobacco Smoke Enema?

The medical procedure of blowing tobacco smoke up the anus was used to revive victims of drowning accidents. Tobacco smoke enemas were given in the 18th century by physicians and were considered as a rational approach to bring drowning victims back to consciousness. The method was introduced to the New World by Sir Walter Raleigh (1552–1618).

The main idea behind the method of reviving the "dead" was to use warmth and stimulation, as per the journal Lancet. Injecting tobacco smoke into the rectum was considered a more powerful method for revival as compared to other methods of stimulation like rubbing the skin. This insufflation of tobacco smoke into the rectum, i.e. as an enema, was majorly used by North Americans to stimulate respiration. The tobacco resuscitation kits included a pair of bellows and a tube was provided by the Royal Humane Society of London and placed at various points along the Thames.

Why Was Tobacco Used?

Unlike today, tobacco was earlier recognised as a medicine when it was imported first from the new world by the Europeans. Medical practitioners used tobacco smoke to heal various ailments.  The western medics specifically used it as a tool against cold and drowsiness. However, around the 19th century, it was discovered that the main active agent in tobacco is the nicotine that is poisonous. Soon the practice saw a decline. Before that, tobacco enemas were very commonly used to treat ailments such as colds, headaches, hernias, typhoid fever, cholera, etc. It was apparently considered the "cure" for everything.

Tobacco Smoke Enema Used as Defibrillators

In the 1700s, doctors blew smoke up people's rectums to treat various ailments as it was considered to have health benefits. Not only that, but tobacco smoke enema was also a mainstream medical procedure used to resuscitate people who were considered dead. Especially used for the victims of drowning, the procedure was so common that the equipment was placed around major waterways for easy access to save the victims. The treatment was also rampant in those days because people used the waterways to travel quite frequently.

Check Out The Medical Enema Device Used For Blowing Smoke Up The Arse (Watch Video):

In the early days, tobacco held a place in the pharmacopoeia for its warming and stimulating properties. It was used by medical practitioners to aid various health ailments right from cold to lethargy. However, now tobacco is banned in many places owing to the health hazards they pose. Chewing tobacco has been proven to cause cancer and is advised against. Right from causing lung cancer to kidney cancer and cancer of the larynx and head, oesophagus and neck, tobacco is also linked with bladder, pancreatic and stomach cancer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 05, 2019 01:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).