Britain in the 1940s
This story is based around real events: the names have been changed
This is Britain in the late 1940's, recovering from war. The National Health Service has just been started and rationing is still very much in place. The people in this story live in a Victorian terraced house with an outside toilet and no bathroom.
Tom's mother had noticed that her three children, Tom, Jane and Mary seemed to be always scratching their bottoms. She had her suspicions and so asked Tom to not flush the water closet next time he did his 'number twos'. Tom did as she had asked and went to tell his mother that he had done so. She went out of the kitchen door to the water closet at the end of their yard and looked into the lavatory pan. As she suspected, little tiny white threads could be seen in Tom's stools. She sighed and went back inside to tell the children that they must be very, very careful to wash their hands before eating. Going outside again, she called to her neighbour to look after her children for a while whilst she went to the end of the road to phone the doctor.
There were still gaps in the rows of houses where the German bombs had fallen. Most of the rubble had been cleared away, but the gaps in the rows of houses looked like missing teeth. She reached the red phone box at the end of the road, inserted her four pennies and dialled the number for the doctor. When the receptionist answered, she pressed 'Button A' and heard the sound as the pennies fell into the cash box in the phone and she was connected. The problem was explained to the receptionist who checked her name and address, as well as that of her children. Having confirmed that she would keep Tom off school the next day for the district nurse to visit.
The next morning, she heated a copper full of water for the children to wash in, telling them to do a thorough strip wash as they would be having a visitor that morning and that they weren't going to school.. The copper was round with a copper central container like an inverted dome surrounded by a galvanised cylinder supported on three cast iron legs. The copper was heated by a gas ring under the copper dome and there was a tap which drained the water from the copper. She was very proud that her husband had been able to afford to buy her one. She was the only one in their street with the means to heat water at home other than in saucepans or a kettle. She had heard that the new council houses being built to replace those homes destroyed by bombing had hot water at the kitchen sink as well as a proper bathroom upstairs and an inside water closet. What luxury!
She had sent her husband off to work with his 'snap', or packed lunch after a proper breakfast of bacon, egg and a little piece of sausage which she'd saved for him. She told him that she'd cook herself some breakfast later, but never told him that she went without so that he could be sent off to work with a proper meal inside him.
There was a knock at the front door, so she went to see who it was. As she opened the door, the district nurse was leaning her bike against the front window of the house. It was like the grocer's boy's bike with a large front carrier set over a small front wheel. She was a young nurse in the dark blue district nurse uniform with white stiffly starched apron, short sleeves and white lacy cuffs around the hem of the sleeves. She wore a hat with her hair done in a bun to keep it out of her face and out of the way.
“Hello, Mrs. Davis. I'm Nurse Martin,” came her greeting as she lifted a very large brown paper parcel from the carrier on the front of her bike. “May I come in?” she asked, politely.
“Of course, Nurse, and I'm so sorry we've had to trouble you.”
“Not at all, Mrs. Davis. That's what I'm for.”
They went in the front door, Nurse first and Mrs. Davis closed the door behind her. “You've got three children, I understand?”
“That's right. Tom is the oldest and just started school last year. He's nearly six now. Jane is three and Mary is two.”
“You must have your hands full when they're all home!” said Nurse Martin. “Now, I understand that you're sure Tom has thread worms, so it's sure as eggs are eggs that the other two will have them as well. Have you any symptoms, Mrs. Davis?”
“No, both my husband and I are fine.”
“Good, that's two fewer to treat. If one child has an infestation, the others always get treated anyway, just in case. If you'd show me upstairs, I'll start with Tom.”
Mrs. Davis took Nurse into Tom's bedroom. Mr. & Mrs. Davis slept in the front bedroom with the girls in the middle bedroom. Tom had the little bedroom over the kitchen at the back of the house. Nurse put her large parcel down on the chair at the side of the bed, then she turned back the covers. “Oh good, you've got a rubber sheet on the mattress, but I've brought a small mackintosh sheet as well just in case you hadn't and it'll protect your sheets anyway. Does Tom still wet the bed?”
“No, nurse, he's dry at night and has been so for some time, but we've kept the rubber sheet on 'just in case'. It won't do any harm.”
“Would you remove the blanket and the top sheet please, Mrs. Davis? If you don't mind, I'll treat all of your children here.”
Mrs. Davis removed the blankets and top sheet from the bed and folded them neatly and put them out of the way. Nurse untied the string from her parcel and folded back the brown paper to expose the contents. She lifted a pile of nappies off the top of the pile and put them on the chest of drawers next to the chair. “I checked on the ages of your children before I came and I've brought you some larger nappies for Tom. I guess you've got enough nappies for the girls, have you?”
Mrs. Davis agreed that she had, and also confirmed, after Nurse asked, that she had enough rubbers in the right size for the girls. Next came three pairs of amber coloured natural rubber pants for Tom and mittens for each of the children, as well as three peculiar garments with ties and made of canvas. “You can put those on the children at night with the mittens. They can't then pull off their nappies when they're in bed and can't scratch either.”
Next came a white enamelled enema can with long red rubber tubing ending a black vulcanised rubber tap and nozzle. This was followed by a jar of Vaseline, a pair of rubber gloves, a rubber apron, a jug, a large box of salt, thermometer in a wooden box, a packet of enema soap and a box of nappy pins with some strange black rubber objects. At the bottom of the parcel was a white enamel bedpan with a blue turned rim.
“We can lift the girls onto their potty from the bed, if you wouldn't mind helping me,” Nurse asked, “But I think Tom is sufficiently old enough to be aware of his dignity and would prefer me to deal with him on my own. Is that all right with you?” Mrs. Davis was only too happy to oblige. In those days the medical profession was held in high regard by all: doctors were accorded the status of saints and nurses the role of angels.
“Would you please fill the jug with warm water and call Tom for me? I'll start with him. He's old enough to start to be worried about what's going on and if I deal with him first, he can go into the yard and play whilst we do the girls. Could you also bring up a bowl of warm water and a towel so that I can wash my gloves as necessary”
Tom's mother came up the stairs with the jug of warm water which Nurse had requested. Nurse had put a small piece of mackintosh on the chest of drawers so that she wouldn't cause water marks from her equipment. She checked the tap on the enema nozzle was shut, then filled the enema can with warm water. She tipped a good quantity of the enema soap into the can and stirred it round with the thermometer until all the soap had dissolved, leaving a white foam on the top of the can. Nurse handed Mrs. Davis back the jug. “Would you refill that, please, as I'll be giving Tom a very soapy enema first, then a clean water wash out with the salt enema to kill the thread worms last of all. Oh yes, and could you ask Tom to come up to see me? Thank you.”
In a short while, Tom came upstairs followed by his mother with the refilled jug of warm water. “Thank you, Mrs. Davis,” Nurse said. “I'm sure Tom and I will be fine now.”
Tom stood there, struck dumb by his shyness at being with this stranger in his bedroom. Nurse pulled on her green rubber apron to protect her uniform and then a pair of the rubber gloves. “Now then, Tom. You've got some nasty little worms living inside you and we need to get rid of them. They sneak out at night to lay their eggs and they cause your bottom to be itchy. Would you like me to get rid of them for you?”
“Yes please, Nurse,” said Tom politely.
“Right then, Tom. I'm going to put some soapy water into your bottom. It won't be very comfortable and will make you want to go, but it won't hurt and you're a big boy, aren't you, Tom?” Tom agreed, thinking to himself that he probably didn't have much choice. “After I've washed you out with the soapy water, Tom, I'll rinse you with clean warm water, then I'm going to put some warm salt water into your bottom. That will kill the worms, but you must hold it for as long as possible, so I'll put a little plug in your bottom to help you to keep the salt water in. O.K.?” Tom nodded, none too sure that he liked the sound of all this.
“Would you take your trousers and underpants off, please, Tom. Would you then lie down on your bed, facing the wall, with your knees drawn up to your chest for me?”
Tom took his trousers and underwear off, folding them carefully and hanging them on the back of the chair. He noticed the nappies and rubber pants on the chest of drawers, hoping that they weren't for him as he was far too grown up to wear nappies any more. Tom blushed as he stood half naked in front of the nurse, and then laid down as she had instructed him. “That's a good boy!” Nurse opened the pot of Vaseline and took a gob of it on the tip of her right index finger. “I'm just going to examine you, Tom, with my finger. It'll feel a bit strange, but don't worry.”
With that, and being the sort of nurse she was, she gently inserted her finger through his anal sphincter, not rushing by pushing hard and hurting the boy, but carefully so that he wouldn't be put off by the experience. Anyway, common sense dictated that she didn't want to upset Tom. After all, she'd be back tomorrow and the next day to do it again and she didn't want an upset and frightened little boy fighting her every inch of the way. Gradually she worked her finger in and lubricated his back passage. “Thank you, Tom, you did very well. That wasn't too bad, was it?”
Tom mumbled some sort of embarrassed reply. He was just at the age when he was beginning to become aware of his body. He didn't like Mum to see him undressed, although, if you'd asked him, he couldn't have explained why.
“I'm going to put a nozzle into your bottom now, Tom, then I'll start to run the water in. You'll feel the water going in, but I've made sure that it's at the right temperature. If you feel any cramping, please let me know, and I'll stop the water until the cramps have gone. All right?” She wiped some Vaseline on the tip of the nozzle, then washed the petroleum jelly off the rubber gloves before the gloves were harmed. After all, rubber gloves were expensive and had to be looked after. The enema can was standing on the chest of drawers slightly higher than Tom. She'd previously got all of the air out of the tube as she wanted him to take all of it without the cramping caused by air bubbles. She might have only just started on the district, but her nurse training had been thorough and she was determined to be a good district nurse.
Very gently, she inserted the nozzle into Tom's bottom. He didn't even twitch when she did this as she'd done a good job of dilating him slightly and provided enough lubrication so that the nozzle slipped in easily. She'd chosen a small bulbulous one at the doctor's that morning when she'd been preparing the parcel. She thought that it was about the right size for Tom and she'd got smaller ones for the girls in her cardboard box. The shape would help him to 'clamp down' on the nozzle without it sliding out too easily. She opened the tap and then, holding the nozzle in place with one gloved hand, reached out to pick up the enema can with her other. She slowly raised the can a little and asked, “Can you feel it going into you, Tom?”
“Yes Miss,” he replied, forgetting to give Nurse her proper title in his embarrassment at the procedure.
She raised it a little higher so that it flowed in a little faster. Tom said that he felt a cramp, so she lowered the enema can slightly to reduce the flow. Tom told her that it felt better now, so she continued until the whole can had gone in. She was surprised that she'd got so much into him. “You're a good, brave boy, Tom, you've done really well!” Tom could hear the genuine tone in her voice, so he was pleased with himself, although he wasn't quite sure what it was that he'd done right.
Nurse put the can back on the chest of drawers and turned off the tap. She continued to hold the nozzle in Tom's bottom, telling him that he must be a good boy and hold it for a few minutes. “Please Nurse, I have to go potty now!” he said to her.
She smiled inwardly at the babyish reference to the 'potty'. She suspected that he wouldn't normally have said that. “All right, Tom. Just a little longer. I'm holding the nozzle in place. Try to squeeze tightly with your muscles in your bottom to grip the nozzle.”
Tom laid there for a couple of minutes more, but then he started squirming a little as she knew that he'd held it long enough. She picked up the bedpan from the floor and placed it beside Tom. “In a moment I'll take out the nozzle, then I'd like you to sit up on this bedpan which I've got here beside you. You can use this instead of a potty or the water closet. I'm pulling the nozzle out now. Try to hold it until you're on the bedpan.” She pulled the nozzle out and helped Tom to sit up on the bedpan.
“Please Nurse, can I do this on my own?” Tom asked plaintively.
“I'm sorry, Tom. You might feel a little faint as this is your first enema, so I'd better sit on the bed and hold you.” Nurse sat on the bed behind Tom, holding him to her as he did become rather floppy at one point.
“Please Nurse, I feel a little faint,” Tom admitted.
“It's all right. I've got a firm hold of you.” Tom emptied himself into the bedpan.
“All done?” asked the Nurse.
“Yes, thank you,” came Tom's reply. He'd never felt so empty! The soapy enema made him feel sore inside so he didn't mind when Nurse said to him,
“I'm going to wash the soap out with warm water. Will you be all right by yourself if I go and empty this now?” Tom agreed that he would be all right if left on his own. The nurse took both the bedpan and the jug downstairs, only to come back a few minutes later with a cleaned and rinsed bedpan as well as another jug of warm water which she poured into the enema can. “I'm going to wash out with just warm water this time, Tom. O.K?” Nurse held the nozzle over the bedpan and opened the tap until all of the air had been expelled. She gently pushed Tom onto his side and, deciding that there was still enough Vaseline on the nozzle, gently inserted it into Tom's bottom. She opened the tap and slowly ran in the warm water. This time, Tom didn't complain of any cramping and Nurse was pleased to note that Tom had taken rather more this time. She removed the nozzle and allowed Tom to expel the water immediately into the bedpan. Again she took it away to empty it and to collect more warm water.
This time she added salt into the water in the enema can and stirred, continuing to add the salt until no more would dissolve. Again she gently inserted the nozzle and ran the salt water into Tom. Once all of the salt had been put into Tom's colon, she gently removed the nozzle. “Clench your buttocks tightly together for me, please Tom. You need to hold this.” She looked at her selection of anal plugs and chose one which, from her digital examination of Tom's anal sphincter, would be a tight fit to hold the enema in until it had done its job of killing most of the worms. Two more repeat treatments the next day and the day after would ensure all the worms had been killed.
Nurse applied Vaseline to the tip of the plug and said to Tom, “I'm going to put something into your bottom to help you to hold the salt water, Tom. It will feel a little uncomfortable, so take a deep breath in whilst I put it in you.” Tom took a deep breath as she pushed the plug into him. The breath turned into a cry as she stretched his sphincter and the broad part of the plug had passed. There was a narrow section behind the broad part to prevent the plug slipping out accidentally and a flat pad to rest against the outside of his bottom.
“That's a good boy, Tom. Now I'll help you to get dressed again. Just roll onto your back for me.”
Tom did so whilst the Nurse turned away to pick up two of the oversize nappies she had brought with her. She folded them carefully and then said to Tom, “Raise your bottom for me.”
Tom dug his heels into the bed and raised himself on his heels and shoulders. She slipped the nappy under him and Tom, realising what she was doing, cried out, “I'm not a baby! “Hush, Tom, “ she said, “I know you're not a baby, but you'll find the plug uncomfortable and the nappies will stop it coming out, with or without your assistance.” With that, she pulled the nappies between Tom's legs as firmly as possible and then pinned them in place.
Picking up the child sized 'baby rubbers' (a traditional English name for rubber pants) she pulled them up over the nappies and made sure that the terry towelling was tucked inside the rubber pants all around the leg and waist openings. Tom was encouraged to get up and put his clothes back on. “When you need to 'go', Tom, you'll need to use your nappy whilst I'm treating you and your sisters. Tell your mother when you're very wet and she'll change them for you. I'll need to do the same tomorrow and the next day, then I'll see you once more and you should be clear of these troublesome worms. Go and tell your mother to bring one of your sisters.”
Tom obediently went downstairs and did as he was told. He could feel the plug in his bottom and decided that nurse was right: it wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't painful either. It felt strange to be back in nappies, especially as they were so tight. Surreptitiously he put his hand down inside his trousers and felt the smooth amber rubber pants. He had a glass of water and, as his mother told him, he went out to play with Mary whilst nurse was dealing with Jane.
Later, when Jane had been exchanged for Mary and they were playing ball together, he needed to 'spend a penny' urgently (In those days, British public toilets had a 'coin in the slot' on the door which took a 'real' penny hence the expression) and remembered what Nurse had said. He wouldn't get into trouble for wetting his pants as he had been put in a nappy, and by Nurse too. It felt strange at first to start to wet himself, but he soon managed to overcome the parental 'don't wet your pants' inhibition. As the warmth spread out into the nappy and between his legs, he decided that it wasn't so bad to be back in nappies for a few days after all.
That night, he went to bed in clean dry nappies and, to his surprise, woke up the next morning to find he'd wet himself during his sleep. He'd not done that for some time now. His mother had been very proud of him when he had been dry at night for some time. His mother didn't comment on this when she changed him and helped him wash before nurse came, putting him back in dry nappies and telling him to keep them dry until Nurse came.
Nurse came and removed both nappies and plug, allowing Tom to relieve himself into the bedpan which she had left with the family whilst the treatment was being continued. The next two days went as the first.
On the next day after the enemas had finished, she put Tom back in his nappies.
“I don't need these now,” he said.
“I'm afraid you do, “Nurse said to him. “There's one final part of the treatment to finish this off.” She reached for a glass containing milk and something else. She stirred the glass thoroughly and removed the spoon. “I'll hold your nose whilst you drink this down quickly for me.”
Tom did as he was told, - he was, after all, an obedient boy as his Dad's belt had encouraged him to be. After he had drunk it all down, he shuddered at the foul taste and the oiliness in his mouth. Nurse gave him a peppermint sweet to take away the taste a real treat as sweets were still very scarce.
“What was that?” Tom asked, with loathing in his voice.
“That was a large dose of castor oil, Tom. You'll need to go to the toilet very urgently later today and you might not get there in time which is why your nappies. The castor oil is a strong purgative and I've given it to you to remove any dead worms still inside you. Off you go and ask your Mother to bring Jane up here.”
Later that morning, whilst Tom was playing with the girls whilst mother did a boil of the nappies, he felt his bowels knotting inside him and he couldn't help 'going' into his nappy. He saw why Nurse had said he might need them as his bowels went into violent contractions to empty out the purgative and the rest of his bowel contents.
During the rest of the morning, this happened several more times until Tom realised that he felt quite empty. He stayed in the nappy until after lunch when mother took each child to wash and change them, starting with the girls first. She then did another boil of all the nappies, hanging them on the line on what was, fortunately, a good drying day.
Tom was in his nappies again that night and they were wet in the morning. Tom's mother was rather vexed. “Tom, I've got enough with washing nappies for the girls without having to start again all over with you. Could you try to be dry at night for your mother,. Please?”
Tom hung his head and said that he was sorry. Mother saw his distress and hugged him. “Do your best for me, love. I'm not cross, but all the washing does get a bit much sometimes.” With that, she ruffled his hair and made sure that he was washed thoroughly before he dressed, went down to breakfast and then off to school.
Tom was dry that night and the next night, so mother took him out of the nappies. Nurse was due to call back a week later to see how they all were and to collect the large nappies and rubbers she'd brought for Tom. Tom seemed 'out of sorts' in the couple of days up to the Nurse's return visit and, on the day Nurse came to call, she kept Tom off school as he was so lethargic. He'd admitted to mother that he was very constipated so mother had given him milk of magnesia to see if that would help. It hadn't, so mother decided she'd ask Nurse's advice before giving him anything stronger.
Nurse knocked on the door and was admitted by mother. “Hallo, Tom, why aren't you at school today?” Nurse asked.
“He's not well, Nurse. I wonder if I might have a word?” Tom's mother explained his problem and asked Nurse's advice.
“I'll have a look at him, while I'm here,” she said. She went out to her bicycle and brought in some equipment. “Come with me, Tom, and I'll have a look at you.” She took him upstairs to Tom's bedroom and spread a rubber drawsheet on the bed. “Take all your clothes off for me and I'll examine you. Lie on your back for me, please, Tom.” Tom did as he was bidden and she gently examined his abdomen. “You feel quite full, Tom. When did you last go properly?”
“Four days ago, Nurse.”
“Right then, Tom, roll on your side with your knees up as you did for me before and I'll have a gentle feel inside you.” She got a rubber finger cot from her kit and smeared a little Vaseline on it. She gently inserted her finger into Tom's bottom and felt the hard, compacted stool in his rectum. “I'll just have a word with your mother and be back in a minute or two. Stay as you are, Tom.”
“He's very constipated so I don't think a straight purgative would help as it would hurt him with all the hard lumps of stool. I've got all my kit with me, so I'll give him a soapy enema to soften the hard stool to wash it out and I'll come back at the end of my shift and give him some castor oil. You'll need to have him in nappies overnight, I'm afraid, and this may set him back a little over being dry at night. I'll leave the nappies and rubbers with you until he's back to his normal self.”
Nurse collected some more equipment and went upstairs. She put her rubber apron on after she'd put the bedpan on the bed. She'd put warm soapy water into the bedpan ready for Tom's enema. “Shall we do this one differently, Tom?”
“if you want, Nurse,” he replied. Nurse took out a Higginson syringe and greased the nozzle with Vaseline. She sat on the bed with her legs apart with her back leaning against the bedroom wall, and put the bedpan between her legs.
“Sit with your legs apart over my legs with your back to me.” Tom did so, shivering as his back came into contact with her cold rubber apron. “I've got a special syringe for enemas which I normally use on adults, but you're a big boy, Tom, and I'm sure it will be fine.” She lowered the tail of the syringe into the soapy water and squeezed several times until all the air was out of the syringe. With one arm supporting Tom against her, she inserted the short hard rubber nozzle into Tom's bottom. “Hold the ail of the syringe under the water for me, Tom.”
He did so and she continued to hold the syringe nozzle firmly in his bottom whilst she slowly pumped the soapy water into him. She could see his abdomen distending as she filled him with the soapy water. Eventually she decided that she'd give him enough and withdrew the nozzle. “Tom, tell me when you need to go, will you?” She cuddled him to her until Tom said that he had to 'go'. She continued to hold him, but sat up more whilst Tom emptied himself into the bedpan. He was grateful for the support as he felt faint from the effort of expelling all that stool. She wiped him and helped him to dress after he'd finished. “I'll see you tonight,” she said to him mysteriously, leaving nappies and a pair of rubbers on his bedside cabinet.
Later that day, Nurse called back and went upstairs with Tom. She helped him off with his clothes, putting the nappies and rubbers on him, pulling them firmly between his legs. She then helped him into his pyjama top, leaving off the bottoms, and then put a rubber drawsheet and cotton drawsheet on the bed “just in case you have a leak overnight.” She then prepared a good large dose of castor oil and gave it to him, again with the peppermint afterwards. “Now go to sleep, like a good boy. If you wake in the night, you'll allowed to use your nappy. I've spoke to your mother and she won't be cross. Good night, Tom,” as she planted a motherly kiss on the top of his head and tucked him in.
During the night, Tom awoke with the stomach churning discomfort which he'd had when Nurse had given him his previous dose of castor oil. He let it all go, feeling it spread around inside his nappy because Nurse had mischievously put them on so tight. When he'd finished, he put one hand between his legs, feeling the smooth rubber there, his thumb in his mouth and went to sleep feeling very happy and contented.
Nurse had to come back quite often because Tom became constipated and his mother had to buy larger nappies and pants for him as he had 'accidents' at night from time to time, so she kept him in nappies 'just in case.'
Tom still wears nappies at night as an adult and loves having enemas. Hardly a surprise, is it ?
