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1600 BCE
Oldest book in Egyptian pharmaceutical papyrus that offers the explanation of disease
The book explains that we poison our bodies by the material released from the decomposing waste in our intestines. -
Louis XV's doctor warned people of disease
The doctor, based off of what was in the Ebers Papyrus, warned people that disease occurred because contamination of stool made the blood "faeculent". -
Period: to
European and American physicians discover the reason for constipation
European and American doctors decide that constipation is a result of changes in diet, little or no exercise, and the urban lifestyle -
Medical consensus made
Those in the medical field agreed that constipation is the foremost disease of civilization -
American health manual warning
The manual warned that it is very important to have a bowel movement at least once a day or else the entire gastrointestinal system will be "corrupted" -
John Lister uses antisepsis
Lister applied Pateur's findings and uses antisepsis in surgery. This only further confirmed the germ-putrefication connection -
Pasteur published his results about germ theory
His studies show that germs cause putrefaction of animal and vegetable material outside of the body -
A better rational for colonic corruption
Bacteriologists found that intestinal flora broke down protein residues that are in the stool into several compounds and when injected into animals they were proven to be very toxic. -
Scientists formulated the theory of autointoxication
Autointoxication is described as self poisoning from one's own retained waste. Therefore, Charles Bouchard (a french physician) concluded that a constipated person is poisoning themselves and is ultimately going to die. Autointoxication became the main answer for all medical complaints. -
Marketers take advantage of constipation fears
Brands like All-Bran are introduced to combat autointoxication. Marketers took advantage of the public's fear of constipation by selling anticonstipation food, drugs, and devices. -
Phelophthalein became the best selling laxative
Phenolphthalein used the campaign that it was keeping innocent children safe from autointoxication. This made it the best selling laxative. -
Period: to
Autointoxication is "the most insidious disease of all"
Autointoxication was basically all diseases. Research shows that it was the answer for about 90% of diseases and medical professionals were spreading word that constipation shortens your lifespan. -
Period: to
Lane cleared out colons
Lane cleared out the colons of thousands of constipated people, claiming it was "the most satisfactory result of surgery known to us at the present time" -
Lane still believes in the horrors of constipation
Despite a lot of the research coming out at this time, Lane still considered constipation the "disease of all diseases" and said it was exclusive to urban, industrial civilization. -
Period: to
Doubt is cast on autointoxication
Many experimental studies made people question if constipation was actually a serious issue and much of the worries of autointoxication from professionals diminished during the 1920's -
"the whiter your bread, the sooner you're dead"
Lane explained that the pre-industrialized people rarely had colon cancer because their diet at the time was filled with whole grain cereal foods -
Period: to
A golden age of purgation
Hundred of bowel cleaners were competing to be the best as the public spend numerous dollars trying to prevent autointoxication. -
Period: to
The most common Western disease
English surgeon, Denis Burkitt had the same opinions as Lane that "constipation is the commonest Western disease" -
Its hard to change the way the tables turn
Despite clinical trials and medical journals that have proven that Burkitt and Lane's conclusions of bran and colon cancer are incorrect, many people will still probably believe in autointoxication based off of the strong hold it has had in history.