Historians tell us that the practice of Colon Hydrotherapy or, in its most basic form, the enema was first used by the Egyptians The Ebers Papyrus, of the 14th century B.C., and Edwin Smith Papyrus (c 1700 B.C.), both mention enemas and give directions for the use of the enema.
The Essene Gospel of the third century stated, “The uncleanness within is greater than the uncleanness without. And he who cleanses himself without, but within remains unclean, is like a tomb that outward is painted fair, but is within full of all manner of horrible uncleannesses and abominations.”
By the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, with the advent of rubber, the enema or clyster slowly gave way to Colon Hydrotherapy equipment
Dr. Kellogg reported in the 1917 Journal of American Medicine that in the treatment of gastrointestinal disease in over 40,000 cases, he had used surgery in only twenty cases. The rest were helped as a result of cleansing the bowels, diet, and exercise.
Colon Hydrotherapy gained the attention of James A. Wiltsie M.D., who contended that “our knowledge of the normal and abnormal physiology of the colon, and of its pathology and management, has not kept pace with that of many organs and systems of the body.” He went to say, “As long as we will continue to assume that the colon will take care of itself, just that long we will remain in complete ignorance of perhaps the most important source of ill health in the whole body.”