Locke: Costiveness

Some Thoughts Concerning Education - by John Locke, 1693

§ 23 Costiveness. One thing more there is, which has a great influence upon the health, and that is, going to stool regularly. People that are very loose, have seldom strong thoughts, or strong bodies. But the cure of this, both by diet and medicine, being much more easy than the contrary evil, there needs not much to be said about it. For if it come to threaten, either by its violence or duration, it will soon enough, and sometimes too soon, make a physician be sent for; and if it be moderate or short, it is commonly best to leave it to Nature. On the other side, costiveness has too its ill effects, and is much harder to be dealt with by physic; purging medicines, which seem to give relief, rather increasing them, than removing the evil.

§ 24 It being an indisposition I had a particular reason to enquire into, and not finding the cure of it in books, I set my thoughts on work, believing, that greater changes than that might be made in our bodies, if we took the right course, and proceeded by rational steps.
1. Then I considered, that going to stool, was the effect of certain motions of the body; especially of the peristaltic motion of the guts.
2. I considered, that several motions, that were not perfectly voluntary, might yet, by use and constant application, be brought to be habitual, if by an unintermitted custom they were at certain seasons endeavoured to be constantly produced.
3. I had observed some men, who by taking after supper a pipe of tobacco, never failed of a stool: and began to doubt with myself, whether it were not more custom, than the tobacco, that gave them the benefit of Nature; or at least, if the tobacco did it, it was rather by exciting a vigorous motion in the guts, than by any purging quality; for then it would have had other effects.
Having thus once got the opinion, that it was possible to make it habitual, the next thing was to consider what way and means was the likeliest to obtain it.

§ 25 The reasons that made me choose this time, were:
1. Because the stomach being then empty, if it received any thing grateful to it (for I would never, but in case of necessity, have any one eat but what he likes, and when he has an appetite) it was apt to embrace it close by a strong constriction of its fibres; which constriction, I supposed, might probably be continued on in the guts, and so increase their peristaltic motion, as we see it the Ileus, than an inverted motion, being begun any where below, continues itself all the whole length, and makes even the stomach obey that irregular motion.
2. Because when men eat, they usually relax their thoughts; and the spirits then, free from other employments, are more vigorously distributed into the lower belly, which thereby contribute to the same effect.
3. Because, whenever men have leisure to eat, they have leisure enough also to make so much court to Madam Cloacina, as would be necessary to our present purpose; but else, in the variety of human affairs and accidents, it was impossible to affix it to any hour certain, whereby the custom would be interrupted. Whereas men in wealth seldom failing to eat once a day, though the hour changed, the custom might still be preserved.

§ 26 Upon these grounds, the experiment began to be tried. And I have known none who have been steady in the prosecution of it; and taken care to go constantly to the necessary-house, after their first eating, whenever that happened, whether they found themselves called on or no, and there endeavour to put Nature upon her duty, but in a few months they obtained the desired success, and brought themselves to so regular an habit, that they seldom ever failed of a stool after their first eating, unless it were by their own neglect: for, whether they have any motion or no, if they go to the place, and do their part, they are sure to have Nature very obedient.

§ 27 I would therefore advise, that this course should be taken with a child every day, presently after he has eaten his breakfast. Let him be set upon the stool, as if disburthening were as much in his power, as filling his belly; and let not him or his maid know any thing to the contrary, but that it is so: and if he be forced to endeavour, by being hindered from his play, or eating again 'till he has been effectually at stool, or at least done his utmost, I doubt not but in a little while it will become natural to him. For there is reason to suspect, that children being usually intent on their play, and very heedless of any thing else, often let pass those motions of Nature, when she calls them but gently; and so they, neglecting the seasonable offers, do by degrees bring themselves into an habitual costiveness. That by this method costiveness may be prevented, I do more than guess; having known, by the constant practice of it for some time, a child brought to have a stool regularly, after his breakfast every morning.

§ 28 How far any grown people will think fit to make trial of it, must be left to them; though I cannot but say, that considering the many evils that come from that defect, of a requisite easing of Nature, I scarce know any thing more conducing to the preservation of health, than this is. Once in four and twenty hours, I think is enough; and no body, I guess, will think it too much. And by this means it is to be obtained without physic, which commonly proves very ineffectual in the cure of a settled and habitual costiveness.