You put that where? A “Supozo” Story

February 2021

Today I ponder the origin of the suppository. I apologize.  I’m not certain where this thought came from.  But come it did.  Pills I get. Tonics, elixirs, injections, even skin patches. But the suppository?  Somewhere, sometime, someone said, “Here, stick this up your butt, it’ll make you feel better.” And somebody believed them. And it worked well enough for someone to do it again. I had to get to the bottom of this. Pun intended. So, I had to do some research.

I have found that the use of these little bits of joy goes back thousands of rears, I mean years. Ok, that is truly adolescent humor.  Butt it’s so fun to joke about this!  Like, you know what they call suppositories in Italian? Innuendos.

Ok, I’ll stop now. In all seriousness the use of the suppository has been around for a long, long time. Projected to have started at the beginning of the paleolithic era of human development It’s almost like suppositories and humans developed in parallel!  It all began with bark or moss and has burgeoned into the high tech of today.

Suppositories are now used to treat hemorrhoids and constipation (obvious), digestive issues and erectile dysfunction (not so obvious) even providing chemotherapy for cancers and relief from schizophrenia (super unexpected!). Truthfully, these little babies are no laughing matter. And their use continues to grow.

The year 1763 seems to have been a hallmark year for these little butt pills. That year showcased the first usage of the word “suppository” in academic literature.  It was written in “The Pharmacopoeia of Lemery.” Which I’m sure was riveting reading. The reference was mainly regarding the use of anal tidbits to treat “bowel bloat” or what soon became the catchphrase of the time, “autointoxication”.  Essentially constipation.

New innovations have continually been introduced from that time on.  The 20th Century pioneered breakthroughs in suppository technology. Taking to where it is today, a major part of the pharmaceutical industry.  Suppositories in the 21st century are designed with one goal in mind; to deliver the highest amount of bioavailable nutrition to the bloodstream as possible, with the most minimal dose. You may ask, “why is this such a big deal?” Let me endeavor to tell you.

When an oral liquid or capsule supplement reaches the stomach, the acids present there will largely destroy the medicine you need in your bloodstream. That is what the digestion process is supposed to do. After going through this very efficient process, less than 10% of the capsule or liquid supplement will be absorbed into the bloodstream. These low numbers are not satisfactory. It takes a lot of extra medicine to give someone the proper dosage.

So, for big Pharma, this is also essentially a cost reduction effort.  Of course, there are practical benefits for individuals whose stomach cannot handle capsules or liquid medications. So, to bypass the stomach is a really good thing. Your anus offers a viable alternative. Who knew?

For decades, these tidbits have been associated with infants or the elderly.  Where the original usage of the suppository began. Constipation is a malady somewhat concentrated in those age groups. Nowadays, they are beneficial across a great deal of the entire population and for many other maladies. Again, who knew? 

Ok, some of this might be quite forgettable.  But, in the end, there is one thing you should remember when you are thinking of suppositories.  That being how the medicine from a suppository gets absorbed into the body.

Assmosis. 

Of course, I had to end with that!