Some 50 years ago, when I was in the second grade, about the middle of the morning I had a mild tummy ache. I went and told the teacher and she said: “David, I see Miss Parsley (the school nurse) just coming in. Go to the nurse’s dispensary at once.”

Miss Parsley was 40ish, very tall and with red hair. It was early winter and she had on a big black fur coat. When she heard me behind her, she turned and said: “Why Peter, what can I do for you?” I told her my problem and she put her arm around me and said: “There, there – come with me into the dispensary and we will take care of this immediately.”

We went into her exam room and I felt the soft black fur of her coat brush against me as she took it off. “Now undress completely and get up on my table.” I was frightened by now, but complied.

Miss Parsley said: “Now I am going to examine you.” She palpated my abdomen in several places, asking if it hurt. I said, a little. I looked up just in time to see her slip on a pair of rubber gloves and grease them up with some lubricant.

“Now lay on your left side – this may be a bit unpleasant.” Yee-oww – it was! I jumped down from the table and headed for the door. “Not so fast!” She grabbed me, gave me a good swat on the rear and lifted me on to the table again.

“Now, you lay there or I will get my slipper.” With that, she produced a school plimsol and smacked me a couple of times on the backside. Then she fetched a big basin of soapy water and a rather ominous-looking red rubber bulb with a long black nozzle on it.

“Peter, I am going to have to help you evacuate so the stomach ache will go away.” She sat down in a chair and turned me backwards over her lap, front facing up. she held my legs up with the her left hand and inserted the business end of that thing in my rectum.

All I could feel was a warm sensation filling my bowel – she kept inserting it several times and when I felt full, I begged her to let me down. I ran to the WC. The waste poured out of me as I bent over double, sitting on the toilet.

She was absolutely right – after this ordeal was over, I didn’t have any more tummy ache and as I left the dispensary, she put her arm around me, walked me back to my classroom and gave me a big hug.

“Peter, anytime you feel ill, come to me immediately.”