An old medical term for an enema or a liquid medicinal injection administered through the rectum.
From Greek 'glychein' (to inject) through Dutch and German medical terminology of the 16th-17th centuries, when this procedure was a standard medical practice.
In medieval and Renaissance medicine, glysters were prescribed for almost everything from fevers to melancholy, and doctors believed 'balancing the humors' this way could cure serious illnesses—thankfully modern medicine moved on.
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