"As gastroenterology is the main treatment area at the Zheleznovodsk spa center, it was decided to create such a unique monument, which is both funny and vital," said Alexander Kharchenko, the director of the center.
The 1.5 meter-high bronze sculpture, weighing 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds), portrays "three angel-like children carrying above their heads a big pear-like enema," the center director said.
The initiative to erect the sculpture was proposed by the center's administration, where hundreds of similar procedures are carried out every day. An enema is primarily a medical procedure involving the injection of fluid into the rectum to clear out a patient's bowel.
The monument is a symbol of most health centers around the Caucasus Mineral Waters, a renowned Russian spa resort, providing enemas as part of medical treatment for stomach problems, Kharchenko said.
An incident with an enema in another Russian military health center in Pyatigorsk, in the North Caucasus, late January attracted large-scale public attention. A nurse used a rectal bulb syringe to inject peroxide into the rectums of 80 patients, including Russian officers and their families after mistaking the substance for water.
The incident led to 17 of the patients being hospitalized. Hydrogen peroxide, which can be used to bleach hair, should not be ingested as it could damage the stomach and other organs.
