Gavage

The term gavage, which is how I eat some of my food, has an odd and interesting history. Apparently, it is a term used by the French mostly to describe the practice of force feeding geese, so that they turn into a foie gras. From the Oxford English Dictionary comes this reference:

1963 L. DURRELL in Holiday Jan. 70/1 In goose country, where the practice of force-feeding geese (gavage) is in operation, there are always a goodly number of casualties.

Here is a funny web site making light of this practice.

The earliest reference to gavage as a way of feeding preemies like me comes from the good Doctor Turnier of Paris. Here's the reference:

1889 Buck's Handbk. Med. Sci. VIII. 102/2 Dr. Turnier, of Paris, has advocated the method of gavage in infants prematurely born.

I hope they don't still use Buck's Handbook of Medical Science in caring for me even now!