Did Mussolini use castor oil as an instrument of torture?

Answer 1

Although not a scholar of Italian fascism, I understand that Mussolini'd fascists did indeed use castor oil as a form of torture. George Orwell frequently referred to castor oil when discussing the likely outcome of a victory of fascism. The main point was to cause great discomfort (and presumably humiliation) without killing the victim. Castor oil was commonly used at the time as a cure for constipation, so ingestion of large volumes would cause a very unpleasant dose of diarrhoea.