5 vital things we have thanks to toilets

1. Epidemics have receded

Plague, cholera, nome and other diseases that devastated entire cities in the Middle Ages are not afraid of us now. Thanks to John Harrington, who first designed Who invented the flush toilet? a flush toilet, and Alexander Cumming, who perfected Harrington's invention and patented it.

And even before toilets were available, the risk of vision loss due to trachoma was much higher. The carrier of this disease is a fly that feeds only on human feces.

Unfortunately, more than two billion people on Earth still do not have access to toilet facilities. Therefore, in third world countries, the risk of terrible epidemics still exists.

2. Girls gained access to education

With the introduction of toilets in schools, more girls were able to attend classes regularly - they no longer needed to stay at home during their periods. And it became easier for the boys to live: there was no longer the need to go out and leave the lesson for a long time.

3. The street has become a safer place

In the Middle Ages, people relieved themselves in a pot, and then threw urine and feces out of the window: one could easily become a victim of such toilet sediments while walking.

Life without toilet facilities was especially dangerous - and in some parts of the world remains - for women: their absence increases the risk of rape. In countries where toilets are still rare, women use "flying toilets" - bags for urine and feces, which are then stored in the house to escape from rapists. This alternative method leads to the multiplication of dangerous bacteria and viruses.

4. Drinking water has ceased to be a source of disease

The history of the toilet: thanks to them, drinking water is no longer a source of disease

In 1883, Robert Koch proved that the cause of the cholera epidemic was bacteria from feces, which entered the body of people with drinking water. After this discovery, drinking and sewerage streams were diverted and tap water became cleaner.

Unfortunately, this positive effect of the evolution of toilets is not yet available to all people. For example, in India, drinking tap water is dangerous.

5. Personal hygiene has spread almost everywhere

Previously, there were significantly fewer opportunities to keep the body clean. In some countries, people wiped themselves with whatever they had to do and washed themselves once a week, a month, or even less often. To solve the problems of personal hygiene at the beginning of the 18th century, Christophe de Rozies invented the bidet - a mini-bath for intimate places. It made it possible to keep the genitals clean even in conditions of water shortage.

Almost 200 years later, in 1880, Clarence Scott invented the toilet paper roll we still use today. True, this is not an ideal way to clean intimate places: paper - even super soft - is not gentle enough and can damage the skin, leave microcracks, carry harmful bacteria and cause perianal dermatitis.

It is especially easy to keep track of intimate hygiene now. There are wet toilet paper, travel wet wipes, and a toilet with a built-in bidet that allows you to safely keep your private areas clean. This model was developed by the German company TECE.

The shower toilet is controlled by two knobs: the first regulates the temperature of the water (it can be heated up to 38 ° C), the second controls the pressure (maximum 5 liters per minute). The hygienic bidet shower is installed at the back of the toilet rim. Turn the pressure knob and the shower is ready to go. After completing the procedure, the handle must be returned to its original position.

What's next

Scientists are now working hard to ensure that the water used to drain, and the waste itself, serve for something useful. They are looking for ways to convert them into energy, fertilizers, or process them into drinking water. Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are actively investing in the development of such useful toilets: they have already spent more than $ 200 million and are not going to stop there.

Also, inventors are trying to create plumbing that will help monitor health. Models of the future will collect analyzes and report if something is wrong with them and the owner of the toilet should take care of his health.