From a pit in a rock to a toilet with a shower: how the toilets changed

Statistically, there is a high probability that you are reading this article while sitting on the toilet. But that kind of comfort was not always available. Together with a German company, we learned how the toilet rooms changed from the very first to the modern ones, and figured out why we should love toilets.

We have collected more useful tips and interesting stories about toilets.

All people in the world go to the toilet. But for most of the story, we pretended not to. Even when cities were full of excrement, people managed to keep quiet about this topic - until they almost died out from diseases caused by bacteria. But even after the invention of the sewage system, the toilet question remained a taboo. For example, in the 70s sitcom The Brady Bunch, a family goes to a bathroom that does not have a toilet - showing toilets on the screen was considered unethical.

Displaying toilets and toilets on the screen until recently was considered unethical

But in fact, the toilet is the greatest achievement of mankind. In 2007, the readers of the British Medical Journal named sanitary conveniences as the most important invention since 1840. Not antibiotics and vaccines, but toilets and clean water in homes. Although even now, according to the WHO, two billion people do not have sewerage toilets. 673 million are forced to go out into nature, and this pollutes the soil, poisons water and contributes to the spread of parasitic and bacterial infections.

Rose George book "Great Need"

The way a society gets rid of excrement can say a lot about how people in that society relate to each other.

On November 19, the world celebrates Toilet Day - as a reminder of the importance of safe, private and hygienic latrines and our right to them. We've looked at how our washrooms have evolved throughout history, from the first cesspools to modern shower toilets.

Antiquity - pits and toilets in the rocks

Since its inception, humans have tried to stay away from dirt, tainted food, or bodily secretions. This biological instinct is even reflected in religious dogma. For example, the Old Testament contains instructions: to defecate, you need to go outside your home, dig a hole and bury your excrement.

The world's first sit-down toilet appeared about 5 thousand years ago in the settlement of Skara Bray in the territory of modern Scotland. A hole was cut in a large stone, and the waste fell into the grotto below it.

Roman Empire - first public toilets

The ancient Romans, it seems, were not only great conquerors, but also the most open and completely not shy people. For them, the restroom was a place for communication and discussion. Roman public toilets was a long shop with holes. Legends say that the Romans spent long hours here chatting with friends. Some sources say that instead of toilet paper, a sea sponge on a long stick was used - also for public use. Others argue that it was the ancient Roman analogue of the brush.

The public toilets of the ancient Romans were a long shop with holes

The Romans also built one of the world's first sewerage systems - Cloaca Maxima ("Big Cloaca"). She carried away sewage into the Tiber River. There was even a patron goddess of sewage, Cloachina. When the Roman Empire collapsed, all public hygiene practices disappeared. For several centuries after, people used ordinary pots.

The history of the toilet: one of the world's first sewerage systems - Cloaca Maxima

Medieval Europe - pots and plague

In medieval Europe, sanitary conditions were deplorable. Most people have used pots, the contents of which were poured into the nearest river or directly onto the street from the window of the house.

The history of the toilet: the contents of the pots were poured into the nearest river or directly onto the street from the window of the house

A terrible smell reigned in the cities, and bacteria swarming everywhere caused numerous diseases and whole epidemics. But then no one knew about bacteria - people thought that the disease was caused by the stench itself. The beak of the Plague Doctor's mask was filled with fragrant oils and herbs that did not allow a stench to reach the nose and supposedly prevented a person from getting sick.

Private toilets were the privilege of rich and noble people. In large castles, toilets were located in dressing rooms: the smell scared away moths and fleas from the wardrobes with royal clothes. Waste fell into the moat from a special hole in the wall, or the courtiers got rid of them - a specially trained person went to the river to empty the royal pot. By the way, drinking water was taken from the same river.

The history of the toilet: in large castles, toilets were located in dressing rooms

Modern and contemporary - flush toilets

First flush toilet designed by Sir John Harrington in 1596. The device consisted of a mechanical valve and a water tank. The tank overturned with a noise and a crash. The population accepted the invention with a fair amount of skepticism.

The History of the Toilet: Sir John Harrington and His Invention

In 1775, Alexander Cummings perfected the Harrington device. S-shaped pipe with water, which did not allow the smell from the sewer to rise up. Such a system is still used today in plumbing.

The history of the toilet: Alexander Cummings and his invention

The device began to gain popularity, but even after the industrial revolution, people continued to use pots for a while. The population was growing and the metropolitan areas were overflowing with feces. In 1854, a cholera epidemic hit London. Dr. John Snow was the first to associate the disease not with a bad smell, but with bacteria from feces that poison drinking water. Soon after, drinking and sewerage streams were diverted in London, and flush toilets gained acceptance.

The invention of the toilet is widely credited to Thomas Krapper. With a surname like that (crapper), he might be the perfect candidate. But this myth has long been debunked. Krapper's contribution was different: he first opened a showroom with sanitary fittings and began to sell them. This was a real revolution, since earlier in society it was impossible to talk about toilets.

Toilet paper rolls appeared in 1880 - it was invented by Edward Irwin and Clarence Scott. Before that, people used old newspapers, hay, leftover sheep's wool, or even lace.

A little later, another attribute of modern toilets was invented - float valve. He helped to muffle the sound of flushing.

Modern toilets

In the 20th century, the cistern was attached to the ceramic seat itself. To flush, it was enough to touch the button. The mechanical structure of a modern toilet remains the same, but the design is constantly being improved. Toilet bowls are produced in various shapes, colors and sizes, standing on the floor or attached to the wall. The cistern is often installed in the wall itself.

Human needs for hygiene and cleanliness are growing, so modern plumbing is becoming more functional. For example, the German company TECE has developed a bidet function. A turn of the handle brings out the shower, which delivers warm water and allows you to complete the hygiene process in perfect cleanliness and freshness.

The pressure and temperature of the water can be easily adjusted with two knobs located on the right and left sides of the toilet. The device does not need electricity or heating boilers to operate, so it is quick and easy to install. German engineers have designed a rimless toilet bowl to make it as easy to clean as possible. And the seat was equipped with a microlift - a mechanism that allows it to be lowered softly and quietly.