The Toilet’s Evolution

Mar 18, 2021 | Individual Research (UG), Research | 0 comments

The Toilet’s Evolution

Camille Brandt

Toilets are one of the main fixtures that is located within a bathroom, however, it has not always been a common practice to include a toilet in a home. This research focuses on how the bathroom has been transformed after many years of innovation and what drove it to the point it is at today. The fixture itself was the main point of research, and showed how the fixture evolved based on current needs and how it was evolved throughout the 1800’s. In my primary research, Clean and Decent: The Fascinating History of the Bathroom and Water Closet By Lawrence Wright, it goes into depth on how the toilet evolved from a hole in a wall to an indoor fixture that allowed users to remove waste from their home without having the inconvenience of leaving their home entirely. Highlighting the major innovations such as indoor plumbing, but also the specific designs of toilets that lead to major innovations that lead us to a toilet that one in this century may recognize.

Cesspools of London

Phase 1 of research, During this phase understanding how waste was removed allowed for insite on the challenges that was associated with disposing of waste during a period where indoor plumming was rare.

Evolution of Toilets in the 1800’s

Phase 2 of research, The Evolution of Toilets allowed users create and environment that was beneficial to both the rich and the poor. This explains how toilets were evolved with multiple factors in mind such as cost and overall efficiency.

How Long Do I Have to Hold it?

Reflection Blog Post.

Covid has had many effects over the last year, however, many of us did not think of how it would effect us when it came to using public restrooms.

England From Medieval to 18th Century

Medieval London started like most societies with little technology for sewer systems. This leads to many unique and interesting ways to alleviate waste in day to day life. Many of these ways included Latrines that were over flowing water, cesspools and many other ways. These allowed for waste to be taken away and avoid odor, however accessibility was limited for the lower class. While nobility created latrines for many floors, others were left without. This created public latrines more popular and many buildings were left without latrines readily accessible. Soon nobility would have access to garderobes these would typically be on the wall of castles. Through technology we see the use of pipes and how they gradually allow privies to be more flexible.

Bibliography

Angus, Ian. Cesspols, Sewage, and Social Murder: Environmental Crisis and Metabolic Rift in Nineteenth-Century London.

Geels, Frank W. The Hygenic Transition from Cesspools to Sewer Systems (1840-1930): The Dynamics of Regime Transformation

Amenabar, Teddy. “Regarding Using a Public Bathroom in the Middle of a Pandemic.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Oct. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/10/15/coronavirus-public-restroom/.

Calechman, Steve. “How Risky Is Using a Public Bathroom during the Pandemic?” Harvard Health Blog, 24 Aug. 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-risky-is-using-a-public-bathroom-during-the-pandemic-2020071420556.

Kearnan, Scott. “Oh, Crap: In COVID-Era Boston, Free Bathrooms Are Hard to Find.” Boston Magazine, Boston Magazine, 21 Jan. 2021, www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2021/01/21/covid-no-public-bathrooms/.

Wright, Lawrence. Clean and Decent: the Fascinating History of the Bathroom and Water Closet.The Viking press. New York.

Angus, Ian. Cesspols, Sewage, and Social Murder: Environmental Crisis and Metabolic Rift in Nineteenth-Century London.

Image Source

Calechman, Steve. “How Risky Is Using a Public Bathroom during the Pandemic?” Harvard Health Blog, 24 Aug. 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-risky-is-using-a-public-bathroom-during-the-pandemic-2020071420556.

Credit: Harpic

Credit: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Unearthing the Health of Victorian London. Unearthing the health of Victorian London | Wellcome Library

Jane Austen’s World: 1931 image of Woman dumping waste water down the sewer.

Evolution of Toilets in the 1800’s

Mar 16, 2021 | Research | 0 comments

Evolution of Toilets in the 1800’s

The bathroom fixtures have had many forms as well as uses throughout its early development. From the early idea of a faucet to the toilet itself, it has had many social and functional tasks associated with it. Through the 1800’s, the toilet evolved in order to function in an open air sewer system, but in addition function for the needs of all individuals. During this time period, large cities were faced with disease, odor, and lack of waste management. During the evolution from holes into walls, innovators of the 1800’s were able to create fixtures and solve problems such as noise, water usage and user error. These all came down to the fixtures design including the shape of the bowl, water usage as well as informing the user of its proper use. However, before the 1850’s, indoor plumbing was typically unavailable to those who were not nobility or of the wealthy class. These earlier fixtures allows one to look at the life of someone without the luxury of indoor plumbing and waste management.

The original sink was actually one of the few fixtures that existed outside of the bathroom and allowed users to use it for hand washing as well as hair and body washing without completely submerging into a tub full of water. Traditionally, washing of the hands would be done during the morning(Wright, Pg. 39), or before a meal (Wright, Pg. 34). This was based on who was present, however, the fixture itself was a pitcher that was used as a reservoir, and was paired with a basin, many times during a meal water was poured over the users hands into a small bowl (Wright, Pg. 35). As time would go on, users would start to see more built in basins that would have a removable reservoir (Pg. 38). This allowed users to warm the entire reservoir of water above a fire and place it above the basin to be used, and would take the water that was used away from the user. This feature was shown in the early 1500’s, and allowed us to see how it would have been used during that time. Some of the more portable wash-stands, allowed users to use the water for multiple uses such as soap and toilet water (Wright, Pg. 39). However, water was used very little compared to today’s toilets that use an average of up to 7 gallons of water per flush on low eco-friendly models, and as low as 1.6 gallons of water on eco friendly models. (Water Footprint Calculator).

Figure 1

Garderrobes

Figure 2

Garderobes at South Well Palace. Configuration of Garderobes.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Toilets have made many advancements since the invention of earlier models. One of the main models used many names including ‘hiding holes’, ‘priest’s holes’, ‘private chapels’, or most commonly known as garderobes. Many of these types of early toilets were built between two walls with a seat laid over it with an open shaft directly below, Shown in Figure 1(Wright, 48). While the shafts differed, they could be stacked side by side or even in a radial pattern dispersed evenly around a column, shown in figure.2 (Wright, Pg. 47).These configurations would drop directly into a moat (Wright, pg. 48), however, if a moat or a direct water source was not available, waste could be disposed of in a cesspool.
Cesspools were in common usage during the early 1800’s, and this was due to the lack of a sewage system. These caused many problems within large cities such as London. As one could assume, nobility and the rich had direct access to these and could afford to pay to have waste removed, or they could have an additional cesspool be built in order to manage the waste of their home. During the 1840’s, Queen Victoria’s Castle included more than 53 cesspools that were mismanaged (Angus, Pg 35-36). This was a continual issue, and led to many issues including disease and damage to homes. It was common for home owners to connect these cesspools to public rainwater sewers in order to dispose of this waste and limit damage to their homes (Angus, Pg. 33). In 1847 outbreak of a typhus epidemic it brought attention to the dangerous conditions large cities create without having a proper sewer system, and it wasn’t until 1850’s that laws would be discussed and implemented requiring water closets and running water be mandatory in homes (Angus, Pg. 50). During that time, we saw major innovations and solutions to these new indoor fixtures.
During the 1870’s, about twenty years after water closets and indoor plumbing were made mandatory, we saw innovations in these fixtures. During this time, there were two main types of Hopper closets, one was long which consisted of an oblong cylinder with water flowing in a spiral direction to flush fluids, however this proved to be inefficient due to the lack of momentum it created due to the long cylinder (Wright, Pg. 201). The Short hopper, with its same shape but lower cylinder and was ideal for budget type projects such as prisons or mass scale projects (Wright, Pg. 202). In addition to these, there were also the Washout Closet, the Valve Closet, and The Washdown Closet. Many of these had significant defects such as inefficiency due to lack of water from evaporation or failed flushing due to user error (Wright, Pg. 202). Shown in Figure 3.In addition to the fixture itself, it was typically incased with a chair, or wooden frame shown in figure 4. However in 1885, Twyford created a pedestal fixture that allowed for that casing to be removed and allowed for proper examination of the fixture itself (Wright, Pg. 205). This also allowed for the fixture to be decorated on the exterior shown in figure 5.

Bibliography

Wright, Lawrence. Clean and Decent: the Fascinating History of the Bathroom and Water Closet.The Viking press. New York.

Angus, Ian. Cesspols, Sewage, and Social Murder: Environmental Crisis and Metabolic Rift in Nineteenth-Century London.

Evolution of Toilets in the 1800’s

Written by cbrandt

In

In the early 1800’s, London’s population was at an all time high with little to no sewage system. An average person defecated and urinated about four ounces of feces a day (Angus, Pg.35), and as one could imagine this caused many problems for the City of London. During this time there were a few sewers that were made mostly of ditches but allowed for rainwater to be caught in it as well. If you were of nobility or the wealthy, one could have a private cesspool. This had many contributing factors that went with it. One could pay to have the waste removed, or they could simply have other cesspools be built. “In the 1840s, Queen Victoria’s principal residence, Windsor Castle, had fifty-three overflowing cesspools inits cellars, and sanitary conditions under Buckingham Palace were so bad that the government suppressed the inspector’s report” (Angus, Pg. 35-36). Unfortunately this was not the case for people that could not afford such luxuries. Many tendons shared one cesspool, and many were never emptied. This caused many issues such as seeping through the cesspool walls and leaking into the surrounding soil as well as even affecting the walls of the homes themselves (Angus, Pg.36). This lead to the question of what are the effects of such living conditions and how is that to shape the future of waste removal.

Continue Reading: 8min Read

How long do I Have to Hold it?- Public Restrooms During the a Pandemic Era

Mar 8, 2021 | Research | 0 comments

Starting early in the year 2020, the novel Coronavirus 19 caused a widespread fear of the unknown. For many people they have had limited connection with the outside world and limit their exposure to others, However, there are specific times in which one finds themselves in a bind when they need access to a public restroom. Scott Kearnan wrote about his experience in which he struggled to find a restroom during his long daily adventures away from the comfort of his own home and restroom. This was a small inconvenience for himself and how he himself may have to purchase something in order to use the facilities, but he brings up a point about essential workers, specifically delivery drivers, that work independently and may not have the option to go home before their next delivery (Kearnan). This leads to the question of is it necessary to cut off use of public restrooms to the public and if not what are the risks associated with using a public restroom.

Harpic_CloseTheLid_Bathroom3_Small1-750x563-1-475x357

Many factors are taken into consideration when thinking about potential risks to the users of public restrooms. Some of these factors include lack of ventilation, stall separation and many more (Calechman). When it comes down to this indoor activity vs others, one of the main factors is air and how a flush can cause a spray when the toilet is flushed. During the early months of the pandemic, scientists showed that a toilet may spread droplets up to three feet (Amenabar). This caused an uprising concern, however, according to Teddy Amenbar, “research suggests that the coronavirus is far less likely to be transmittable person to person after traveling through the human body, and specifically the colon” (Amenabar). With this information, one can assume that person to person contact would be far more concerning than using a public restroom if it is regularly cleaned, and the conditions a public restroom would need to be, to be considered safe vs unsafe.

When it comes to protecting yourself from others, whether it be indoor activities, such as shopping or using a public restroom, safety measures are the same. Emily Sickber-Bennett states that preventive measures include wearing a mask as well as washing your hands and avoiding others and avoiding contact with respiratory droplets, which is how the virus is mainly spread helps reduce the risk in these small spaces (Amenabar). In addition, John Ross includes avoiding touching high traffic areas and using a foot, elbow or paper towels when possible to flush, or open doors and to avoid touching your face while doing these activities in order to reduce exposure (Calechman). These tips can help users understand the risk of using a small space with little ventilation as safely and effectively as possible during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bibliography

Amenabar, Teddy. “Regarding Using a Public Bathroom in the Middle of a Pandemic.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Oct. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/10/15/coronavirus-public-restroom/.

Calechman, Steve. “How Risky Is Using a Public Bathroom during the Pandemic?” Harvard Health Blog, 24 Aug. 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-risky-is-using-a-public-bathroom-during-the-pandemic-2020071420556.

Kearnan, Scott. “Oh, Crap: In COVID-Era Boston, Free Bathrooms Are Hard to Find.” Boston Magazine, Boston Magazine, 21 Jan. 2021, www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2021/01/21/covid-no-public-bathrooms/.

Image Source

Calechman, Steve. “How Risky Is Using a Public Bathroom during the Pandemic?” Harvard Health Blog, 24 Aug. 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-risky-is-using-a-public-bathroom-during-the-pandemic-2020071420556.

Credit: Harpic

Credit: Johns Hopkins Medicine

England from Medieval to 18th Century

Feb 1, 2021 | mediaeval, Research | 0 comments

Reasearch Summery

Medieval London started like most societies with little technology for sewer systems. This leads to many unique and interesting ways to alleviate waste in day to day life. Many of these ways included Latrines that were over flowing water, cesspools and many other ways. These allowed for waste to be taken away and avoid odor, however accessibility was limited for the lower class. While nobility created latrines for many floors, others were left without. This created public latrines more popular and many buildings were left without latrines readily accessible. Soon nobility would have access to garderobes these would typically be on the wall of castles. Through technology we see the use of pipes and how they gradually allow privies to be more flexible.

England from Medieval to 18th Century

Latrines in Medieval London

In medieval London, prior to the advent of closed sewer systems and indoor flush toilets, latrines became a creative addition to castles, palaces, and the public sphere. With what would be considered now as no technology to flush waste, flowing water became an integral part to latrines. Latrines focused on accessibility and odor control, first among the private households of nobility, then into the public streets of London. Waste in medieval London was dealt with in a variety of manners including latrines and privies attached to systems of flowing water or cesspools, embedded in walls, near chimneys for warmth, attached to cisterns of rainwater.

England from Medieval to 18th Century

Latrines and Cesspools of Mediaeval London

Latrines and Cesspools had many fundamental issues associated with it. Some of these issues included senses such as sight and smell. In addition to sight and smell, Latrines and cesspools also discussed class and how played a major role in day to day use. In sight of this nobility had access to multiple in one building whereas lower class citizens may be limited to one per complex. While later Latrines became more accessible, the cost of building and maintaining them added an extra level of complexity to allow for these to be accessible to those who may have a lower income.

England from Medieval to 18th Century

Latrines and Cesspools of Mediaeval London

People stopped using sewage system for about a thousand years after Roman culture, and the monastery in England resurrected in extremely organized compounds with rational arrangement and techniques in 1167. And these sewage system highly influenced the whole sanitation system all around the England, no matter the privies or the public latrines. Sabine introduced the development and history of two types of toilets that were widely used in Medieval London. For nobles and kings, they built privies called garderobes in their castle. Through the development of pipe systems and technology, the position and environment of the garderobes became better and more flexible. The other type, the public latrines, were widely for common citizens. This kind of toilet was spread for building a better sanitation system, but finally was banned because of the river pollution.

Cesspools of London

Feb 1, 2021 | mediaeval, Research | 3 comments

The History of Cesspools

L0009845 Lodging House in Field Lane.Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Imagesimages@wellcome.ac.ukhttp://wellcomeimages.orgLodging House in Field Lane.Sanitary ramblingsHector GavinPublished: 1848Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In the early 1800’s, London’s population was at an all time high with little to no sewage system. An average person defecated and urinated about four ounces of feces a day (Angus, Pg.35), and as one could imagine this caused many problems for the City of London. During this time there were a few sewers that were made mostly of ditches but allowed for rainwater to be caught in it as well. If you were of nobility or the wealthy, one could have a private cesspool. This had many contributing factors that went with it. One could pay to have the waste removed, or they could simply have other cesspools be built. “In the 1840s, Queen Victoria’s principal residence, Windsor Castle, had fifty-three overflowing cesspools inits cellars, and sanitary conditions under Buckingham Palace were so bad that the government suppressed the inspector’s report” (Angus, Pg. 35-36). Unfortunately this was not the case for people that could not afford such luxuries. Many tendons shared one cesspool, and many were never emptied. This caused many issues such as seeping through the cesspool walls and leaking into the surrounding soil as well as even affecting the walls of the homes themselves (Angus, Pg.36). This lead to the question of what are the effects of such living conditions and how is that to shape the future of waste removal.

Removal of Waste

The usage of waste was quite fascinating, “as towns grew, so did urban- rural manure trade” (Angus, pg. 32). This was how many people created sources of income, they would clean out cesspools for a fee, and then later trade to nearby farmers. However, as cities began to grow, such as Cities like London with a million or more people at the time, many farmers could not take on the large amounts of waste that the city was producing.(Angus, Pg. 33). As water became more mainstream, there was a tendency to overflow cesspools which would cause “…many homeowners and builders to connect household drains to public sewers that were supposed to carry only rainwater.” (Angus, PG. 36) or many would dispose of such waste into the street gutters (Geels, Pg.1073). In addition to public cesspools, “Middle and upper class families had in-house privies, where excrements fell down a tube into privy vaults. Cesspools and privy vaults were cleaned by private contractors” (Geels, Pg. 1073). It wasn’t until 1851 when public health hygiene and social order was addressed. This could be majorly contributed to the fact of the epidemics of cholera that struck in the 1830’s (Geels, Pg 1073). It wasn’t until 1842, when Chadwick proposed a plan to streamline manure to farmers with a sewer system that would allow for London to charge for the manure while having it be transported by this new system (Angus, Pg. 41).

Sanitation of Cesspools

Due to the lack of sanitation that cesspools and lack of a sewer system, many people living in poverty were likely to fall ill more frequently. In 1842, Edwin Chadwick wrote a report The Sanitary Condition of the Laboring Population, this highlighted the conditions in which poorer neighborhoods as well as health conditions they may face as well. (Angus, Pg. 39). Chadwick research led him to believe that the illness was not caused by physical contact, but “illness was caused by miasma, the foul air emitted by rotting organic matter” (Angus, Pg. 40). He proposed the following solutions, every dwelling has a water closet and is able to revive freshwater and take waste away from the city itself (Angus, Pg. 41). However, this proposal was passed on and in 1847, 30,000 people were killed due to a typhus epidemic. It wasn’t until the 1850’s weather water closets and houses with running water were in homes (Angus, Pg. 50).

Bibliography

Angus, Ian. Cesspols, Sewage, and Social Murder: Environmental Crisis and Metabolic Rift in Nineteenth-Century London.

Geels, Frank W. The Hygenic Transition from Cesspools to Sewer Systems (1840-1930): The Dynamics of Regime Transformation

Image Source

Unearthing the Health of Victorian London. Unearthing the health of Victorian London | Wellcome Library

Jane Austen’s World: 1931 image of Woman dumping waste water down the sewer.