Medieval 'Sanitation' Facts That Will Make You Appreciate Port-a-Potties Even More
There is no way to sugar-coat the fact that most people don't relish the idea of using a port-a-potty. If the party or event planner doesn't wish to have the rental units properly maintained for multi-day events, the units can become relief cubicles intended for only the non-squeamish. For this reason, port-a-potties can get a bad rap, through no fault of their own. When port-a-potties are well maintained, however, they can, actually, feel welcoming!
For most people, port-a-potties might seem really welcoming after one gets a taste of what it was like in Europe, way back, when restrooms and port-a-potties were, yet, to emerge.
Medieval Toilet Facts that Border on 'Unbelievable'
In the days of old ? those days, hundreds and hundreds of years before flushing toilets were invented ? there lived an idea that human waste was nothing to be particularly concerned about since its connection with disease-causing germs was unknown. That fatal lack of insight (along with diseased rats) contributed to the Black Plaque of Europe which wiped out ? some experts say ? up to 50% of the European population in only four years, from 1347 to 1351. Though this was not the end of the devastation, by any means, it proved to be one of the most horrific time periods of the Plague, itself.
When one becomes aware of what sanitation interventions weren't practiced, one quickly discovers how the factors added up to create a 'perfect storm' of human suffering. Take for example:
1. Human Waste Thrown in the Streets
Brigades of unfortunate souls ? mudrackers ? were issued the job of cleaning up human waste that was tossed onto European streets ? can you imagine? Now imagine if port-a-potties had been in use for the populace. It could be believed that the grim disease statistics would have been lower.
Oh, and one more thing: horses and other barnyard animals that traipsed through the city to pull carts and other items weren't ashamed to do their business in the streets, either.
2. Chamber Pots in Homes
Chamber pots were common in Europe during Medieval Times since homes were void of any indoor plumbing. If you had to do your business, you just pulled out the chamber pot, let it fill, cover it, and shove it back under the bed ? again, can you imagine? The stench might have knocked you out, which, probably, would have been a good thing.
Chamber pots would need to be emptied, at some point, and gutters were the go-to locations. Rains would wash away some or most of the waste into a river ? one can only imagine the summertime scent at those locations! One could assume that early Europeans prayed a lot ? for A LOT of rain.
3. Community Cesspit
If you were among the more affluent of Europeans, you were fortunate ? you would have had primitive (very primitive) plumbing in your home. Waste would be deposited into a private or communal cesspit which would have been located underground ? sometimes under a home ? to minimize the stench. The liquid waste would become absorbed by the soil while solid waste would languish for many months. At some point, the solid waste would be removed by 'gong farmers' who had the unenviable task of hand-shoveling the waste into large containers. Where did the waste go from there? It was transported to open fields or put on ships for a sea-worthy dumping. Some of the waste was used as fertilizer.
It is recorded, however, that waste under a home ? which is where some of the cesspits were located ? could be far more than 'knee-deep' and it would take 13 men a full 5 days to empty a cesspit. Fumes were so bad that it was not unusual for a gong farmer to faint and fall into the muck and mire ? sometimes rescued and sometimes, not. A man by the name of Richard the Raker, of Britain, met such a fate in 1326 when his 'restroom' floorboards gave way and down he went into his personal waste pit, beneath.
With all this being said, isn't it nice to know that port-a-potties can be used at any time for any occasion? Though most people take port-a-potties for granted, we have a feeling you just might secretly tell yourself they're pretty awesome, after reading this ? considering the alternative if restrooms did not exist, at all!