The Porcelain God: A Social History of the Toilet
- ISBN-10
- 1559723467
- ISBN-13
- 9781559723466
- Category
- History (General)
- Pages
- 216
- Language
- English
- Published
- 1996
- Publisher
- Carol Publishing Group
- Author
- Julie L. Horan
Description
Elvis died on one, and Charles V, ruler of Germany and Spain, was born on one. Although we use them every day, most of us know very little about toilets. This unique history contends that civilization began not with the written word, but with the toilet. Through advertisements, diaries, museum catalogs, and anecdotes, The Porcelain God explores the history of the toilet and the customs and manners that surround it. The result is a fascinating study of both ancient and contemporary cultures. The earliest toilets, found in the Indus Valley in the third millennium B.C., evolved over five thousand years into the high-tech twentieth-century toilets of the Japanese. In the past, disposing of human waste consisted of collecting the offense in a pot and throwing the contents out the window. It was said in medieval times that London Bridge was built "for wise men to go over and fools to go under". London Bridge originally contained public latrines serving the thirty-eight houses built on it. The waste from the latrines dropped directly into the Thames River ... and onto anyone passing along the path under the bridge. Related topics include unique hygiene habits around the world, the evolution of toilet paper, space toilets, euphemistic sayings, and more.
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