We all deal with the toilet on a daily basis, and even more than once a day, but we rarely take time to think about the invention of the toilet, how humans used to relieve themselves before it was invented, how it benefited all mankind such an innovation that we are now taking for granted, and how its absence affects In the poorest country on its population.
From pits and trenches to flowing water
The toilet in its current form, which uses flowing water to get rid of waste, was not invented until the late 15th century, but it was not widely used until more than two centuries later, but before the invention of the toilet in this way, people were getting rid of their waste in all forms primitive.
Ordinary people either took refuge in the desert where there was no one around them who could answer the call of nature, or to allocate buckets and pits next to the house, and these buckets and pits were emptied and cleaned periodically.
In castles and palaces, closed rooms have been allocated to provide privacy for the person while relieving himself. Often this room on the outskirts of the castle contains a hole in which the person sits, and the waste comes out of the hole in the high room to the ground.
But the “bathroom” was a weak point in the castles that the enemy could exploit, so the architects tried to avoid the problem of the extreme room, by building it inside spiral towers that allowed the disposal of waste and at the same time provided a safety factor for the castle.
Protection for women and prevention of diseases
The toilet gradually evolved with the change of time and the development of human thought, but this development was not only in order to provide privacy in its general sense, nor to facilitate trips to meet the repeated call of nature on a daily basis, but in fact it saved the human race from diseases and misery, and moved it to a safer and more stable place, which allowed With the great development that brought us to the present moment, how did the chair that disposes of waste with water flow technology do all that?
As we mentioned before, the task of some was to get rid of the waste and clean its place periodically, this task was to allow the transmission of worms that multiply in human waste, to the humans themselves, transmitting to each other infectious and deadly diseases, and the accumulation of waste in the open for some time in this way, attracts A certain type of flies breed on these droppings, causing blindness to humans when they move from the droppings to come into contact with their skin and eyes.
The toilet gradually evolved with the change of time and the development of human thought (Getty Images)
Even if a person gets rid of his waste in running waters such as rivers and oceans, according to Live Science, this is also not healthy. Countries that cannot provide advanced toilets and sewage networks, certainly do not purify the water before using it, and therefore people end up drinking and eating Food contaminated with their waste they disposed of in the water.
In addition to contaminating the water in this way, it leads to infection with a group of diseases such as cholera, which was a nightmare that hit Sierra Leone and Guinea in 2012, due to the flood of contaminated water that flooded the country and caused an epidemic that infected more than 25,000 people within days.
It is not only about avoiding diseases, but the invention of the modern toilet contributed to providing safety for women around the world. In the past, women were forced to leave the house and go to the toilet to relieve themselves, so they were alone, naked and in a fragile condition, which was putting them at risk.
Also, the provision of latrines in their contemporary form and connected to a sewage network, directly contributes to the high rates of girls’ education, because a major reason for girls’ reluctance to attend school regularly is their inability to relieve themselves adequately, which ultimately leads to their preference - They and their families - dropping out of school instead of groveling or being embarrassed and humiliated in order to meet a normal human need.
The absence of toilets was a major reason for the girls' reluctance to attend school regularly (communication sites)
3 billion people do not have a toilet
According to the “Ratemytoilet” website, more than 3 billion people around the world do not have a toilet, and they have not even seen one before, and to this day they still dispose of their waste as humans used to do centuries ago, and they did not reach them. None of the developments that have become obsolete for us.
The site adds that the countries with the lowest rates of owning toilets are the same as the poorest countries with the highest death rates for children under 5 years old.
The site suggests that institutions fighting poverty in developing countries should build latrines and sewage networks instead of focusing on the permanent and only supply of food and medicine, explaining that establishing a good sanitation network is the first step to break the cycle (poverty/death) that controls these countries.
For all this and more, the United Nations raises the slogan “Appreciate the Toilet” in its campaign to celebrate World Toilet Day on November 19 this year, drawing attention to the millions of people in the poorest countries, and their need to provide modern toilets and sanitation networks, Which has become a basic living factor in this era, stressing at the same time that for every dollar spent in improving sanitation, 5 dollars are saved in the field of medicine and treatment.