WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -It’s estimated that in a medieval city with a population of 10, 000, people typically produced 900, 000 liters of excrement and nearly three million liters of urine annually. That’s over and above the huge quantities of dung left by horses and livestock and which needed to be shoveled off streets on a daily basis.

Detailed explanation-2: -Public latrines emptied into rivers which became breeding grounds for disease. People used water from rivers to cook and clean. The volume of rubbish meant that it was almost impossible to keep streets clean. Even in towns with bath houses, people did not bathe that often.

Detailed explanation-3: -Most medieval people probably were dirty, and perhaps even smelly, by our standards – however hard you try, it must be nearly impossible to make a cold, muddy river work as well as a power shower and a washing machine. But only a tiny number of medieval people were truly filthy. Even fewer actually wanted to be dirty.

Detailed explanation-4: -The idea that medieval people were continually grubby and had poor hygiene is a myth. Hands and faces were usually washed with water before meals and after. In noble households, ewers of water were often scented with rose petals or other fragrant herbs which were set aside for this express purpose.

Detailed explanation-5: -Many urban industries depended on soaking organic materials such as hides, wool, hemp, and flax in water, but waste water from putrefaction posed a significant threat to streets and waterways. There is even evidence for medieval air pollution from industrial furnaces and the use of sea coal for fuel.