FLUSH WITH HISTORY ATTITUDES TOWARD HYGIENE HAVE WAXED AND WANED OVER THE CENTURIES, BUT THE DELUXE BATHROOM IS NOTHING NEW THIRD Edition

• Published in: The Boston globe
• Main Author: Hakala, Sonja
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, Mass Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC 13.10.2002
• Subjects: Bathrooms; Folklore; History; Plumbing fixtures
• ISSN: 0743-1791

The ancient Greeks believed that baths, particularly cold ones, kept them healthy. In fact, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, prescribed cold baths as a cure for almost every ill. The Greeks could take outdoor showers by standing under the spouts of public fountains or go to the large public baths built next to the local gymnasiums. Just think, every time you luxuriate in soap and hot water, you're actually indulging in an archaeological experience. Our water and waste removal systems originated in what is now Pakistan, our flushable commodes came about courtesy of European inventors, and our showers replicate the bathing fountains used by ancient Greeks. And then there are our commodious bathing vessels, from the simple tub to the cavernous hot tub to the swirling Jacuzzi. It's enough to make any toga-bearing Roman exclaim, "Veni, vidi, lavi." - Thomas Crapper was an Englishman who did not, contrary to myth, invent the flush toilet. That honor belongs to Sir John Harington, who invented a flushing toilet for the amusement of his godmother, Queen Elizabeth I. Crapper was indeed a plumber and an inventor, holding nine patents. When toilets became big business in England, he started a company to manufacture them, stamping each porcelain receptacle with "T. Crapper," a name that amused American soldiers stationed in Britain during World War I. Hence, the association with a slang term for bathroom.