Flush toilet

A toilet is a plumbing fixture devised for the disposal of bodily wastes, including urine, feces, methane, semen and vomit. The word toilet can be used to refer to the fixture itself or the room containing it. Image of a commode File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image of a commode File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A plumbing fixture is a device which is part of a system to deliver and drain away water, but which is also configured to enable a particular use. ... Urine is liquid waste excreted by the kidneys and eventually expelled from the body in a process known as urination. ... Rabbit feces are usually 0. ... The simplest hydrocarbon, methane, is a gas with a chemical formula of CH4. ... Semen or ejaculate is the fluid discharged from the penis during ejaculation, usually at the time of orgasm. ... Vomiting (or emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of ones stomach through the mouth. ...

Etymology

The word toilet came to be used in English along with other French fashions (first noted 1681), and originally referred to the whole complex of operations of hairdressing and body care that centered on a dressing table covered to the floor with cloth (toile) and lace, on which stood a dressing glass, which might also be draped in lace: the ensemble was a toilette. Alexander Pope in The Rape of the Lock (1717) described the intricacies of a lady's preparation: The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... Events March 4 - Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. ... Street haircut in Harbin, China. ... Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (May 22, 1688 – May 30, 1744) is considered one of the greatest English poets of the eighteenth century. ... SThe Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic poem written by Alexander Pope, first Npublished in 1712 in two cantos, and then reissued in 1714 in a much-expanded 5-canto Iversion. ... Events January 4 — The Netherlands, Britain & France sign Triple Alliance March 2 — Dancer John Weaver performs in the first ballet in Britain shown in Drury Lane The Loves of Mars and Venus March 31 - Bishop Benjamin Hoadly, acting on the advice of King George begins the Bangorian Controversy by saying...

‘And now, unveil'd, the toilet stands display'd

Each silver vase in mystic order laid.’

Through the 18th century, everywhere in the English-speaking world, a toilet remained a lady's draped dressing-table. The word was adapted as a genteel euphemism for water-closet, perhaps following the French usage cabinet de toilette, much as powder-room may be coyly used today, and this has been linked to the introduction of public toilets, for example on railway trains, which required a plaque on the door. The original usage has became indelicate and largely replaced by dressing-table. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In rail transport, a train consists of a single or several connected rail vehicles that are capable of being moved together along a guideway to transport freight or passengers from one place to another along a planned route. ...

Vestiges of the original meaning continute to be reflected in terms such as toiletries and eau de toilette. This seemingly contradictory terminology has served as the basis for various parodies ranging from Jeff Foxworthy's routine ("If you think that "toilet water" is in fact toilet water, you just might be a redneck!") to Cowsmopolitan magazine ("If it doesn't say 'eau de toilette' on the label, it most likely doesn't come from the famed region of Eau de Toilette en France and might not even come from toilets at all.") In contemporary usage, parody is a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it. ... Jeff Foxworthy doing his stand-up act Jeff Foxworthy, born September 6, 1958 in Atlanta, Georgia, is an American comedian, and actor who is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian. ...

The word toilet itself may be considered an impolite word in the United States, whilst elsewhere the word is used without any embarrassment. In fact, the French often greet each other, "Toilet,..." When referring to the room or the actual piece of equipment, the word toilet is often substituted with other euphemisms (and dysphemisms) such as: Politeness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette. ... A euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase it replaces. ... In language, both dysphemism (from the Greek dys δυς= non and pheme φήμη = speech) and cacophemism (in Greek cacos κακός = bad) are rough opposites of euphemism, meaning the usage of an intentionally harsh word or expression instead of a polite one. ...

The origin of the (chiefly British) term loo is unknown, but a popular theory is that it derives from “Gardy loo!”, a corruption of the French phrase gardez l'eau loosely translated as “watch out for the water!” The phrase served as a warning to passers-by when chamber pots and other waste receptacles were emptied from a window onto the street, as was common practice before cities had sewer systems. A chamber pot is a bowl shaped container that was kept in the bedroom, under a bed and used as a toilet at night. ...

As old euphemisms have become accepted, they have been progressively replaced by newer ones, an example of the euphemism treadmill at work. A euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase it replaces. ...

Types of toilets

French "Squatter" toilet

There are many different types of toilets around the world. There are also many different ways to clean yourself after you are finished using the toilet. A lot depends on national mores and local resources. The most common choice in the Western world is toilet paper, sometimes used in conjunction with the bidet; see toilet paper for a discussion of the many alternatives used through history and in different cultures. Download high resolution version (1295x1109, 118 KB) Taken by me whilst on holiday in France, at a motorway service station somewhere near Toulouse. ... Download high resolution version (1295x1109, 118 KB) Taken by me whilst on holiday in France, at a motorway service station somewhere near Toulouse. ... The term mores (pronounced mor-ayz) as used in Sociology is a plural noun. ... A roll of toilet paper. ... A bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the external genitalia and the anus. ... A roll of toilet paper. ...

Some toilet areas are specially adapted for people with disabilities. These are wide enough to allow the entry by a person in a wheelchair and often feature hand-holds bolted to the wall, enabling the person to maneuver onto the toilet if necessary. The term disability, as it is applied to humans, refers to any condition that impedes the completion of daily tasks using traditional methods. ... Wheelchair seating A wheelchair is a device used for mobility by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible, due to illness or disability. ...

In the West, the most common type of toilet is the flush toilet, although the squat toilet is still somewhat common in public restrooms in France, Greece, Italy and Japan. However, there are many different types of toilets: Flush toilet A flush toilet or water closet is a toilet that disposes of the waste products by using water to sweep them away down a drainpipe. ... French Squatter toilet A squat toilet is a toilet where the user squats. ...

• Squat toilet
• Chemical toilet
• Toilet with built-in bidet
• Urinal
  • Wall-hung urinal
  • Floor-length urinal
  • Gutter type urinal
• Dry toilet
  • Pit toilet: very commonly in camping grounds in the United States. Also known as an outhouse in the U.S.
  • Composting toilet: Very commonly found in camping grounds in Europe, and large climbing parks. Also found in some modern ecologically designed buildings.

In the home, a toilet may or may not be in the same room as a shower, bathtub, and/or wash basin. French Squatter toilet A squat toilet is a toilet where the user squats. ... A chemical toilet is a toilet using chemicals to disinfect the waste instead of simply storing it in a hole, or piping it away to a sewage treatment plant. ... A bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the external genitalia and the anus. ... A urinal is a specialized toilet designed to be used only for urination, not defecation, and almost always by a standing male. ... A pit toilet is a method of collection of human waste, used for composting, controlled decomposition, or waste disposal used most often in areas with no sewer system. ... Camping is an outdoor recreational activity involving the spending of one or more nights in a tent, primitive structure, a travel trailer or recreational vehicle at a campsite with the purpose of getting away from civilization and enjoying nature. ... Outhouse near Crabapple Lake, USA, with chipboard walls, and a fiberglass ceiling The term outhouse, originally referring to any small structure away from a main building, now means, in North American English, a small enclosure around a pit that is used as a toilet. ... Compost is the decomposed remnants of organic materials (those with plant and animal origins). ... Camping is an outdoor recreational activity involving the spending of one or more nights in a tent, primitive structure, a travel trailer or recreational vehicle at a campsite with the purpose of getting away from civilization and enjoying nature. ... An Australian park A park is any of a number of geographic features. ... A shower is any of three things: a brief period or small area of precipitation, usually rain or snow a plumbing fixture for bathing such as a steam shower, or a safety shower for washing off chemicals; also, the act of bathing under such a fixture; public showers may have... For the foundations of the World Trade Center, please see The Bathtub A bathtub is a plumbing fixture used for bathing. ... Many modern sinks are made of stainless steel Older sinks are usually made of porcelain. ...

Public toilets

A portable toilet in the Netherlands.

Public facilities often have many toilets partitioned by stalls, with the washing facilities in a separate area where other people of the same sex are present. The washing area may be common to both sexes. Facilities for men often also have separate urinals, either wall-mounted fixtures designed for a single user, or a constantly-draining basin or trough for collective use. Wall-mounted urinals are sometimes separated by small partitions or other obstructions for privacy, i.e., to keep the user's genitals hidden from public view. Download high resolution version (545x800, 99 KB)A portable toilet in the Netherlands. ... Download high resolution version (545x800, 99 KB)A portable toilet in the Netherlands. ... Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to stop information about themselves from becoming known to people other than those they choose to give the information to. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely: Male: penis (notably the glans penis...

Outdoor public toilets (in the street, around parks, etc.) are a form of street furniture. For mixed sex arrangements, there are cubicles varying from simple devices with little or no plumbing to more luxurious versions that automatically clean themselves after every use. Facilities without walls all around are typically for urination only, and for men only; although passers-by can see the urinating men from the back, they cannot see the genitals. Street furniture refers to objects installed on streets and roads for various purposes, including benches, bollards, post boxes, phone boxes, streetlamps, traffic lights, traffic signs, direction signs, bus stops, Grit bins, tram stops, taxi stands, outside lavatories, fountains and memorials General descriptions A bench is essentially a chair made for... Plumbing, from the Latin for lead (plumbum), is the trade of working with pipes for water, drainage and natural gas. ...

Some facilities are mobile and can thus be put in place where and when needed, e.g., for a weekend at an entertainment venue. Additionally, some can be sunk into the ground (and thereby made inoperational) for the periods that they are less needed. The idea behind this is that some people do not like the sight of a public toilet in the street, and they are more easily hidden than repeatedly moved. This type is typically installed in entertainment areas and made operational during weekend evenings and nights. People tend to be less shy about using it at these times. Shyness is feeling insecure when: being among people talking with people asking somebody a favor The more unfamiliar a situation is, the more likely shyness occurs. ...

A Port-a-john is an outdoor public toilet with walls which can either be connected to the local sewage system or store the waste and be emptied from time to time. Many toilets can be cleaned on the spot, or at a central location in the case of a mobile toilet or urinal. In Europe public toilets are also set up for cities as a compensation for advertising permits. They are part of a street furniture contract between the out-of-home advertising company and the city council. The reason for this combination is the shortage in city budgets. The Port-a-john, also called a Port-o-let, Sani-Privy, Port-a-san, Porta-Potty, or any of a variety of other trade names, is a modern portable self-contained outhouse manufactured of molded plastic in a variety of colors. ... Sewers transport wastewater from buildings to treatment facilities. ... Street furniture refers to objects installed on streets and roads for various purposes, including benches, bollards, post boxes, phone boxes, streetlamps, traffic lights, traffic signs, direction signs, bus stops, Grit bins, tram stops, taxi stands, outside lavatories, fountains and memorials General descriptions A bench is essentially a chair made for...

Pay toilets

Main article: pay toilet A pay toilet is a toilet for which you need to pay in order to use it. ...

Some public toilets may be used free of charge, but others require payment. Payment can be accomplished by :

• putting money on an unattended plate
• putting money in a box with a slot
• putting money in the slot of a turnstile or spring-door
• giving the money to an attendant (who is usually also in charge of the cleaning)

The practice of charging for use of public toilets is the origin of the British euphemism for urination, to spend a penny. Cleanliness is the absence of dirt, including dust, stains and a bad smell. ...

Many train stations and bus terminals have installed pay toilets during the 1950s and 1960s. Most of these have since been removed because of vandalism on the pay lock mechanisms.

The use of pay toilets has been made illegal by some municipalities. In other locations, public restrooms must have one free toilet for every 4 to 5 pay toilets.

Gender and public toilets

Separation by sex is so characteristic of public toilets that pictograms of a man or a woman are used to indicate where the respective toilets are. These pictograms are sometimes (e.g. in California) enclosed within standard geometric forms to reinforce this information, with a circle representing a women's toilet and a triangle representing a men's facility. Pictograms such as those shown at the right (from the D.O.T.) have been criticized for perpetuating gender stereotypes; however, there may be no practical alternatives. Pictograms toilet This work is copyrighted. ... Sex segregation is the separation, or segregation, of people according to sex or gender. ... Pictogram for public toilets A pictogram or pictograph is a symbol which represents an object or a concept by illustration. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... The pictograms or symbol signs used by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) are intended to convey information useful to travelers without resorting to verbal language. ...

Sex-separated public toilets are a source of difficulty for some people, for example, people with children of the opposite sex, or men caring for babies when only the women's washroom has been fitted with a change table.

An erotic version of the above pictogram by Manfred Wolff-Plottegg, 2004 ( details)

Sex-separated public toilets are often difficult to negotiate for transgendered or androgynous people, who are often subject to embarrassment, harassment, or even assault or arrest by others offended by the presence of a person they interpret as being of the other gender (whether due to their outward presentation or their genital status). Transgender people have been arrested for using not only bathrooms that correspond to their gender of identification, but also ones that correspond to the gender they were assigned at birth. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1033 KB)An erotic toilet by Austrian architect and professor at the TU Wien, Manfred Wolff-Plottegg (2004) at the Café Korb, Brandstätte 9, in Viennas first district, Innere Stadt. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1033 KB)An erotic toilet by Austrian architect and professor at the TU Wien, Manfred Wolff-Plottegg (2004) at the Café Korb, Brandstätte 9, in Viennas first district, Innere Stadt. ... Eroticism is an aesthetic focused on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1033 KB)An erotic toilet by Austrian architect and professor at the TU Wien, Manfred Wolff-Plottegg (2004) at the Café Korb, Brandstätte 9, in Viennas first district, Innere Stadt. ... Transgender is generally used as a catch-all umbrella term for a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups centered around the full or partial reversal of gender roles; however, compare other definitions below. ... Androgyny refers to two concepts. ...

Many existing public toilets are gender-neutral. Additionally, some public places (such as facilities targeted to the transgendered or homosexual communities, and a few universities and offices) provide individual washrooms that are not gender-specified, specifically in order to respond to the concerns of gender-variant people; but this remains very rare and often controversial. [1] Various courts have ruled on whether transgendered people have the right to use the washroom of their gender of identification. [2]

A significant number of facilities have additional gender-neutral public toilets for a different reason-- they are marked not for being for females or males, but for handicapped persons, and are adequately equipped to allow those in wheelchairs to use them.

Toilets in private homes are practically never separated by sex.

Toilets in public transport

There are usually toilets in airlines, regional rail trains, and often in long-distance buses and ferries, but not in metros, trams, and other buses. In trains they may have a reservoir, or the urine and feces may simply fall on the tracks, hence the notice which appears in many train toilets: "Please do not flush while the train is standing at a station". A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ... The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on short-distance, regularly-scheduled services. ... This page refers to urban rail mass transit systems. ... A modern tram in the Töölö district of Helsinki, Finland a historic postcard showing electric-powered trolley streetcars in Richmond, Virginia, where Frank J. Sprague successfully demonstrated his new system on the hills in 1888 For modern innovations aimed at increasing the capacity and speed of tramway systems, see... Urine is liquid waste excreted by the kidneys and eventually expelled from the body in a process known as urination. ... Rabbit feces are usually 0. ...

See also: Passenger train human waste disposal

The traditional hole in the floor system, operated by means of a pedal In rail transport, many passenger trains (usually medium and long-distance) have toilet facilities onboard. ...

History

Roman public toilets, Ostia Antica

Toilets appeared early in history. In the year 2500 BCE, the people of Harappa in India had water borne toilets in each house that were linked with drains covered with burnt clay bricks. There were also toilets in ancient Egypt and China. In Roman civilization, toilets were sometimes part of public bath houses where men and women were together in mixed company. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 550 KB)Public toilets, Ostia Antica I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 550 KB)Public toilets, Ostia Antica I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... (Redirected from 25th century BCE) (26th century BC - 25th century BC - 24th century BC - other centuries) (4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC) Events 2900 - 2334 BC -- Mesopotamian wars of the Early Dynastic period 2494 BC -- End of Fourth Dynasty, start of Fifth Dynasty in Egypt. ... Harappa is a city in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, located beside a former course of the Ravi River; about 35km southwest of Sahiwal. ... Rome - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... A bath house is a place where people bathe. ...

The invention of the flush toilet is credited to Sir John Harington in 1596, though it took improvements in the Victorian era (likely spearheaded by Alexander Cummings rather than Thomas Crapper as is commonly stated) for flushing toilets to become widely used. Before and during this transitional period (which extended well into the 20th century in some regions), many people used outdoor outhouses instead, particularly in rural areas. Sir John Harington, 2nd Baron Harington of Exton Sir John Harington (1561 - November 20, 1612) was known as Queen Elizabeth Is saucy Godson. He was born in Kelston, Somerset, England. ... Events February 5 - 26 catholics crucified in Nagasaki, Japan. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, June 20, 1837) gave her name to the historic era. ... Alexander Cummings invented the flush toilet under English patent number 814. ... Thomas Crapper. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Outhouse near Crabapple Lake, USA, with chipboard walls, and a fiberglass ceiling The term outhouse, originally referring to any small structure away from a main building, now means, in North American English, a small enclosure around a pit that is used as a toilet. ...

Bibliography

• Temples of Convenience - And Chambers of Delight by Lucinda Lambton
• Thunder, Flush and Thomas Crapper by Adam Hart-Davis

Early 20th outhouse, preserved at a ghost town in Arizona.

Lady Lucinda Lambton (born 10 May 1943) is a British writer, photographer, television presenter and producer. ... Dr. Adam John Hart-Davis (born July 4, British author, photographer, and UK for presenting the television series Local Heroes and What the Romans Did for Us, the latter spawning several spin-off series involving the Victorians, the Tudors, and the Stuarts. ... Download high resolution version (793x1160, 244 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (793x1160, 244 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Outhouse near Crabapple Lake, USA, with chipboard walls, and a fiberglass ceiling The term outhouse, originally referring to any small structure away from a main building, now means, in North American English, a small enclosure around a pit that is used as a toilet. ... A street corner in the ghost town of Bodie, California. ...

See also

• Washroom architecture
• Bidet, Domestic water system
• Toilet paper
• Hygiene
• Cleaning bathrooms
• Excretion, Urination, Defecation
• Japanese toilet
• Jonathan Routh, for his publications The Good Loo Guide (to London), Guide Porcelaine to the Loos of Paris, and The Better John Guide (to New York).

• New Scientist magazine has had over the years articles on non-smelling, fly-less pit toilets.

• Toilet roll holder

An ultramodern mens washroom, showing a row of sinks embedded into a large marble slab on the right. ... A bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the external genitalia and the anus. ... A domestic water system is a system within a building, generally a house or a business, that provides water, provides ways to use water, and provides means of removing waste water. ... A roll of toilet paper. ... Hygiene is the maintenance of healthful practices. ... A janitors bucket with mop A janitor or caretaker (term used in British English) is a person who takes care of a building, such as a school, office building, block of flats. ... --212. ... Urination, also called micturition, is the process of disposing urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. ... Defecation or feceation (known colloquially as pooping, pooing, or shitting, or euphemistically as a bowel movement) is the act of eliminating solid or semisolid waste material from the digestive tract. ... A twin-nozzled electronic bidet unit built into a toilet seat There are three types of toilets commonly found in Japan. ... Jonathan Routh (born 1927) co-starred in the British version of the television show Candid Camera (1960-67) and co-starred with Germaine Greer and Kenny Everett in Nice Time. ... New Scientist cover - 18 December 2004 New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. ... A toilet roll holder is an item that holds a roll of toilet paper. ...

External links

• Australian National Public Toilet Map
• History of Public Toilets
• http://www.worldtoilet.org - official website of the World Toilet Organisation
• Long outdoor urinal
• Four-sided transportable street urinal
• UK law against sex in a public toilet
• Survey on transgender and gendered washrooms, including discussion of transgendered experience in using public washrooms
• Toilets of the World - photo gallery and other resources.
• All About Toilets - A resource site providing general information about toilets