In fact, there was already a relatively efficient urban drainage system in ancient Rome, which to a certain extent allowed the overall health of the city to be well controlled. However, these outstanding urban construction experiences in ancient times did not affect the civilization of Central Europe in the slightest. With the decline of Roman civilization and the destruction of ancient cities, drainage projects in medieval Europe returned to an uncontrolled primitive state, and residents generally did not have sewer pipes and toilets in their homes. How to deal with people's three emergencies? Under normal circumstances, people will quietly find a corner to solve. Goethe once recounted his experience. Once when Goethe stayed at a hotel in Garda, Italy, he asked where it was "convenient" to go, and the people in the hotel calmly told him that it was in the courtyard. People at the time used the alleys behind their homes and nearby ditches as places to dump their filth. The few latrines and cesspools are usually not far from the source of drinking water. Urban rain, sewage and excrement all flow through the simple open-air sewer by the roadside, and the drinking water is highly susceptible to pollution. Europe has had a sewer system since the mid-19th century. Before that, the streets and squares in the city had become real dumping grounds. Citizens dumped feces and garbage from their windows into the streets, which were often filled with feces and stench. A law in Paris in 1270 stipulated: "No one may dump excrement from a balcony window, day or night, or he will be fined". But the citizens of Paris apparently did not like to abide by the decree. Therefore, a century later, there was a new decree: "If you are willing to shout 'Pay attention to the urine' three times, you can dump it." A large number of sheep, pigs and other livestock, as well as cattle and horses pulling carts, excreted recklessly, making the urban environment dirty. Dirty on top. In addition, butchers and butchers slaughtered and disemboweled livestock in the streets.
In the German city of Nuremberg, open sewers run through households and into the river. The way people dealt with excrement at the time was to dump it into rivers, bury it in pits, or ship it out of the city by boat. In those days people valued convenience more than health. When the river can no longer hold so much garbage, people use carts to transport the waste out of the city. The sight at low tide is even more appalling, as the water shortage prevents the filth from drifting away. The feces accumulated in the city of Paris were dumped outside the city walls, reducing a little filth in the city. Unfortunately, as Paris prospered, so did its dunghills. In the end, the dunghill expanded to such an extent that the walls had to be raised for safety reasons, in case enemy troops might attack the city of Paris from the top of the dunghill. England's rivers are used to transport manure, and by the time the manure has accumulated several rivers deep, the river stagnates. Remnants of 11 public toilets and three sewers on a bridge have been collected in London's Fleet River. Not surprisingly, the river stopped flowing and the Fleet River became Fleet Street. And toilets on London Bridge dump 2,000 tonnes of manure into the Thames every year. The resurgence of the epidemic has prompted many European officials to urge people to use cesspits instead of rivers to dispose of their waste. Sadly, such advice is often dismissed. The Paris police issued orders in 1522, 1525 and 1539 requiring citizens to install and use gutters and public toilets. Because there is no urgent need, the citizens of Paris still dump rubbish on the streets of the city, making Paris a "smelly city".
The constant reference to fecal matter in 16th- and 17th-century literature is a joking way of illustrating the awkward situation that the courtiers of the time had no place for convenience. That being the case, people defecate everywhere on fireplaces, behind doors, walls and balconies. Every stone of the corridor in the palace and the grand welcoming steps are full of urine and urination. In 1578, Henry III couldn't take it anymore and ordered the palace to be scrubbed before getting up. In 1606, Henry IV ordered the prohibition of all uncivilized behavior when he lived in the palace of Saint-Germain, but on the day the ban was issued, the little crown prince was caught urinating on the wall of his room. In order to solve the problem of urination and defecation everywhere in Versailles, Louvre and Fontainebleau, Louis XIV had only one solution, and that was to move house in turn. Move houses once a month, and when people spoil one place, clean up the other. In the anti-German movement of the 19th century, people always accused the Germans of being uncivilized. In fact, this was not the case at all. Princess Palatine's horror when she found out that the French court was so filthy was justified. In her letter to the Electors of Hanover, she wrote that the people of Fontainebleau "spit shit everywhere and everywhere in the streets".
Cities are filthy, and people's hygiene is regressing from the Renaissance. The emergence of the concept of taboos in the human body and the emergence of diseases such as syphilis and plague are the reasons for this situation. Physicians in the 16th century believed that water weakened the function of organs and exposed the body to harmful air, which could spread various diseases if it seeped into the pores. There was even a rumor at the time that a layer of dirt could ward off disease. Therefore, personal hygiene can only be done by "dry cleaning", that is, wipe the body with a dry towel.
A 17th-century article advised children to clean their faces and eyes with a white cloth. Because washing with water damages eyesight, causes dental disease and colds, makes one's face pale, and is more sensitive to the heat and cold of the weather, according to a survey by Frenchman Georges Vigarello, the upper classes in Europe also reject water in terms of personal hygiene . During the reign of Louis XIV, the most clean lady took only two baths a year. And Louis XIV himself had to bathe cautiously under the guidance of a doctor.
The splendor of public bathing in the era of public baths inherited from ancient Rome no longer exists, and the dirty body is seen as closer to God. Saint Abraham did not wash his face or feet for 50 years. St. Simon allowed the worms to burrow over his festering wounds and never washed them, St. Eufracia entered a convent with more than 130 nuns who never bathed, and in medieval monasteries the monks were only allowed to wash for 2 years a year. For the second bath, there are only 3 towels in total in the famous Crane Abbey. The rules of the abbey of St. Benoit stipulate that even if the patient's condition requires bathing, the examination procedures are very strict, especially for strong and "young" monks. Not bathing became a symbol of holiness. People will not hesitate to canonize those who are brave enough not to bathe as saints, Henry IV's mother did not bathe in her entire life and was canonized as Saint Agnes.
In addition, don't think that Romeo Juliet eats with a knife and fork as politely as in the movie. In fact, the use of forks as tableware is a thing after the mid-18th century. Before, the knife was used to cut food with the claws. For eating, the use of separate utensils, plates and cups also began in the mid-to-late 18th century. People used the same utensil when drinking soup, and everyone used a wine glass to drink. Before the 13th century, Europeans used all their fingers when eating. When eating with fingers, there are certain rules: Romans use the number of fingers to distinguish their identity, commoners have five fingers, educated nobles only use three fingers, and the ring and little fingers cannot touch food . This meal rule continued into the 16th century and was still practiced by Europeans.
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