Wipe It Good:The History of Toilet Paper

With all of the Covid-19 coverage there has been a flurry of stories related to the cultural and linguistic changes resulting from this viral pandemic, as well as some related historical facts.  Rather than fall behind on the trend I have decided to follow it and compose another post related to these strange days.  This one will take a historical peak into a topic on many people's minds: toilet paper. This blog post will explore the history behind this highly sought after commodity, providing you insights into how over time took care of their bum business.

As you might have already guessed the need to wipe one's behind after defecating has been a necessity for millennia (a result of our closed buttocks due to the adaptation to bipedal locomotion), but toilet paper as it is known today was not what was initially used.  Archaeological evidence demonstrates that a variety of natural objects were used prior to the invention of paper, and these included using shells, sticks, leaves, rocks, pottery shards, corn cobs, and water to clean one's behind.  Throughout the Old World, specifically in the Middle East, northern Africa, and Eastern Europe it was common place to use one's left hand to scrape out any residual remnants, along with water as a means of washing up.  This practice remains commonplace even to this day, and it explains why humans, particularly members of these cultural groups, take offense to being offered a left hand in a hand shake.  

Figure 1: Tesorium as used by the ancient Romans (Image Source: Sapiens.com)

As time went on and technological advancements were invented the ancient Greeks moved forward with using pessoi, pottery sherds, to wipe.  It is also reported that the Greeks would sometimes take this custom a step further by writing the names of their enemies onto the sherd prior to using it.  Several centuries later the ancient Romans, who commonly used public bathhouses, used a tersorium (Figure 1) to wipe their behinds.  A tersorium was a stick with a sea sponge attached to one end.  This does not sound all together unpleasant except when you take into account that the sea sponge was dipped in brine (a concentrated mixture of salt water and/or vinegar) prior to use, and then redeposited into the bucket of brine until the next user needed to use the public bathhouse.  The ancient Japanese used their own instrument, known as a chügi,which was a stick similar to a tongue depressor, to clean up after themselves.

In the New World, a variety of other instruments were used to clean one's behind.  A favorite that lasted well into the time even after the invention of toilet paper was a corn cob.  It would be wiped from one side to another or, alternatively, revolved around the inside of the buttocks to remove waste.  Coastal populations were known to use mussel or sea shells to scrape away debris.

Figure 2: Toilet Paper production in Imperial China (Image Source: HistoryDaily.com)

The Chinese invented paper in the 2nd century BC and began using scraps to wipe their behinds shortly thereafter.  They formally invented toilet paper in the 6th century A.D. (Figure 2).  It was several centuries later, in the late 1300s, that toilet paper as we known it today was created, albeit exclusively for the Emperor and his family.  This variety was perfumed and exclusive to the royal family.  It was around this time that other cultural groups began adopting their own toilet paper products, but the French actually came up with their own solution, the bidet, which uses water to clean the behind (and has become a popular alternative today among Americans who are unable to secure toilet paper in stores).

In 1857 came the first American manufacturer of toilet paper, which was created by Joseph C. Gayetty.  He marketed his toilet paper, which came in single sheets and was boxed, as a medicated paper that was necessary for the health and wellness of the user.  Gayetty had several competitors at that time who also wanted to capitalize on his toilet paper production ideas, but it was ultimately Seth Wheeler who first patented the rolled and perforated toilet paper in 1871 (Figure 2).  Oliver Hewitt capitalized on Wheeler's ideas by first patenting the toilet paper manufacturing process and the first packaging of toilet paper in 1885.  It, however, was not until 1942 that  the two ply toilet paper was invented and took over as the modern standard that is widely used today.

Another fun fact is that 2020 was not the first time toilet paper became scarce and hard to find.  It happened previously in the 1970s when Johnny Carson, a famous comedian, joked about a toilet paper shortage, thereby initiating a panic buy of toilet paper across the United States.  Just as then as is the case today there is plenty of toilet paper to go around, although you are encouraged to use it sparingly since toilet paper production is very bad for the environment.

 

References

Barry, K. (2006). Preface to the History. Retrieved from Toilet Paper: The Interactive User Experience of the Last 15 Centuries: http://web.mit.edu/barryk/Public/MIT/2.744/experienceAnalysis/history.html

Blakemore, E. (2020, March 31). What did people do before toilet paper? Retrieved from National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/03/what-people-do-before-toilet-paper/

Higgins, E. (2016). What Did People Use Before Toilet Paper? Retrieved from Farmers' Almanac: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/before-toilet-paper-24419

Shelton, J. (2020, March 18). A Brief History Of Toilet Paper. Retrieved from History Daily: https://historydaily.org/brief-history-toilet-paper

Toilet Paper History. (2020). History of Toilet Paper. Retrieved from Toilet Paper History: http://www.toiletpaperhistory.net/toilet-paper-history/history-of-toilet-paper/