From Ancient Pits to Smart Latrines: 'Unloading' the History of Toilets

Toilets are everyone's best friend in the morning. And you know exactly why. Talking about it may not sound so pleasant, but this mundane daily object has a rich history that is worth "unloading."

Most people claim that English plumber Thomas Crapper was the inventor of the toilet after building a latrine. However, our dear friend, the toilet goes way back even before Crapper came along.

In fact, they extend thousands of years back, and modern toilets owe it to their predecessors for becoming more advanced and sophisticated than ever.

Ancient Toilets

The oldest known toilets were developed in ancient Mesopotamia some 5,000 years ago.

According to Nature magazine, these straightforward, pit-style latrines were lined with several lengthy ceramic tubes that prevented the solid contents from seeping into the surrounding soil while enabling liquids to escape via tiny openings.

However, the identities of the people who created them have been flushed down to the annals of history. They are now forgotten.

More advanced toilets appeared nearly a thousand years later in the ancient Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. The use of water to remove waste is first seen in these public restrooms; the Romans eventually adopted this technique, according to Live Science.

Sir John Harington, an Englishman who served as a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I, invented the first flush toilet in the modern era in 1596.

Alexander Cumming, a Scottish inventor, submitted the first flush toilet patent in 1775. His design featured an S-bend and a more complex valve system comparable to those seen in contemporary toilets.

According to a recent piece in Inventor's Digest, Crapper obtained nine plumbing patents between 1881 and 1896, but none of them were for a ground-breaking new toilet but were simply just pipe modifications.

But now, toilets have advanced so drastically that they can even take a picture of your poop.

Smart Toilet

A "Smart Toilet" has been designed to photograph someone's poop and send it to the doctor. It may be the long-lost method of identifying many ailments, according to scientists.

The algorithm will use the image to identify whether there are any indications of health issues. The excrement will then be classified as normal, constipated, loose, or even if blood is present.

If it qualifies as uncommon, it will be forwarded directly to doctors for a closer feces investigation.

This technology is the byproduct of Duke University scientists. They are confident their invention will rescue millions of people from the hidden threat of colon cancer and other deadly ailments once it is completely completed.

Additionally, the tool aids in the early diagnosis of complications, particularly those that affect the digestive system.

It may also detect irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel illness early on.

According to a study, 48 million Americans have toileting issues. Hence, the "Smart Toilet" might, at the very least, stop other individuals from contributing to these figures.

Toilets have truly gone a long way from starting as pit-style latrines to helping medical experts identify health issues through someone's excrement. This mundane object will continue to be our best friend in the morning but will also become more advanced with the introduction of more technologies.