The invention of Toilet paper marks a before and after in human history. Life on earth was hard to endure without the help of this personal hygiene item that became part of everyone’s daily life. However, even before it was created, many were forced to improvise with whatever they had on hand to clean themselves after defecation or urination.
For this reason, each country has developed its own “toilet paper”. Next we are going to tell you what people used to cleanse themselves before it was invented.
What was used before toilet paper existed?
Ancient Rome
In the public baths of the Roman Empire, the citizens used to use a piece of wood tied to a sponge and that it was moistened in salt water or else in vinegar. This object was named “Tersorium”.
However, there was a problem: it was a shared use; That means they all used the same wooden stick to wipe their butts in the bathroom.
Reference image of what a Tersorium was. Some historians believe this may have been used to purify the baths as well. Photo: Roman Life
Greece
The Greeks, like the Romans, had no qualms about using a piece of pottery, called ‘Pessoi’ to remove all dirt from its rear part, although this could damage the skin and cause hemorrhoids. The curious thing was that this personal hygiene item often had the names of people considered enemies engraved on it.
The famous pessoi used in Greece and Rome. Photo: National Geographic
United States of America
In the North American country, it was common to use the corn on the cob or to clean newspaper. Some even used the leaves of the plants or the magazine catalogues, having met their needs up until the 19th century.
China
According to National Geographic, archaeologists long ago found some wooden or bamboo sticks wrapped in a piece of cloth that bore traces of human excrement. And yes, after the paraphernalia underwent microscopic analysis, it was discovered that the items contained parasites found in the human gut.
These were the sticks used in China. Photo: National Geographic
Who Invented Toilet Paper?
The invention of such a valuable resource is generally credited to the American Joseph Gayetty, who launched his own brand of “medicinal paper with aloe” for sale in 1857. However, the businessman had to assert himself against the “alternatives” that had been on the market for a long time and that the Americans preferred to use.
Joseph Gayetty is considered by many to be the inventor of commercial toilet paper. Photo: Geekweek
Despite this, some historians believe that the true origin of toilet paper lay in China around the 6th century, when academic Yen Chih-Thui revealed that he used his writing papers to remove dirt.
In addition, the Chinese used paper in large quantities to clean their genitals as early as 1300.
