hygene through history

stek

Apparently, up until the last centuary people did not wash themselves! They must have suffered from some terrible skin complaints and other diseases.
Does anyone have interesting stories about such things?

wasper

stek wrote: »

Apparently, up until the last centuary people did not wash themselves! They must have suffered from some terrible skin complaints and other diseases.
Does anyone have interesting stories about such things?

It was said that Queen Elizabeth the first had a bath once per year to set an example for her subjects.
People believed that washing ones self was an unhealthy & harmful to the body. The rich used to powder their faces to cover the dirt. And into the 19th century people carried perfumes & used regularly to overcome their personal stink.
It's amazing that there are still people now that don't wash.

Shutuplaura

Hmm, bit icky but ladies in rural ireland used moss to help them during their periods. And sticks with one end bashed in to a crude brush were used to clean teeth. I reckon most people were fairly smelly and dirty though.

Kaiser_Sma

People most certainly did wash themselve. Some more than others. Norse men in russia where particularly noted by islamic writers as washing rarely and out of basins when they did (and also having an obssesion with combing their hair).

In the middle ages the welsh had an uncharacteristic obssesive tendancy to brush their teeth.

Washing was common in the classical period in europe but eventually went out of fasion, enevitably as urban populations increased (or as agricultural populations increased in density) there was less access to clean water.

Back in the 19th century and earlier, people used to stitch themselves into their underwear in the autumn to keep warm during the winter, in the spring there was a public bath day (holds nose) when the clothes were unstitched!

Don't forget that in those days houses were generally unheated except for the kitchen range, only the rich had glass in the windows.

Kaiser_Sma

Man alive, if you messed your self in october you'd be paying for it till march

Riddle101

Yes they were quite dirty. Did you know that the powder they used on their heads used to attract Head Lice

brianthebard

Considering how dirty water was until about 100 years ago its not quite as surprising that people thought it was harmful to wash regularly.

Kaiser_Sma

apparently richard II insisted on batheing at least once a week. But he was uncharacteristically clean i'd say.

Alot of the wealthy in the middle ages thought it was sufficient to rub themselves in flowers and other nice smelling things to disguise the smell as opposed to removing the source.

Lizzykins

I'm fascinated by hygiene through the ages. As someone said a twig was used to clean teeth back in the middle ages. Even up to the early part of the last century outdoor clothes were never washed. The head lice and fleas really put me off time travel!
I did hear one time that the reason jews were held in such suspicion was that they died in less numbers during outbreaks of plague etc. They followed strict hygiene practices and this kept them well for the most part. Even in the preparation of food there were rules so less food poisoning too.

stek

found this site to middle ages hygiene
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/middle-ages-hygiene.htm

interesting ..