Human Feces - Personal Hygiene

Personal Hygiene

Cultures employ a variety of personal cleansing practising after elimination.

• In Western and East Asian societies, the use of toilet paper is widespread. Other paper products were also used before the advent of flush toilets.
• Some European countries use a bidet for additional cleaning.
• In South Asia and Southeast Asia, showers are provided for use in toilets.
• In Islam, washing of the anus with water using the left hand is part of the prescribed ritual ablutions.
• In India, the anus is also washed with water using the left hand.
• In the United Kingdom, the Indian toilet was adapted as the "WC" (water closet) and widely deployed in England during the reign of Queen Victoria. London suffered numerous outbreaks of food poisoning resulting from workers handling food after using the toilet. Cleansing of the anus was an arbitrary practice left to personal choice and facilities available.
• In Ancient Rome, a communal sponge was employed. It was rinsed in a bucket of salt water after use.
• In Japan, flat sticks were used in ancient times, being replaced by toilet paper as the country became more Westernized. Toilets that include built-in bidets have now become widely popular in private homes; these can be very sophisticated appliances, allowing users to adjust the temperature, direction and force of water jets, and offering warm air to dry the anus and surrounding regions. The toilet flushes automatically when the buttocks leave the seat.