Special Sub-Topic: The Bowels of History Authored by: jane6677 Sub-topic of: Specialized History

Who invented the flush toilet?

Alexander Cummings. Cummings designed the first flush toilet in 1775. Wallace Rayburn's 1969 satirical book, 'Flushed With Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper', is to blame for the commonly held misconception that Crapper designed the toilet.

Who won the 1949 Nobel Prize for his 'apple corer' technique for prefrontal lobotomies?

Egas Moniz. This technique involved scooping out a small portion of the brain to cure certain mental disorders. By 1951, more than 18,000 lobotomies were performed in the US. By the 1960s this barbaric surgery began to be replaced by drugs.

In 1364, a man named Thomas du Buisson was hired to paint red crosses in the Louvre and its surrounding gardens to prevent what?

Public urination. At the time, the Louvre housed French royalty, who, distressed by the amount of people urinating wherever they pleased, hired DuBuisson to paint sacred red crosses. Urinating near the crosses would then be a sacrilege.

What was so unusual about Pope Stephen VII's interrogation of Pope Formosus in 897 A.D.?

Formusus was dead. Pope Stephen VII had Pope Formosus, dead for 11 months, removed from his grave and dressed in full vestments. Then he put him on trial while another man crouched behind Formosus and spoke for him.

What was the most common medical cure-all used in Renaissance France?

Enemas. Although bleeding was common for serious disorders, enemas were used for just about everything. Unlike the rubber models available today, in the 1600's, enemas were made of metal and commonly administered by more than one person.

The word 'narcotics' comes from the Greek word for what?

To numb. In ancient Greece, electric eels were often placed on a person's temples to numb pain sensations.

In ancient India, it was common practice for adulterers to have their ____________ cut off.

Noses. Often, primitive rhinoplasty was performed afterwards to help conceal the atrocity.

In 1685, King Louis XIV helped advance surgical practices by having a doctor, rather than a barber remove what?

A fistula from his rectum. Since the Medieval church didn't allow doctors to perform surgeries, barbers did all the operating. When King Loius XIV entrusted his royal bottom to a doctor, the practice of doctors performing surgeries became more popular.

Pope John XXI wrote many medical texts before becoming Pope. What did he suggest may be used as an effective eyewash?

Baby's urine. He also suggested using a poultice of goat's dung and wine to reduce swollen testicles.

How did Catherine the Great die?

A stroke. Although rumors surfaced that she was killed while getting a little too 'friendly' with a horse, Catherine much preferred the horsemen to the horses. She died of a stroke on her way to the water closet.

Why was Napoleon's hand always tucked into his jacket?

He had nervous itching. Napoleon suffered from 'neurodermatitis', or nervous itching. He often scratched sores until they would bleed.

Where did the phrase 'the third degree' originate?

Pope Innocent IV's degrees of torture. Pope Innocent IV sanctioned torture as a means of forcing heretics to confess. During the Holy Inquisition, torture was used in increasing degrees to force confessions from the accused. A third degree torture might have included roasting the feet in lard or hoisting the victim to a high elevation and then dropping them violently.

Where did bulldogs and bull terriers get their names?

Bullbaiting in Elizabethan times. During Shakespeare's time, a common sport was bullbaiting. Many people would gather and watch as a bull was tied to a rope while dogs literally tore it to pieces.

Who were the "castrati"?

Opera Singers. Famed for their beautiful voices, castrati performed for royalty and noblemen during the 1700s and 1800s. Since it was considered sinful to purposely remove a boy's testicles, most castrati claimed to have been in some sort of accident.

The Four Humors consisted of blood, phlegm, black bile, and ____________.

Yellow bile. Until the mid 1800's, people believed that a body contained these four fluids and that any illness was caused by an imbalance of humors.

In the earliest known version of the fairy tale 'Cinderella', the Egyptian 'Rhodopis', the title character is a ____________.

Prostitute. In the original version, Rhodopis has her sandal stolen by a bird while she bathes in a river. Later, she marries the Pharoah.

Although today in the United States, brothels are only legal in Nevada, about 100 years ago which two other cities experimented with legalized prostitution?

New Orleans and St. Louis. This was called the 'Social Evil Ordinance' and was designed to register prostitutes to lessen the incidence of venereal disease. Due to public protest, this ordinance only lasted 4 years

In 13th century France, one would often hear the cry 'gare a l'eau!' to warn people of what?

A chamber pot's contents being thrown from a window. Without indoor plumbing, people would relieve themselves in chamber pots and throw the contents out the window. Despite ordinances to prevent this practice, the warning shout enabled passers-by to get out of the way ...

George Washington's dentures were made partly from the ivory of what animal?

Hippopotamus. Washington's dentures consisted of other men's teeth affixed to a piece of hippopotamus ivory.

In 1913, a New York woman named Caresse Crosby designed the first bra and sold the rights for $1,500 to what company?

Warner Brothers Corset Company. She constructed her bra from handkerchiefs and baby ribbon.

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