Chamber pots were used as a toilet in the past and were usually kept under the bed. They had a secure lid and handles for easy carrying. Richly decorated ones can be found in museums. They have largely been replaced by indoor toilets, but are still used in some developing countries.
A chamber pot is a small vessel, usually ceramic, designed to fit under a bed or in a narrow, unobtrusive stool. Although these toilets are not as widely used as they once were, having largely been replaced by indoor toilets. However, in the era where going to the toilet meant an outdoor excursion, people who needed to go to the toilet at night used the chamber pot to urinate and emptied it in the morning. In homes that had domestic staff, a maid emptied the pans as part of her morning chores.
The basic design of a chamber pot involves a pot deep enough to hold urine without splashing and a secure lid. Usually, it has handles so it can be carried around easily. While poorer families probably had very simple chamber pots, extant examples of richly decorated ones can be found in some museums. Generally, the relief decorations are on the outside of the vase and the inside is left plain and decoratively decorated.
A common place for a chamber pot is under the bed, as that’s a convenient and ready position. Some people had stools nearby, furniture designed to hide them. In many cases, the nearby stool had a bench with a liftable lid, allowing women to sit comfortably while using the toilet.
During the day, family members should use the bathroom or toilet, unless they are sick. Chamber pots from the night before were emptied and washed before being returned to the bedrooms. Commonly, they would be emptied down the latrine, but some families simply tossed the contents out the window, at the risk of anyone below. This practice came to be frowned upon, as it littered the streets.
In most industrialized countries, the chamber pot has largely disappeared, except in the form of the bedpan used for invalids. Some people in developing countries still use chamber pots and latrines. The chamber pot idea lives on in the slang for a child’s toilet, or potty. Some teaching toilets designed for children resemble the close-fitting stools of yesteryear, allowing the user to sit down and evacuate waste into a bowl below, which must be emptied into a plumbing toilet.
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