Toilets: Humanity’s Greatest Invention?

Clearstory

This Old House

History, Home & Garden, Leisure

4.9 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2019

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Not everyone wants to talk about it, but the toilet is responsible for saving countless lives throughout human history. Hodding Carter, author of “Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization” takes us on a journey through the toilet’s development, and This Old House’s Richard Trethewey tours the Plumbing Museum with an eye to the past before looking to the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:43.6	We all know that sound, but most people don't want to talk about it.
0:45.3	You travel anywhere else in the planet.
0:50.8	There are things that your nose will experience and your eyes will see that you'll just be blown away by.
0:52.3	We take it for granted, absolutely.
0:57.3	Trust me, it's not my favorite topic either. But without the toilet and modern plumbing,
1:00.1	our lives would be a lot worse off.
1:10.6	From this old house, this is Clear Story.
1:13.2	Your home and a new light.
1:14.8	I'm Kevin O'Connor.
1:19.5	When was the last time you showed off your bathroom?
1:21.4	Look, I get it.
1:27.2	A toilet isn't as exciting as a new kitchen countertop, but it is way more vital to our lives.
1:28.3	There's the expected benefits, having access to modern plumbing prevents disease and childhood mortality,
1:34.3	and then there's the more unexpected benefits. Think about it. More kids go to school.
1:40.3	Adults are more productive. The GDP of a country goes up. In fact, the modern toilet is one of the world's most important inventions. It's credited with saving one billion lives. I mean, think about that. That's more than antibiotics, insulin, and anti-malaria drugs combined. So, settle in and have a seat, because we're going to have a conversation that nobody knew
2:06.0	they wanted to have.
	...

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