Imagine walking through the grand halls of the Palace of Versailles, marveling at its opulence. Yet, behind the shimmering gold and ornate mirrors lies a rather pungent secret: there were no bathrooms. That’s right—this palace, a symbol of luxury and power, had no indoor plumbing. The courtiers who once roamed these halls had to rely on chamber pots, which were often emptied right out of the windows into the gardens below. And Versailles wasn’t unique; this was the reality for much of Europe for centuries.
Courtesy: The Factsite
A World Without Hygiene: The Middle Ages to the Renaissance
The Middle Ages and Renaissance might conjure images of knights, castles, and beautiful gowns, but the reality of daily life was much grittier—and smellier. Bathing was a rare luxury, especially in the cold climates of Europe, where it was believed that too much exposure to water could lead to illness. Instead of daily showers, people turned to other methods to mask their natural odors, like perfumes or simply carrying bouquets of flowers—an origin story for the bridal bouquet that brides still carry today.
Teeth brushing as we know it didn’t exist. Instead, some people used frayed twigs or chew sticks to clean their teeth. Early forms of toothpaste, made from crushed bones, shells, or chalk, were used by the wealthy, but for the masses, oral hygiene was minimal at best.
The lack of hygiene extended to the kitchen as well. During grand feasts, like those held at Versailles, meals for thousands could be prepared, often with little regard for cleanliness. It wasn’t uncommon for food to be prepared and consumed without anyone washing their hands, contributing to the spread of disease.
Courtesy: The Factsite
Bathing: A Rare and Risky Business
Bathing practices in medieval Europe were, by modern standards, almost non-existent. People typically bathed once a year, usually in May or June, when the weather was warmer. This annual bath was a family affair, with everyone using the same tub of water—starting with the head of the household and ending with the babies. By the time the youngest got their turn, the water was filthy, which gave rise to the phrase “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
Public bathhouses did exist and were social hubs in medieval cities, but they were also associated with immoral behavior and disease, which led to their decline in popularity. By the 16th century, many believed that bathing in water could open the pores and allow disease to enter the body, leading to the widespread practice of dry cleaning with cloths or vinegar.
Courtesy: Quora, Marc Monnerat
Homes: Vermin, Tin Plates, and Poison
Living conditions were hardly better inside the home. Many houses had thatched roofs, which were excellent for insulation but also perfect hiding places for pests like rats, cats, and insects. When it rained, these creatures often fell from the roof beams onto the floors below.
For those who could afford them, tin plates were the height of luxury. However, the acidity in foods could cause tin plates (and more dangerously, pewter plates, which contained lead) to leach toxic metals into the food, leading to chronic poisoning. This practice may have contributed to the belief that tomatoes were poisonous since their acidity caused lead to leach from pewter plates.
Death and Disease: The Wake of the Dead
Death was a frequent visitor in medieval Europe, and with it came a host of strange customs. Tomatoes, for example, were avoided not just for their alleged toxicity, but because they were thought to induce “narcolepsy” when combined with alcohol. This belief likely stemmed from the accidental poisoning that occurred when people drank alcohol from lead cups or goblets.
When someone died, it wasn’t always immediately obvious, especially with the limited medical knowledge of the time. Bodies were often laid out on the kitchen table for several days to ensure the person was truly dead—a practice that gave rise to the custom of holding a wake. Family and friends would gather around, watching for signs of life while eating, drinking, and socializing.
In England, where space for burials was limited, graves were often reused. Bones were exhumed and placed in ossuaries to make room for new corpses. Occasionally, coffins were opened to find scratch marks inside—grim evidence that the deceased had been buried alive.
The Hygiene Revolution: Miasma and Modern Sanitation
The belief in “miasma” or bad air as the cause of disease persisted well into the 19th century. This theory discouraged frequent bathing and promoted the use of perfumes and powders to mask body odors. It wasn’t until the advent of germ theory that people began to understand the importance of cleanliness and the dangers of unsanitary living conditions.
Alcohol was widely used as a disinfectant, both internally and externally. While it had some efficacy, it also led to cases of alcohol dependency and accidental poisoning, particularly when combined with other substances like lead or tin.
As cities grew and industrialization took hold, the need for better sanitation became undeniable. The installation of sewer systems, the introduction of running water, and the development of modern plumbing revolutionized public health, drastically reducing the spread of disease and changing the way people lived.
The Legacy of Historical Hygiene
The past may seem foreign to us now, with our modern conveniences and emphasis on cleanliness, but the history of hygiene is a reminder of how far we’ve come. The conditions that once plagued Europe—the foul smells, the dirty bathwater, the vermin-filled homes—shaped the customs and traditions that have been passed down through generations. From the bridal bouquet to the phrase “throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” these remnants of history offer a glimpse into a world where survival often depended on adapting to less-than-ideal circumstances.
While we might cringe at the thought of bathing once a year or eating from a lead plate, these practices were born out of necessity and a limited understanding of health and hygiene. Today, we benefit from centuries of progress, but the echoes of the past remain in our language, our traditions, and our history.
References and Citations
Graves, J. A. M. (2006). Sex Chromosome Specialization and Degeneration in Mammals. Cell, 124(5), 901-914.
Bellott, D. W., Skaletsky, H., Pyntikova, T., Mardis, E. R., Graves, T., Kremitzki, C., ... & Page, D. C. (2014). Mammalian Y chromosomes retain widely expressed dosage-sensitive regulators. Nature, 508(7497), 494-499.
National Institutes of Health. (2020). What is a chromosome? NIH Genetics Home Reference.
The Conversation. (2021). "The Y chromosome is disappearing – so what will happen to men?"
The History of Hygiene. (n.d.). Medieval Public Health and Hygiene. History Extra.
Gordon, G. (2013). The Plague of Rats and Mice in Medieval Europe. University of Melbourne.
The Misuse of Tin and Lead in Medieval Times. (2018). Journal of Archaeological Science.
https://www.quora.com/What-was-Medieval-Europes-beef-with-bathing
Share this post