>sitting on toilets—a recent phenomenon, stemming from the invention of the flush toilet in 1591—might be unhealthy<p>There's a Roman museum near here that has a model barracks toilet which is basically like a modern compost loo - it's like an enclosed bench with holes to defecate through. I guess you might be supposed to stand on it but it's certainly not presented that way.<p>I've seen toilets in medieval château and castles with wooden seats on a knee height enclosure too. Doesn't appear to be an invention that followed the flush toilet. Nor can I see how a flush toilet would need a change in posture.
This article speaks the truth. I was traveling in China last year and was averse to pooping in the squat toilets there (they're generally quite filthy). In any case, eventually push came to shove and I had to bite the bullet.<p>It was like an awakening, I had not realized how uncomfortable are our western toilets until this experience.
"My 10-minute routine dropped to a minute ..."<p>Jesus, what the hell is wrong with this guy? Or maybe I'm the freak, but I don't spend ten minutes on the toilet. Usually it takes 30s-2m to do my business.<p>Maybe he should consider a change in diet?
<i>six subjects had their rectums filled with a contrast solution and then released the fluid from a squatting or a sitting position while being filmed with X-ray video.</i><p>yikes.
Kudos to those who participated in the studies (particularly the Japanese study). They sounded extraodinarily uncomfortable. As odd as it sounds, I'm thankful for the lengths some will go for science (I'm going to pretend this was the motivation).
There is something else to through into the argument- flexibility.<p>The use of western toilets reduces our ability to reach the full squat position and some reckon this is why pulled hamstrings and achilles injuries are more common.<p>When western people squat, we tend to go up on our toes to reach full depth due to our inflexibility gained from using toilets.<p>This inflexibility changes the way we do things- when a western adult wants to pick up something from the floor they bend over at the hip. Watch a young child that has recently started to walk do it- they do a full squat with their heals on the ground!
My grandfather, a physicist, had many odd friends. One of them was a Brit who in the 1950's invented a toilet that permitted squatting. He said of the work, "I believe the savages had it right all along."<p>The toilet was never produced.
For what it's worth, I've been squatting since preadolescence. As a counterpoint to the experience of the sitters in the study who rated their experiences squatting "more comfortable" than sitting, I've tried going back to sitting from time to time to no avail; I find it unnatural and difficult.<p>I always figured it was because I was used to doing it my way, not because it was easier. I didn't switch for comfort reasons, and certainly I never dreamed it might prevent hemorrhoids later in life!
Besides sitting vs Squatting, the other (and more important) issue with the western style toilet is the use of "papers" instead of bidet (water hose) for cleaning after oneself.<p>At home we always install a home-made bidet: usually a water hose connected to the shower somehow with a mechanism to turn it on/off.<p>When I'm in a public place, I try to avoid using public bathrooms. Sometimes I can't avoid it, like when I'm at work.
I was told once that in China, people squat a lot more than in the West. Both for toilet use, but also just for "sitting down" somewhere.<p>Example: I was told that upon seeing a bench, whereas westerners would normally sit on it, a Chinese person will squat <i>on</i> it. This supposedly also makes their legs much stronger.<p>Can anyone confirm this?
If your interested in outfitting your own house with something else,<p><a href="http://www.naturesplatform.com/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.naturesplatform.com/index.html</a><p>I've tried myself to squat while hiking outdoors and I keep falling over.
I lived in Turkey for a while and almost every house has one normal toilet and one old school toilets (hole in the floor) which hasn't got a place to sit so you have to squat.<p>AFAIK also muslims prefer squating over sitting as it's the suggested practice, also they don't pee standing up (I think this is due to health reasons as well but can be about being clean,not sure).<p>I always prefer squating over sitting however when you get old generally you need to sit as squatting is literally requires effort, many elderly people sits due to this.<p>I can't imagine squating in a normal sit toilet, that's just dangerous.
Let's just say that this squatting thing really does have all the benefits that the article says it does.<p>Does is occur to anyone else that instead of squatting precariously on a sit toilet, risking a fall and backsplash on the feet, one could simply put a stack of phonebooks or a kiddie stool in front of the toilet, and then put your feet on it while you take a dump? Same angle for the core/legs, but less danger.
The article probably should have mentioned that squatting is still common in Muslim dominated countries.<p>We squat because that's the cleanest way to release waste. We also squat when we urinate, that way no urine is splashed back to your pants, which happens when you stand and urinate.
I believe I saw a diagram once of one's internals in both postures. The squatted one looked more "natural" or at least less... <i>"tangled"</i>. I had no luck finding that picture to share though. Can anyone assist?