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| Archaeologists in Germany say they may have found a lavatory where Martin Luther launched the Reformation of the Christian church in the 16th Century. |  |
The stone room is in a newly-unearthed annex to Luther's house in Wittenberg. Luther is quoted as saying he was "in cloaca", or in the sewer, when he was inspired to argue that salvation is granted because of faith, not deeds. The scholar suffered from constipation and spent many hours in contemplation on the toilet seat. The lavatory was built in the period 1516-17, according to Dr Martin Treu, a theologian and Luther expert based in Wittenberg. "What we have found here is something very rare," he told BBC News Online, describing how most buildings preserved from that era tend to have served a grander function.
The toilet is in a niche set inside a room measuring nine by nine metres, which was discovered during the excavation of a garden in the grounds of Luther's house. Dr Treu said there can be little doubt the toilet was used by Luther, the radical theologian who argued for a more "earthy Christianity", which regarded the entire human body - and not just the soul - as God's creation. The Reformation, which resulted in Europe's Protestant churches, is usually reckoned to have begun when Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg's Castle Church on 31 October 1517. The theses attacked papal abuses and the sale of indulgences by church officials, among other things.
Luther left a candid catalogue of his battle with constipation but despite this wealth of information, certain key details remain obscure - such as what the great reformer may have used in place of toilet paper. "We still don't know what was used for wiping in those days," says Dr Treu. The paper of the time, he says, would have been too expensive and critically, "too stiff" for the purpose. And while it is probable that the inspiration that led to Luther's reforms occurred on this toilet, it is impossible to prove it beyond doubt, Dr Treu says. Future visitors to Wittenberg's Martin Luther museum will be able to view the new find, though structural concerns mean they will not be free to test its qualities as a toilet.
Snake found in Airport Loo
March 20, 2006
A snake has been found abandoned in a Sydney Airport women's toilet after a reptile smuggler apparently had a case of cold feet before facing Australian customs.
The 1m green tree python, a non-venomous snake, native to South-East Asia, was found by a cleaner in a female toilet in the arrivals concourse yesterday afternoon. Customs officials have no clues as to the identity of the smuggler but say the incident shows the effectiveness of tight security measures at the airport. Customs' NSW director David Collins said that apart from being cruel, smuggling animals was putting native wildlife in danger. "Reptile smuggling is not only a cruel practice but also poses a threat by introducing exotic diseases into Australia which could have a disastrous impact on native fauna," Mr Collins said. The snake has been handed over to a quarantine vet and will be held in high security quarantine facilities until a decision is made about its future.
The maximum penalty for smuggling wildlife into Australia is an $110,000 fine and/or imprisonment for up to 10 years.
Stay healthy with the toilet 'doctor'
Toilets like this may soon be a thing of the past
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A company in Cheshire is designing a futuristic toilet which can monitor human waste and spot health problems. At the first sign of a medical condition, the Versatile Interactive Pan (VIP) would contact a GP via the internet. The VIP concept has been produced by the bathroom manufacturers, Twyford. With a voice-activated seat, automatic flush and the ability to detect health problems, the company says it is a "Major breakthrough" in toilet technology. Although the model is not yet in production, Twyford predicts it could be on the market within the next five years. Spokesman Terry Wooliscroft said: "This is a major breakthrough for us. Toilets haven't changed much since the concept was developed by Thomas Twyford 120 years ago. We want to change all that and see what a toilet can do if you introduce modern technology to it." |
Is this the future? |
Urine and stool samples would be examined by the toilet, not only for health problems but for dietary content. Mr Wooliscroft went on: "We also want to link to the local supermarket. If, for example, a person is short on roughage one day, an order of beans or pulses will be sent from the VIP to the supermarket and delivered that same day." He said it would not be long before the VIP would be ready for production. "The technology is not too far away and we are working towards that." Twyford's designers have already produced a model of the VIP. It has been donated to the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent and will feature in an exhibition in the museum's new galleries which open in the autumn. |
UK company launches in-car toilet
Geoff Adams-Spink
BBC News website disability affairs correspondent
A portable, in-car lavatory has been launched by a British firm for use by people with medical conditions, as well as families with small children. The Indipod, made by Bromsgrove-based Daycar, is aimed at people with bowel and bladder problems. The chemical toilet is housed in an inflatable "bubble" which is powered from the car's cigarette lighter. It is designed to be used in multi-purpose vehicles, four-wheel drives and estate cars. The Indipod is on display at Naidex 2005, an exhibition of products for disabled people at the NEC in Birmingham. When not in use, the Indipod folds away into a bag the size of a suitcase and weighs 8kg. "When we developed it we thought it would be for families, kids going out for the day or on holiday," Daycar managing director, Barbara May, told the BBC News website. "But we've had an excellent response from people with medical conditions."
European odyssey
To show of the potential of the Indipod, Daycar did a seven-day trip from John O'Groats to the southern tip of Italy without getting out of the car."For people with bowel disease, incontinence or bladder problems, this product is not a luxury, it's a necessity," said Mrs May. "It's giving them back their social lives and their freedom. "The company says that the chemicals break down waste into a "sweet smelling, inoffensive liquid", which can be disposed of at the end of a journey. It says that there is no residual smell in the vehicle once the Indipod has been used, and that one sachet of chemicals is enough for one person's use for about eight days. The bubble or "private sanitary sanctuary" inflates to an area about 1.2m high by a metre wide and is sufficient to accommodate two people, according to Mrs May. "You could have a parent and child or a disabled person with a helper," she said. If there is luggage or shopping in the back of the vehicle the bubble expands around it and occupies only empty space. Once it is no longer required, the power cord is disconnected and it can be packed away into its bag. It is thought that up to a million people in Europe have either bowel or bladder problems. Daycar says it has already received interest from people in Belgium and Italy. Perhaps the most far-flung and unusual order came from a man in Australia who wanted to buy an Indipod for his wife's birthday.
