The History of Baths

History of Water Through the Ages Part 6

High volume domestic use of water did not exist, because the use of water was constrained by the fact it had to be carried into the house. Strangely, in Britain beer was manufactured from cleaner water than was generally available in the tap and prior to the First World War it was drunk in hospitals and schools. Mid nineteenth century temperance, advocates were responding to this when they thought that excessive consumption of alcohol was related to the unavailability of potable water.

A public drinking fountain movement, began in Britain in the late 1850’s and one of its chief advocates was the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, concerned about thirsty horses being rode into cities.

Adequate sanitary provisions meaning the provision of water closet and a continuous supply of uncontaminated water was not to be achieved until the prevailing view of water was changed forever. It was to become a "necessity" of life, easily available, and often as cheap as breathable air.

However, waterworks were not built by as an essential universal standard of health; it was the private sector especially the industrial users who recommended that they be built. Many industries such as brewing and tanning required high quality water, and the initial capital costs of supply were prohibitive for individual businesses. Many early industrialists believed that they had more chance of achieving standard prices and supply by championing the cause of clean potable water.

By the end of the nineteenth century, accurate bacteriological analysis had made the process of filtering water more dependable and chlorination as a standard sealed the transition. It may be that public confidence I water a hundred years ago was more trustworthy than today. The wheel in a sense has come full circle the ancient Egyptians had a thriving trade in bottled Nile waters and today the rise in the consumption of bottled water has become the norm. Water has become an elite substance more important than something merely to be ingested to avoid cholera, it is a matter of life or death.

Next Article