Gardyloo!

In old times, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries in London, human waste was often manually disposed of in very unsanitary ways.

Here’s a brief historical explanation:

• Before modern plumbing, most people used chamber pots (a bowl kept under the bed for nighttime use).
• In the morning, servants or household members would often empty these pots into the street by throwing the waste out of the window.
• It was common to shout warnings like “Gardyloo!” (from the French regardez l’eau — “watch out for the water”) before dumping it.
• The streets had open sewers or gutters, where the waste would slowly drain away — if at all.

This practice led to:

• Horrible smells
• Massive public health issues (cholera outbreaks, etc.)
• The eventual creation of modern sanitation systems, especially after the “Great Stink” of 1858, when the Thames River was so polluted with human waste that Parliament had to shut windows.

People really did throw human waste out of windows manually in old London. It wasn’t just gross; it was one of the biggest reasons why sanitation reform became urgent.

Author: Master Vikrant RohinMaster Vikrant Rohin is an international author, and more than four countries’ schools are using his books in the core curriculum of education. He is the author of twenty different subject books. History, Economics, Chemistry, Physics, English, Biology, Geography etc. Most of his students hold high-ranking positions in the public and private sectors. He has cracked the world’s toughest exam, the "Civil Services Examination (UPSC)," eight times. Always a topper in academics, he was also a top-class sportsman, a state boxer, and a basketball player.