What role have chamber pots played in warfare?

by scumbagthe2nd

Doesn't seem to be that much information on this topic. Hopefully y'all can help!

Lincoel

Most of what we know about people pooping and peeing is when things go very wrong - anecdotal. After the development of Germ Theory, you will find specific military orders being given about latrines (location, depth, etc). So, you should have no issue finding sources on latrines after about 1880.

So, let me say a few things, which I can only say to you with lots of caveats, because it is based upon what I know about pooping and peeing throughout history and from being a soldier. First, ensuring that you don't foul your camp is very important. Clean water is vital. So, whenever you see certain diseases, such as cholera, killing off the troops, you probably have a failure of keeping your latrines far enough away from your encampment. Look at the Crimean War and the spread of cholera. Florence Nightingale fought many battles over the placement of latrines. It's not like our ancestors didn't know that putting your latrines far away from your campsites are important.

Okay, on to chamberpots. I know that buckets were often used during WWI during trench warfare. But the typical chamber pot was made out of some kind of pottery or china, and traveling in an army with them would have been impractical. I know enamel war wasn't really around until the late 1800s. The best might have been if you were in the Navy. I know from reading that many ships would have been outfitted with a system where there bodily wastes would be washed away into tanks or to the sea. I recall reading in Samuel Pepys about such a devise.