A flush toilet is a toilet that disposes of human waste by collecting it in a bowl and using the force of water to carry it through a drainpipe to a sewer or septic system. No single inventor can be credited: the English courtier Sir John Harington published a description of an early flushing toilet design in 1596, the Scottish mechanic Alexander Cumming patented the S-shaped water trap, or siphon, still used to seal toilets against sewer odors, in 1775, and the English inventor Joseph Bramah patented what is often considered the first practical, non-manual flush toilet mechanism in 1778, with the device evolving gradually through further refinement during the Industrial Revolution rather than emerging complete from any one of these steps.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateSourced to the subject's own account YearSourced to the subject's own accountHarington's 1596 device is the first documented flush mechanism; the S-trap that made the flush toilet practical in its modern form was invented by Alexander Cumming in 1775 and is still in use today. SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountRemoved human waste from living spaces using water rather than manual removal; combined with sewer systems, transformed urban sanitation and sharply reduced the spread of waterborne disease. 1 Sources
1. Flush Toilet (Wikipedia)
WikipediaDevelopment of the modern flush toilet section, Wikipedia article Flush toilet
In 1596 Sir John Harington published A New Discourse of a Stale Subject, Called the Metamorphosis of Ajax, describing a forerunner to the modern flush toilet installed at his house at Kelston in Somerset.
opening definition section, second sentence, Wikipedia article Flush toilet
Flush toilets can be designed for sitting or squatting (often regionally differentiated).
Development of the modern flush toilet section, sentence on Prosser, Wikipedia article Flush toilet
Two years later, Samuel Prosser applied for a British patent for a "plunger closet".
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a flush toilet have a curved trap that keeps water in the bowl?
The standing water in the trap seals the drain against sewer odors.
The curved S-shaped trap holds standing water that seals the outlet of the bowl, so foul air from the sewer cannot rise back into the room. The Scottish mechanic Alexander Cumming patented this S-shaped water trap, or siphon, in 1775, and it is still used to seal toilets against sewer odors. Joseph Bramah's 1778 patent then added a hinged flap that sealed the bottom of the bowl and a float valve for the flush tank, which made the whole mechanism more practical.
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