1133 ‘PECUNIA NON OLET!' MONEY THAT DOES NOT SMELL AND THE BIRTH OF PUBLIC LAVATORIES

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology1 Apr 20101133 ‘PECUNIA NON OLET!' MONEY THAT DOES NOT SMELL AND THE BIRTH OF PUBLIC LAVATORIES Rajesh Nair and Seshadri Sriprasad Rajesh NairRajesh Nair London, United Kingdom More articles by this author and Seshadri SriprasadSeshadri Sriprasad Dartford, United Kingdom More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2010.02.2330AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The Roman Empire regarded urine a valuable commodity. It was collected from public latrines, and imported from neighboring colonies where it was used as a raw material in tanning, laundering and as tooth-paste. We examine the role of urine in first century Rome and explore 'vectigal urinae', a special tax levied by Roman Emperors Nero and Vespasian for its trade. METHODS Time related sources in historical literature were reviewed, including archives and manuscripts at the Wellcome History of Medicine Collection, Museum of London and the British Museum, London. RESULTS First century Rome saw the introduction of vectigal urinae, a tax introduced by Roman emperor Nero and Vespasian for the collection and distribution of urine. The wealthy buyers of urine paid the tax for this valuable liquid. Lower classes of the empire would collect their urine and empty it into cesspools. Added to this was the effluent from public lavatories. The tax applied to all public toilets within Rome's now famous Cloaca Maxima (great sewer) system and funded their further development. The urine itself was an expensive raw commodity. It was used in the tanning industry, where it was mixed with the hide to soften it, loosen the hairs and dissolve the fat from its surface. It was also used as bleach where tunics were immersed in urine and whitened. The smell of urine was then washed out with water. Wealthy Romans, especially women were willing to pay large sums of money for toothpaste in which urine was the key ingredient. It was thought that one's own urine or that of another Roman would not be effective but rather Portuguese urine provided an ideal whitening effect. Thus, large quantities of the ‘stronger' Portuguese urine were imported for this purpose. It is said that when Vespasian's son Titus protested against vectigal urinae, his father held up a gold coin and said Non olet! (“It doesn't smell!”). This is a phrase still in use today to describe ‘money is equally filthy regardless of its source.' To this date, Vespasian's name is associated to public urinals in France (vespasiennes), Italy (vespasiani), and Romania (vespasiene). CONCLUSIONS Urine not only had an invaluable role in ancient Rome, its use was also a marker of wealth and status. vectigal urinae (urine tax) played a vital role in the development of public urinal system, a architectural feat that holds many parallels to this day. © 2010 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 183Issue 4SApril 2010Page: e438-e439 Peer Review Report Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2010 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Rajesh Nair London, United Kingdom More articles by this author Seshadri Sriprasad Dartford, United Kingdom More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...