19th and early 20th century–world history and facts
19th and early 20th century
Recent developments in creating urinals for females and for use by both sexes are not a new revolution in sanitation, as some manufacturers suggest. Rather, it is the renaissance of a concept whose roots lie in the 19th century.
During the 19th century, in the early days of public toilet development, female urinals were installed and urinals were not thought of as being exclusively for males. For example, the 1897 German Handbuch der Architektur (Handbook of architecture) shows "women's urinals with automatic rinsing"; at that time the advantages featured were less costly installation and water savings:
Pissoirs for the female sex have even been successfully used in recent years. These consist of so-called "urinettes" or porcelain sitting basins with automatic flushing and are set up especially in the waiting halls of railway stations, in shops where many girls are employed, in theatres where there is a large choir or ballet.
Such "urinettes" have the great fortune of being able to be placed where a 2-inch drainpipe is present, while the rinsing lavatories usually used by women for urination require a 4-inch waste pipe.
— Handbuch der Architektur: "Entwässerungsanlagen amerikanischer Gebäude", 1897
At that time, the female urinal was unable to establish itself in Germany, and they were installed only occasionally. In 1902, on the initiative of the City Building Office, a decision was taken in Munich to install women's urinals throughout the city in public convenience stores. A letter to the Kirchmair Board of Directors, for example, explains the plenary decision of the Baumagistrat on 13 February 1902:
It was suggested by several parties that the various classes of toilets should be abolished, that the establishment should be uniform and that a fee of 5 Pfennig should be charged for all toilets, with the exception of the free toilets, (this corresponds to the II. class), and that free toilets should be set up in all existing sanitary facilities. The construction of women's urinals, such as those found in other cities, was also mentioned.
— Munich City Archive 1902
This idea was pursued further, so that the documents of 13 January 1906 contained plans for concrete implementation:
The basins should be made of cast iron with enamel coating. A seat board is not to be provided. On the other hand, it might be advisable to mount brass rods above the basin, which extend from one wall to another and are fixed there. Older and weaker people could gain support at this pole. An intermittent rinse may be required for both pools every 10 minutes. ... For the first attempts to set up "women's urinals", it may be advisable to choose the locations of such urinals near playgrounds so that nannies or other female supervisors can use the same ones.
— Munich City Archive 1906
In the architectural guide München und seine Bauten (Munich and its buildings) from 1912, the women's urinals in three public toilets (Lerchenfeldstraße, Ottostraße and Max-Weber-Platz) were mentioned in the chapter on "Nursing homes". In contrast to the actual toilets, these were intended as "freehold toilets", i.e. for free use. They enjoyed great popularity and were highly frequented. In the course of the 1910s, there was no further expansion, probably because the free use did not generate income for the city's treasury funds. Finally, the Freiaborte (free public lavatories) for women were converted into fee facilities.
A later proposal by the first female city councillor of Munich in 1922 for the reintroduction of those free urinals was dismissed by the exclusively male directors of the Bade- und Bedürfnisanstalten establishments.
This development at the turn of the century was not followed up in Germany and these first approaches were increasingly forgotten.
1970s onwards
The floating half squat or ″skiing position″ is a suitable peeing position for a woman using a urinal.
In the 1970s, Alexander Kira, professor of architecture and sanitary engineering at Cornell University, conducted studies on urination behavior of both genders. He pursued the goal of developing sanitary fixtures that are adapted to the human body and its needs, breaking with conventional design specifications.
On a conventional toilet bowl, the "correct" use is determined by the shape of the sanitary fixture. Amongst other things, Kira investigated the body positions that males and females prefer to use when no external guidelines are given, for example while urinating outdoors. Examples include urinating in the forest, on a rock, or in a hole.
He examined the trajectories of the urine stream and its controllability, as well as comfort and health aspects of different body positions. Males usually urinate in a standing posture and direct the stream forward by hand. Females prefer to take a squatting position with the stream controlled by the posture of the entire body and directed vertically downwards to slightly obliquely backwards. This position is generally the most comfortable for females and is associated with the lowest spray dispersion.
Until the 1970s, a few female urinals were available in the United States from different manufacturers, such as the Sanistand by American Standard Companies and "Hygia" by Kohler Co.[60] In the 1980s and 1990s various concepts and prototypes were proposed, although most of them were not developed beyond the design stage. Female urinals have become more common since the turn of the millennium and are marketed commercially, primarily in Europe.
From 1950 to 1973, the American Standard company marketed its mass-produced Sanistand. It did not provide significant advantages over conventional toilets, because it used just as much floor space and water for flushing. Its main selling point was that it was specifically designed for women to use without bodily contact.
Several other commercially-unsuccessful designs, like "She-inal" by Kathie Jones (1990s),[63] have been tried since then, but they required the user either to hover awkwardly or to bring her genitals into close contact with the fixture. Current clothes fashions, such as pantyhose and slacks, inhibit females from using them because they do not want their garments to touch the urinal or the floor. In case any females have little experience with urinals and do not know whether to approach them forward or backward, instructions may be posted.
Towards the end of the century the artist Kim Dickey produced several designs of a vitreous china prosthetic that allowed women to urinate while standing upright, while J. Yolande Daniels exhibited a design which, by means of stirrups and leaning back, allowed a user to "allow its user to observe her body evacuating itself of urine", the design being the first with this characteristic.
Early 21st century
The supply of public female urinals is conditioned by two main trends:
The growing popularity - especially among young people - of festive outdoor gatherings. This requires mobile devices, easily assembled and dismantled; if necessary, the water supply remains a major constraint.
Environmental concern, like saving water, reducing waste, and even recycling it. Waterless devices allow for the simplified storage of pure urine for use as a fertilizer.
Standard trough models intended for use with a specialised disposable funnel have been introduced with some success, at outdoor festivals such as Glastonbury in 2004, to reduce dwell times and to alleviate long queues. In 2011 a portable female urinal, the Pollee, was introduced at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and was received enthusiastically by female festival visitors:
"Quite frankly: the girls' response at the festival was overwhelming. We have talked to hundreds of girls and although we received ideas for improvement, the overall message was: We use it and we love it!" — Christian Page.
Lapee mobile urinals have been tested in Toulouse (France).Those of MadamePee - mobile and without water - have equipped the Hellfest festival (Clisson, France) or Solidays (Paris) and longer-lasting events such as Paris Plages.
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