1. Terminology and theoretical concepts
Despite the omnipresence of privies and the ordinariness of “nature’s call,” for the Middle Ages and early modern period this topic has usually been addressed only in popular science. Most discussions are based on isolated sensational pieces of evidence and usually assume that the residents of medieval cities and towns disposed of feces and urine in the streets or emptied chamber pots from their windows [11. 19 f., 29–4…