Editing Toilet paper (section)

==History==
{{See also|List of Chinese inventions}}

Although paper had been known as a wrapping and padding material in [[History of China|China]] since the 2nd century BC,<ref name="needham volume 4 part 1 122">Needham, Volume 5, Part 1, 122.</ref> a reference to the use of toilet paper dates back as early as {{Circa|589}} when the scholar-official [[Yan Zhitui]] (531–591) wrote:

{{blockquote|Paper on which there are quotations or commentaries from the [[Five Classics]] or the names of sages, I dare not use for toilet purposes.<ref name="needham volume 5 part 1 123">Needham, Volume 5, Part 1, 123.</ref>}}

During the later [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907 AD), an Arab traveller to China in the year 851 AD remarked:

{{blockquote|... they [the Chinese] do not [[Anal cleansing#Water|wash themselves with water]] when they have done their necessities; but they only wipe themselves with paper.<ref name="needham volume 5 part 1 123"/>}}

During the early 14th century, it was recorded that in what is now [[Zhejiang]] alone, ten million packages of 1,000 to 10,000 sheets of toilet paper were manufactured annually.<ref name="needham volume 5 part 1 123"/> During the [[Ming dynasty]] (1368–1644 AD), it was recorded in 1393 that an annual supply of 720,000 sheets of toilet paper (approximately {{cvt|2|by|3|ft|cm|-1}}) were produced for the general use of the imperial court at the capital of [[Nanjing]].<ref name="needham volume 5 part 1 123"/> From the records of the Imperial Bureau of Supplies of that same year, it was also recorded that for the [[Hongwu Emperor]]'s imperial family alone, there were 15,000 sheets of special soft-fabric toilet paper made, and each sheet of toilet paper was perfumed.<ref name="needham volume 5 part 1 123"/>

Elsewhere, wealthy people wiped themselves with [[wool]], [[lace]] or [[hemp]], while less wealthy people used their hand when defecating into rivers, or cleaned themselves with various materials such as rags, wood shavings, [[leaf|leaves]], grass, [[hay]], [[Rock (geology)|stones]], [[sand]], [[moss]], water, snow, [[fern]]s, [[husk|plant husks]], [[peel (fruit)|fruit skins]], [[Exoskeleton|seashells]], or [[corncob]]s, depending upon the country and weather conditions or social customs. In [[Ancient Rome]], a [[xylospongium|sponge on a stick]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sapiens.org/column/curiosities/ancient-roman-bathrooms/ |title=What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper? |last=Nash |first=Stephen E. |work=Sapiens |access-date=4 June 2019}}</ref> was commonly used, and, after use, placed back in a pail of vinegar. Several talmudic sources indicating ancient Jewish practice refer to the use of small pebbles, often carried in a special bag, and also to the use of dry grass and of the smooth edges of broken pottery jugs (e.g., Shabbat 81a, 82a, Yevamot 59b). These are all cited in the classic ''Biblical and Talmudic Medicine'' by the German physician Julius Preuss (Eng. trans. Sanhedrin Press, 1978).

The 16th-century French satirical writer [[François Rabelais]], in Chapter XIII of Book 1 of his [[novel sequence]] ''[[Gargantua and Pantagruel]]'', has his character Gargantua investigate a great number of ways of cleansing oneself after defecating. Gargantua dismisses the use of paper as ineffective, rhyming that: "Who his foul tail with paper wipes, Shall at his [[Bollocks|ballocks]] leave some chips." (Sir [[Thomas Urquhart]]'s 1653 English translation). He concludes that "the neck of a goose, that is well downed" provides an optimum cleansing medium.<ref>{{cite web |author=Rabelais, François |title=Gargantua and Pantagruel |url=https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/r/rabelais/francois/r11g/book1.13.html |publisher=eBooks@Adelaide |location=The University of Adelaide, Australia |date=20 April 2007 |access-date=13 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409124705/http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/r/rabelais/francois//r11g/book1.13.html |archive-date=9 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The rise of publishing by the eighteenth century led to the use of newspapers and cheap editions of popular books for cleansing. [[Lord Chesterfield]], in a letter to his son in 1747, told of a man who purchased

{{blockquote|a common edition of Horace, of which he tore off gradually a couple of pages, carried them with him to that necessary place, read them first, and then sent them down as a sacrifice to Cloacina; thus was so much time fairly gained...<ref>{{cite web|last1=Quoted in Maxted|first1=Ian|title=Sic transit gloria cloacarum|url=http://www.ephemera-society.org.uk/articles/cloacopapyrology.html|website=Website of The Ephemera Society |publisher=The Ephemera Society|access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref>}}

In many parts of the world, especially where toilet paper or the necessary plumbing for disposal may be unavailable or unaffordable, toilet paper is not used. Also, in many parts of the world people consider using water a much cleaner and more sanitary practice than using paper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/20120221/NEWS01/202210308/Teen-takes-mission-trip-India|quote='In most of India, they don't use toilet paper. They use water and their left hands,' Ollervides said. 'That's what the left hand is for.'|title=Teen takes mission trip to India|access-date=5 March 2012|date=21 February 2012|location=Fremont, Ohio|publisher=thenews-messenger.com|author=Sheri Trusty}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Anal cleansing|Cleansing]] is then performed with other methods or materials, such as water, for example using a [[bidet]], a [[Lota (vessel)|lota]], [[Cloth|rags]], [[sand]], [[leaves]] (including [[seaweed]]), [[corn cob]]s, animal furs, [[Japanese toilet#History|sticks]] or hands; afterwards, hands are washed with water and possibly soap.

On 18 July 2024 the sale of ruble-note artwork on toilet paper was banned by a Moscow judge.<ref name="mt1">{{cite news |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/07/18/russia-bans-ruble-toilet-paper-a85756 |title=Russia Bans Ruble Toilet Paper }}</ref>

===As a commodity===
[[Joseph Gayetty]] is widely credited with being the inventor of modern commercially available toilet paper in the United States. Gayetty's paper, first introduced in 1857, was available as late as the 1920s. Gayetty's Medicated Paper was sold in packages of flat sheets, watermarked with the inventor's name. Original advertisements for the product used the tagline "The greatest necessity of the age! Gayetty's medicated paper for the water-closet".

Seth Wheeler of [[Albany, New York]], obtained the earliest United States patents for toilet paper and dispensers, the types of which eventually were in common use in that country, in 1883.<ref>The first of note is for the idea of perforating commercial papers (25 July 1871, #117355), the application for which includes an illustration of a perforated roll of paper. On 13 February 1883 he was granted patent #272369, which presented a roll of perforated wrapping or toilet paper supported in the center with a tube. Wheeler also had patents for mounted brackets that held the rolls. See also Joseph Nathan Kane, "Famous First Facts: A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries and Inventions in the United States" (H. W. Wilson: 1964), p. 434; Harper's Magazine, volume. Q, 1941–1943 (Harper's Magazine Co.:1941), p. 181; Jules Heller, "Paper Making" (Watson-Guptill:1978), p. 193.</ref> Toilet paper dispensed from rolls was popularized when the [[Scott Paper Company]] began marketing it in 1890.<ref>[https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2020/03/21/toilet-paper-takes-center-stage-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-thankful-longer-use-corncobs-and-rope-ends/xIAbs6W53IaUQyuG5fk5iM/story.html Toilet paper takes center stage amid coronavirus outbreak. Be thankful we no longer use corncobs and rope ends.]</ref>

The manufacturing of this product had a long period of refinement, considering that as late as the 1930s, a selling point of the Northern Tissue company was that their toilet paper was "[[splinter]] free".<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Reilly |first1=Terry |title=Now Splinter Free: How Marketing Broke Taboos |url=http://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/now-splinter-free-how-marketing-broke-taboos-1.4149558 |access-date=10 June 2017 |work=Under the Influence |agency=Pirate Radio |publisher=CBC Radio One |date=8 June 2017}}</ref> The widespread adoption of the [[flush toilet]] increased the use of toilet paper, as heavier paper was more prone to clogging the [[Trap (plumbing)|trap]] that prevents sewer gases from escaping through the toilet.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/03/27/our-only-good-news-toilet-paper-wont-run-out/ Our only good news: Toilet paper won't run out / How Americans fell for toilet paper.]</ref>

Softer, two ply toilet roll was introduced in Britain in 1942, by St Andrew Mills in [[Walthamstow]]; this became the famous [[Andrex]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=History Feature: Walthamstow – The birthplace of soft toilet paper |url=https://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/10237777.history-feature-walthamstow---birthplace-soft-toilet-paper/ |access-date=2021-05-12 |website=East London and West Essex Guardian Series |date=19 February 2013 |language=en}}</ref>

Moist toilet paper, called [[wet wipes]], was first introduced in the United Kingdom by [[Andrex]] in the 1990s. It has been promoted as being a better method of cleaning than dry toilet paper after defecation, and may be useful for women during [[menstruation]]. It was promoted as a flushable product but it has been implicated in the creation of [[fatberg]]s; by 2016 some municipalities had begun education campaigns advising people not to flush used wet wipes.<ref name="Atlantic">{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Matt |title=Are Wet Wipes Wrecking the World's Sewers? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/10/are-wet-wipes-wrecking-the-worlds-sewers/504098/ |access-date=17 October 2016 |work=The Atlantic |publisher=The Atlantic Monthly Group |date=14 October 2016}}</ref>

More than seven [[billion]] rolls of toilet paper are sold yearly in the United States where  an average of 23.6 rolls per capita per year is used.<ref name="NYT0127">[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/science/earth/26charmin.html "Mr. Whipple Left It Out: Soft Is Rough on Forests"] by Leslie Kaufman, ''The New York Times'', 25 February 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.</ref>

{{external media |float = right |video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX_FTiRB5QI Documentarian Brian Gersten's short film about the 1973 shortage, ''The Great Toilet Paper Scare'']}}

In 1973, [[Johnny Carson]] joked in his ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson|Tonight Show]]'' monologue about comments made by Wisconsin congressman [[Harold V. Froehlich]] about the possibility of a toilet paper shortage. Subsequently, consumers purchased abnormal amounts, causing an actual shortage in the United States for several months.<ref name="Atlantic Buder">{{cite news |last1=Buder |first1=Emily |title=What Misinformation Has to Do With Toilet Paper |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/608209/toilet-paper-shortage/ |access-date=25 March 2020 |work=The Atlantic |date=19 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="Priceonomics Crockett">{{cite web |last1=Crockett |first1=Zachary |title=The Great Toilet Paper Scare of 1973 |url=https://priceonomics.com/the-great-toilet-paper-scare-of-1973/ |website=Priceonomics.com |access-date=25 March 2020 |date=9 July 2014}}</ref>

Toilet paper has been one of the commodities subject to [[shortages in Venezuela]] starting in the 2010s; the government seized one toilet paper factory in an effort to resolve the problem.<ref>{{cite web |title=Venezuelan Government Seizes Toilet Paper Factory Amid Shortage |website=[[Business Insider]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412085616/https://www.businessinsider.com/venezuelan-government-seizes-toilet-paper-factory-amid-shortage-2013-9 |archive-date=12 April 2023 |url-status=live |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/venezuelan-government-seizes-toilet-paper-factory-amid-shortage-2013-9 |access-date=23 March 2020 }}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], toilet paper [[Shortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic|shortages]] were reported in March 2020 in multiple countries due to hoarding and [[panic buying]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Bruce Y. |title=Is COVID-19 Coronavirus Leading To Toilet Paper Shortages? Here Is The Situation |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/03/06/how-covid-19-coronavirus-is-leading-to-toilet-paper-shortages/ |work=Forbes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Corkery |first1=Michael |last2=Maheshwari |first2=Sapna |title=Is There Really a Toilet Paper Shortage? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/business/toilet-paper-shortage.html |work=The New York Times |date=13 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Frankel |first1=Todd C. |title=The toilet paper shortage is real. But it should be brief. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/13/toilet-paper-shortage/ |access-date=15 March 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=13 March 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Andrew |first1=Scottie |title=The psychology behind why toilet paper, of all things, is the latest coronavirus panic buy |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/09/health/toilet-paper-shortages-novel-coronavirus-trnd/index.html |access-date=15 March 2020 |publisher=CNN |date=9 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Capozzi |first1=Joe |title=Coronavirus in Florida: Toilet paper – the plywood of the pandemic |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200313/coronavirus-in-florida-toilet-paper-mdash-plywood-of-pandemic |access-date=15 March 2020 |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=15 March 2020 }}</ref> At first, few believed the pandemic would be serious. Later, people realized they might need to stock up on certain items in case of a [[shelter-in-place order]], or in case they did not know how long such an order would last; suppliers could not assure that they could keep up with demand.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5803273/hoarding-toilet-paper/|title=In the Wake of the Coronavirus, Here's Why Americans Are Hoarding Toilet Paper|last=Kluger|first=Jeffrey|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=14 March 2020|access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettwhysel/2020/04/17/where-did-all-the-toilet-paper-go-the-behavioral-economics-of-hoarding/#118658022d3d|title=Where Did All The Toilet Paper Go? The Behavioral Economics Of Hoarding|last=Whysel|first=Brett|work=Forbes|date=17 April 2020|access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref> However, manufacturers continued to produce even more than they had before. Demand was higher for the types of toilet paper used at home.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/04/08/coronavirus-shortage-where-has-all-the-toilet-paper-gone/2964143001/|title=Coronavirus and shopping for supplies: Getting to the bottom of the toilet paper shortage|last=Schrotenboer|first=Brent|work=[[USA Today]]|date=8 April 2020|access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref> In some countries the [[bidet]] was already seen as a solution, and a survey before the pandemic had indicated an increasing number of Americans would be interested.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykarcz/2020/03/14/stop-hoarding-toilet-papertheres-a-better-solution/#35deeaa6c728|title=Stop Hoarding Toilet Paper – There's A Better Solution|last=Karcz|first=Anthony|work=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]|date=14 March 2020|access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref> Amid the panic buying during the pandemic, the Australian toilet paper brand [[Quilton]] donated a million of toilet paper rolls to [[vulnerable people|vulnerable]] Australians who were struggling due to the shortages of toilet paper.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/coronavirus/quilton-donates-a-million-rolls-of-toilet-paper-to-struggling-australians-amid-coronavirus-panic-buying-ng-b881499623z|title=Quilton donates a million rolls of toilet paper to struggling Australians amid coronavirus panic-buying|date=25 March 2020 |publisher=[[Perth Now]]|access-date=25 December 2023}}</ref>

In 2022, British toilet paper packaging started displaying [[bowel cancer]] symptoms to raise awareness, following campaigning from blogger and journalist [[Deborah James (journalist)|Deborah James]], who later died from the disease in June 2022. At the time, half of all Britons could not name any of the main symptoms of bowel cancer. [[Andrex]] were the first brand to take the lead on the matter, then various supermarkets followed suit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/dame-deborah-james-campaign-andrex-bowel-cancer-symptoms-toilet-roll-packs-b1007502.html?amp|title=Deborah James prompts Andrex to add bowel cancer symptoms to toilet roll packs|publisher=Evening Standard|last=Al Mustaqeem|first=Syraat|date=21 June 2022|accessdate=19 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/asda-waitrose-tesco-morrisons-join-24329694.amp|title=Asda, Waitrose, Tesco and Morrisons join Aldi and M&S in making important update to toilet roll|work=The Independent|last=Shufflebotham|first=Bethan|date=27 June 2022|accessdate=19 January 2023}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Nara period toilet paper.jpg|[[Anal cleansing]] instruments known as ''[[shit stick#Chou or Chū|chūgi]]'' from the [[Nara period]] (710 to 784) in Japan. (The modern rolls in the background are for size comparison.)
File:William Hogarth - A Just View of the British Stage.png|A print by [[William Hogarth]] entitled ''[[A Just View of the British Stage]]'' from 1724 depicting [[Robert Wilks]], [[Colley Cibber]], and [[Barton Booth]] rehearsing a pantomime play with puppets enacting a prison break down a privy. The "play" is composed of nothing but toilet paper, and the scripts for ''Hamlet'', ''inter al.'', are toilet paper.
File:Manifeste de Brunswick caricature 1792.jpg|A 1792 [[French Revolution]]ary caricature, depicting the French population using the Monarchist [[Brunswick Manifesto]] as toilet paper.
File:Nokia Toilet paper.JPG|Rolls of toilet paper, produced by [[Nokia]] in the 1960s, at the [[Vapriikki Museum Centre]] in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]
File:Papier hygiénique Le Troubadour.JPG| ''Le Troubadour'' (French) – 1960s package of toilet paper
</gallery>