Did you know that tracking poop has been a thing for thousands of years? From ancient Greek physicians to modern-day dictators, people have been paying close attention to what goes on in the bathroom.
Let's take a tour through the history of poop tracking across different cultures and time periods.
Hippocrates: The Father of Western Medicine We'll start our journey in ancient Greece with Hippocrates, often called the "Father of Western Medicine." Living over 2,000 years ago, he was way ahead of his time when it came to understanding gut health.
Hippocrates famously said, "All disease begins in the gut. " While we now know this isn't entirely true, he wasn't far off. Modern research has shown that many chronic diseases are linked to gut health .
Hippocrates was particularly interested in intestinal parasites . He described three types in his writings:
Helmins strongyle (likely roundworms) Ascaris (possibly pinworms and whipworms) Helmins plateia (thought to be flatworms or tapeworms) Recent archaeological evidence has backed up some of Hippocrates' observations. Researchers found parasitic eggs in ancient poop stuck to 6,000-year-old pelvic bones on a Greek island.
Hippocrates linked various symptoms to intestinal parasites, including weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and a swollen belly. He even described a case where a worm popped out of a boy's stomach fistula.
Ayurveda Heading to India, we find that Ayurvedic medicine also takes poop tracking very seriously.
Stool examination (purisha pariksha ) is one of the eight key diagnostic methods in Ayurveda. Ayurvedic practitioners look at poop to diagnose imbalances in your doshas (life forces), diagnose imbalances in your Agni (digestive fire) , give insight on the prognosis of diseases, and detect the presence of parasites. In Ayurveda, poop is assessed on a variety of dimensions: regularity, stool color, stool texture, if there is froth present, the smell of your poop, and how you feel while you’re using the bathroom.
Ayurveda also has a unique technique called Jala Nimajjana Purisha Pariksha . They observe whether your poop sinks or floats in water, to detect the presence of Ama , which is unwanted in the body.
The Royal Poop Scoop: England's Groom of the Stool Fast forward to 17th century England, where poop tracking reached royal proportions.
The Royal Court had a position called the Groom of the Stool . The “stool” in this case refers to a portable toilet, along with washcloths and water the Groom of the Stool carried around at all times. This lucky individual had the honor of inspecting the king's poop and reporting findings to the Royal Doctor.
Despite the seemingly unpleasant nature of the job, it was actually a highly coveted position. Due to the intimate nature of the job, The Groom of the Stool often became one of the king's closest confidants , privy to royal secrets and wielding significant influence.
Kim Jong Un's Portable Throne Even in the 21st century, some world leaders take their poop very seriously.
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, reportedly travels with his own personal toilet to ensure his waste doesn't fall into the wrong hands. As one North Korean defector revealed , "The leader's excretions contain information about his health status, so they can't be left behind." Talk about classified information!
Why All The Fuss About Feces? So why have cultures throughout history been so obsessed with tracking poop? It turns out, your stool can reveal a lot about your health :
Digestive efficiency Nutrient absorption Presence of parasites or infections Liver and gallbladder function Overall metabolic health With Throne, you not online get your own personal Groom of the Stool — providing valuable insights into your health — you're participating in a tradition that spans cultures and millennia!
If you have serious concerns about your digestive health, it's always best to consult with a healthcare professional rather than relying solely on poop-tracking. But self-awareness never hurts – your body (and possibly your doctor) will thank you for paying attention.
