No One Cared About Hygiene

Without a question, cleanliness standards have improved significantly over the course of human history. Modern medicine has shown us that keeping clean and routinely cleaning your environment can completely remove many infections. That, however, is frequently interpreted to suggest that no one ever tried to keep themselves clean throughout history, contributing to the greater misunderstanding that history has only been a constant march toward progress in every area.

Contrary to popular belief, those who lived in prosperous empires for the most of recorded human history kept a cleaner lifestyle. As an illustration, consider the Roman Empire, where public baths were widespread. Everybody, even the farmers, washed their hands and faces every morning in the majority of medieval towns throughout Europe and Asia, which at the time had the highest populations in the known world. Those who could afford it would frequently take baths. Even at the time, it was well known that keeping filthy may cause infections by attracting fleas and lice.