MatSav wrote:

Toilets are fascinating pieces of engineering, and the different
designs around the world can be somewhat confusing.

The USofA seem to use bowls with a higher water level in the pan
than those in the UK. In much of Europe, there's a 'shelf' on the
front inside edge of the bowl where business is deposited (for
inspection?) before flushing, and not straight into the standing
water of the S-(or U-)bend vapour trap.

Much of the [human] world sees defaecation as a normal bodily
function that is a great indicator of health (or otherwise), and
in less developed countries, defaecation in public is seen as
nothing unusual (particularly with children). In my opinion, we
have a somewhat strange and prudish attitude in the UK. Our
'bathrooms' are often placed at almost inaccessible parts of
public buildings, and eliminating is seen as something to be
hidden. It's something we all have to do, so why hide it?

Because things being natural and done by everyone isn't automatically
connected with either doing it privately or the location of public toilets?

I've always thought that the older the building, the more likely it was
that indoor toilets were added as an afterthought, whereever they could
be squeezed in. I'd expect that to have happened more often in the UK
than in North America, although I well remember a building I attended a
couple of dances in. It was originally built in the 1800s for one of
those men-only fraternal organizations that eventually sold it in order
to buy something cheaper and easier to maintain. During the last of
their reign and under the new owners, the place was rented out for
dances (among other events), since although shabby, it had a large room
with a hardwood floor plus a bar. The mens' toilet was in a sensible and
accessible place on the main floor. The womens' toilet, clearly an
afterthought, was in the basement, down a long flight of stairs and
along a corridor.

Some European homes I've been in had the toilet and bathtub in different
rooms, which was rather odd to my eyes!

I have never really adjusted to the hole-in-the-floor type, no matter
how often I'm told that it's more natural to crouch down instead of
sitting, and that they're as clean as any other (when in private homes,
not necessarily in public locations, but we all know not all public
toilets are clean), and they use less water so are more environmentally
sensitive. My knees just don't take a lot of bending, and I really think
that if you want to keep them clean, you need to practice your aim.

Of course, that's true for sit-down toilets, too. Especially for men.

--
Cheryl