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THE WHITE THRONE A toilet or lavatory is a plumbing fixture and disposal system primarily intended for the disposal of the bodily wastes: urine and fecal matter. The word "toilet" can be used to refer to the fixture itself or to the room containing the fixture, especially in British English. In North American English the word "toilet" refers solely to the fixture itself and not to the room that contains it, thus asking for the "toilet" would seem indecent. Instead, the euphemisms bathroom, rest room, washroom or men's room / women's room / loo are preferred. The modern flush toilet system was first designed in 1596 by Sir John Harington[1]; however, a form of flush toilet was used in the Indus Valley Civilization[2]. The cities of Harappa [3] and Mohenjo-daro[4] had flush toilets attached to a sophisticated sewage system. The flush toilet was originally invented in the Indus Valley Civilization. The modern flush toilet was developed by Sir John Harrington, but due to slurs published by himself and being ridiculed in England for his invention, his toilet was never mass-produced. Then, Alexander Cummings, a watch-maker, patented his design for a flush toilet, which was the basis for the modern sitting toilet that a large part of the human population uses today. There are also many different ways to clean oneself after using the toilet. A lot depends on national mores and local resources. The most common choice in the Western world is toilet paper, sometimes used in conjunction with the bidet. (See Toilet paper and Anal cleansing for a discussion of the many alternatives used through history and in different cultures.) In the Middle East and some countries in Asia, and South Asian countries such as India, the custom is to use water, either with or without toilet paper. Traditionally, the left hand is used for this, for which reason that hand is considered impolite or polluted in many eastern countries. Some toilet areas (otherwise known as "stalls"), are specially adapted for people with disabilities. These are wide enough to allow the entry by a person in a wheelchair, and often feature hand-holds bolted to the wall, enabling the person to maneuver onto the toilet, if necessary. The most common type of toilet in modern cities is the flush toilet, in which water takes away the waste through sewers to a waste treatment plant. In rural areas where sewers are not practical, septic tanks may be installed instead. The most common design in first-world countries is the or sitting toilet. Many other countries use the squat toilet, especially in public restrooms, finding it both cheaper to install and more hygienic to maintain. Main designs Specialty designs The pre-plumbing American Standard Outhouse Toilet The post-plumbing American Standard Toilet Squat toilet as seen in some parts of France, Italy, India, Turkey, Japan and China A portable urinal in the Netherlands. An automated Sanisette outdoor toilet Some public toilets use blue lighting, to prevent drug abuse by apparently making it harder to locate the veins.