Changes

In the Medieval Period, cities began to utilize small open canals along streets to move waste water out of cities. Sometimes natural stream were utilized to move waste away from a city, although this had the detrimental result of polluting water downstream. By the late Medieval period, however, cities were developing more sanitary policies and becoming administered by central municipalities that managed issues of waste water and the provision of drinking water. public latrines were constructed, although by the 16th centuries flush toilets were also utilized at least by the royalty<ref>For more on Medieval sanitation, see: Gies, F., & Gies, J. (1999). Daily life in medieval times: a vivid, detailed account of birth, marriage, and death; food, clothing, and housing; love and labor, in the Middle Ages. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, pg. 138.</ref>.

Interestingly, in Japan and China, there was a different solution to the problem of human waste. In this case, there was a collection system where human waste was used to fertilize agricultural fields. In Western states, this did not develop because of the dependence on cattle, while in Japan and China cattle were not as integrated into the agricultural process<ref>For more on using human waste as fertilizer, see: King, F. H. Farmers of forty centuries: or, Permanent agriculture in China, Korea, and Japan. Miami, FL: HardPress Publishing.</ref>.