Tuesday, 21 April 2015

Why did it smell bad in theatres in 1599?

Why did it smell bad in theatres in 1599?
Who says they did?
Though my guess would be if they did, Air freshener wasn't invented yet.
There are records of open air theatres. They were open air because lighting was an issue. Many that could afford the "oil lamps" used animal fat and burned woven animal hair or tree bark. If you smell burning fat you'll realise. Added to this was the level of personal hygiene. Body Oder was pretty bad and at the time it was considered unhealthy to wash the natural oils from the body. In fact it was somewhat unhealthy to wash in those times as many of the streets were mud based and filled with toilet waste. The excrement would make its way in to streams and rivers where water was gathered. When you washed it was cold water and contained considerable harmful organisms. Where you had gatherings there was bound to be clothing that was more than dirty, it often contained animal waste from walking in it and of course - not antiperspirant/deodorant in sight

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