Medieval public and private hygiene

contributions and documents on sanity structures in Coimbra between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries

Abstract

This article looks at the sanitary structures of the city of Coimbra between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries – which the documents name as tristega, cagatório, latrine, and privy. In its analysis of a specific urban aspect such as this, the article provides a contribution to the historiography of private life and everyday life in medieval Portugal, and to our knowledge of the functioning of municipal power and the management of the public place. This case study is framed with existing information for other towns, in and outside Portugal. Given the paucity of written and material sources available, an appendix of documents is included.