Driven by curiosity, we may wonder if those ancient eunuchs stood or squatted when they went to the toilet? After all, they were men and should have stood to go to the toilet, but this is not the case, because of the changes in their physiology, their urine has become uncontrollable and can happen at any time.
According to the Qing Dynasty notebook "Chentan Miscellaneous Knowledge", those who decided to enter the palace to become eunuchs must be recommended by eunuchs of status, and officially become a member of the palace by making a "marriage letter". This "marriage letter" must be voluntary, and then a professional knife maker will be invited to prepare for the castration operation. On an auspicious day, lock the cleanser in an airtight room, let him empty his body, and then seal it in.
During this period of confinement, cleansers are required to fasting strictly to prevent the excreta from contaminating the wound after the surgery, which may worsen or even endanger life. The reason why the room should be airtight is also to ensure the safety of the cleaner. After three or four days of preparation, the castration was officially performed.
The surgeon uses a special silver scalpel, and after the procedure is done, they apply white wax oil to the bleeding wound and sprinkle pepper to reduce the pain. In addition, a stalk of wheat is inserted as a urinary catheter to help urinate and avoid urine touching the wound.
Over the next few months, the stalk became a urinary catheter for the eunuchs. Due to changes in physiology, eunuchs were often unable to control the discharge of urine, and irregular outflow may occur. Therefore, going to the toilet becomes their only option to go to the toilet, otherwise they may urinate all over the floor.
For eunuchs of higher status and leisure time, they may be able to change their clothes frequently to keep them clean. However, most eunuchs were engaged in heavy chores in the palace and had little time to change their clothes and had to be left to dry naturally. Therefore, most eunuchs often carry an indescribable smell on their bodies, which is why the common people call them "stinky eunuchs", which is undoubtedly a great insult to them.