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We often get questions on Dear Hank and John that are sciencey and I love them but they don't fit into the show.
@okidoki_boki and I even research some of them. It seems a shame never to share. So we're going to start doing that...our first...
How did cowboys wipe their butts?
@okidoki_boki and I even research some of them. It seems a shame never to share. So we're going to start doing that...our first...
How did cowboys wipe their butts?
Firstly, it's important to know that most humans on earth do not currently use toilet paper. They use water. Turns out this can work just fine! But cowboys were out on the range, often with limited access to water.
The question asker assumed that there also weren't a lot of leaves around because cowboys worked in the desert. This is a point of confusion...a lot of cows are now run on pretty barren, scrubby land...
But back then, land that would now definitely be under intensive farming was grazed. So there probably were plenty of leaves around. Including mullan...a plant so suited for butt wiping that it is probably superior to what you use every day.
It's leaves are big and strong. but also soft and fuzzy. If you ever get the chance to try wiping with mullan...I suggest it.
But people have also wiped with just about everything you can imagine...corn cobs, rocks, straw, leaves, furs, sticks, snow, seashells, leather, and, in a pinch...hands. Just keep track of which you use for what.
