October
14
/ 2023
Sanitation aboard a pirate ship was far from ideal. Bathing was a rarity, and clean clothes were scarce, often stolen from other ships. Hot baths were a luxury reserved for the sick, usually onshore. The ship's toilet was known as "the head," a simple wooden box with holes at the ship's front. Pirates used a communal swab on a rope as toilet paper, hoping the ocean would clean it. Smaller ships lacked a designated head, so sailors used the "chains," platforms extending from the ship's side, or primitive urinals called "pissdales." Cleaning these facilities was an unpleasant task, often assigned to someone called "The Liar." Pirates did care for their sick crew members, quarantining them and providing special food and
