Soap and Detergents

Abstract

Soapmaking was documented on clay tablets in ancient Babylon in approximately 2800 BC. The Egyptians bathed regularly and Eber’s Papyrus dated about 1500 BC described combining animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to form soap-like material for treating skin diseases and for washing. The name soap supposedly came from Roman legend. Burnt animal sacrifices were made on Mount Sapo and the mixture of melted animal tallow and burnt ashes made their way to the banks of the Tiber River. This thick mixture applied to clothing enhanced the removal of dirt from laundry. The Romans were known for their famous baths and Galen the physician recommended soap both for medicinal and general bathing purposes. After the decline of Rome, poor hygiene and unsanitary living conditions contributed to the plagues of the Middle Ages. Gradually, soapmaker’s guilds appeared, with Italy, Spain, France and England becoming centers of soap manufacture. King James granted a monopoly to a soapmaker in England in 1622 for $100 000 a year (The Soap and Detergent Association, 1981). From that time forward, the desire for and use of soap has increased tremendously into modern times. As recently as 1989, riots broke out in the Soviet Union over the lack of soap and toilet paper.