Also, many peasants didn’t even use bath houses they bathed in their home with more effort by heating up basins of water.
But excessive bathing wasn’t really talking about bathing but going to public bath houses to meet and to … other people.
If you read the article/post, it goes on to say that in later centuries, some medical professionals misinformed the public telling them not to bathe with warm water because the ‘pores would open and let too much bacteria etc in.’ I am thankful they eventually reconsidered.
A lot of the myths about medieval people were fabricated during the enlightenment and industrial eras to pump up the idea that modern people were so much better than ye olde boorish savages. Much of it is complete BS. People weren’t nearly as backwards and primitive as we’ve been led to believe.
They were hella superstitious, though.
It’s a major reason for sure. Essentially living in a dirty factory complex from birth to death with your entire family after the lords took everything from your ancestors and forced you into the city must’ve seemed somewhat less gruesome if you believed your ancestors crawled in the mud. Because the lords and tycoons you work and live for say so.