So this might be a bit odd for a first post, but I'm in the process of putting together a late medieval harness. I got to reading about some of the kits other posters here have, and I began to wonder about how one would handle the necessary bodily functions.

Armour seems to be fairly difficult to put on and take off, and bulky of course. So when nature strikes, what's the protocol as far as urination and defecation? Modern times, SCA and such as that I can understand walking over to the porta john on the edge of the field or making a mad dash for the woods. :p

As far as wearing it back in the medieval period, on the march or in combat was it a 'do it and clean up later' sort of arrangement, or would they have had a squire assist them in removing the armour?

(Keeping in mind, that with sanitation before water treatment and such came about, dysentery was no doubt an issue.)

Tyler,
Hello and welcome to myArmoury. :) This topic has been discussed before here:

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=16675

Not surprisingly, books on armour tend not to mention this. :)