Editing Defecation (section)

{{short description|Expulsion of feces from the digestive tract}}
{{hatnote group|
{{distinguish|Defecation (band)|Defalcation}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Defecator|Defector}}
{{Redirect|pooping|other uses|Poop (disambiguation){{!}}Poop}}
}}
{{Human-centric|date=May 2025}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
[[Image:Anorectum.gif|right|frame|[[Human anatomy]] of the ''anorecturm'' ([[Human anus|anus]] and [[rectum]])]]

'''Defecation''' (or '''defaecation''') follows [[digestion]] and is the necessary [[biological process]] by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid [[metabolic waste|waste]] material known as [[feces]] (or faeces) from the [[digestive tract]] via the [[anus]] or [[cloaca]]. The act has a variety of names, ranging from the technical (e.g. '''bowel movement'''), to the common (like '''pooping''' or '''crapping'''), to the obscene (''[[Shit|shitting]]''), to the euphemistic ("doing number two", "dropping a deuce" or "taking a dump"), to the juvenile ("going poo-poo" or "making doo-doo"). The topic, usually avoided in polite company, forms the basis of [[scatological humor]].
<!-- Specifics: different species and times -->

[[human feces|Humans expel feces]] with a frequency varying from a few times daily to a few times weekly.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Basics of Constipation|url=https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/understanding-constipation-basics|website=WebMD|language=en|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref> Waves of [[muscle|muscular contraction]] (known as ''[[peristalsis]]'') in the walls of the [[colon (anatomy)|colon]] move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the [[rectum]]. [[Flatus]] may also be expulsed. Undigested food may also be expelled within the feces, in a process called '''''egestion'''''. When birds defecate, they also expel [[urine]] and [[urate]]s in the same mass, whereas other animals may also simultaneously [[urinate]] during defecation, but the processes are spatially separated. Defecation may also accompany [[childbirth]] and [[death]]. Babies defecate a unique substance called [[meconium]] prior to eating external foods.<!-- Medical -->

There are a number of medical conditions associated with defecation, such as [[diarrhea]] and [[constipation]], some of which can be serious. A simpler and more mundane concern is the maintenance of [[anal hygiene]], which usually calls for cleaning the area shortly after defecation. The feces expelled can carry diseases, most often through the contamination of food. ''[[E. coli]]'' is a particular concern.
<!-- Where? collection -->

Before [[toilet training]], human feces are most often collected into a [[diaper]]. Thereafter, in many societies people commonly defecate into a [[toilet]]. A Western-style [[flush toilet]] requires a [[Defecation postures|sitting position]], as compared with a [[squat toilet]]. However, [[open defecation]], the practice of defecating outside without using a toilet of any kind, is still widespread in some developing countries;<ref name="JMP2017">WHO and UNICEF (2017) [https://washdata.org/reports Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: 2017 Update and SDG Baselines]. Geneva: World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2017</ref> some people in those countries defecate into the ocean. Well-developed countries use [[sewage treatment plants]] or [[On-site sewage treatment|on-site treatment]] for [[Blackwater (waste)|blackwater]].