Poop Deck and WHY?

During my trip I e-mailed my Sweetie. In one of his e-mails he asked this question. Was it called the "poop deck" because that's where they went to the bathroom?One would think so, but no. Let's imagine an Elizabethan-era sailing ship. The "poop deck" is the exposed partial deck on the stern superstructure (the high part at the back). Now, one would think that if a ship were moving forward the place to sit would be at the back of the ship, so their waste would fall behind them and keep the back of the ship clean. So wrong! Remember, ships relied on external power: the wind. If the ship is moving forward it is not because they're throwing water behind them with a propeller, they are riding the air currents. If an inexperienced sailor ("landsman") does his business on the Poop Deck the wind will make a mess and his shipmates will be pretty sore at the work he made for them. Sailors go to the front of the ship for their business. Some scholars feel that there were some manner of "vile tubes" placed up there to guide the waste, but the evidence is sketchy. Incidentally, this is where we get the term "head" for bathroom. The fore part of the ship is sometimes referred to as the head. The stern of the ship being called "the poop" actually is a holdover from a Latin term: The name comes from the after deck section on Roman ships, (puppim - pronounced "poopim") where small statues or sacred images (puppis - meaning dool or statue) of gods were kept. Boats for Beginners! As sails gave way to engines, the need for a functional poop deck decreased significantly. Almost all of the vital command orders could be issued from a centralized bridge, which overlooked the entire ship. Modern sailing ships may still have an elevated cabin in the aft area, but the poop deck is little more than a raised platform suitable for sunbathing or other recreational uses. Like the area where we had the buffet the first day on board.