ANSWERING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Are “courtesy flushes” useful — or healthy? “It may shock you, but get this: There has never been a widespread study conducted on the sanitation or the necessity of the courtesy flush. Before we nod knowingly about how it’s just like Big Toilet to cover up the facts, you should know that we do have some ancillary information that might just give us a glimpse into the science of the courtesy flush.”