BAT

BA T

5 05

ness, poisonous bites of animals, and obstinate agues, by going in ipreviously to the return ot the lit, and after all the evacuations of •the body have been properly attended to ; and, lastly, that the jsea-water bath has been of eminent sen ice in dropsies, and defect- ]tive hearing ; in which last case, he knew a deaf person who couldhear perfectly well, on the day he bathed in the sea. Experience,however, has but too often evinced, that this excellent remedy,whether by Iresh or salt water, cannot be implicitly relied uponin those complaints; nor will it lie productive of any good effects,unless our conduct, in general, be accommodated to the followingrules: 1. It is a vulgar error, that it is safer to enter die water whenthe body is coo!; and that persons heated by exercise, and begin-ning to perspire, should wait till they are periectiv cooled. Thus,by plunging into it, in this state, an alarming and dangerous dull-ness frequently seizes them, and the injury sustained is generallyascribed to their going into it too warm ; while it doubtless arisesfrom the contrary practice;. Dr. J. Currie, of Liverpool, in his■valuable “ Treatise on the Effects of Water in Fevers,” says, withequal truth and precision, that “ in the earlier stages of exercise,before profuse perspiration lias dissipated the heat, and fatigue de-bilitated the living power, nothing is more safe, according to myexperience, than the cold bath. This is so true, that I have, forsome years, constantly directed infirm persons to use such a degreeof exercise, before immersion, as may produce some increased ac-tion of the vascular system, with some increase of heat, and thussecure a force of re-action under the shock, which'otherwise mightnot always take place, lint, though it be perfectly sate to go intothe cold”bath in the earlier stages of exercise, nothing is more dan-gerous than this practise, after' exercise has produced profuse per-spiration, and terminated in languor and fatigue ; because in suchcircumstances the heat is not only sinking rapidly, but the systemparts more easily with the portion that remains.” In short, it is arule liable to no exception, that moderate exercise ought alwaysto precede cold bathing, to promote the re action of all the vesselsand muscles, on entering the water ; for neither previous rest, norexercise to a violent degree, are proper on this occasion. 2. Theduration of every cold bathing applied to the whole body oughtto be short, and must be determined by the bodily constitution,and the sensations of the individual ; for healthy persons may con-tinue much longer in it than valetudinarians ; and both will be in-fluenced by file temperature of the air, so that in summer theycan enjoy it for an hour, when, in spring or autumn, one or twominutes may be sufficient. Under similar circumstances, coldwater acts on aged and lean persons with more violence than onthe young and corpulent: hence the former, even in the hottestdays of summer, can seldom with safety remain in the bath longerthan a quarter of an hour; while the latter are generally able tosustain its impressions for double that lime. 3. The bead shouldlirst come in contact with the water, either by immersion, pouringwater upon it, or covering it for a minute with a wet cloth, andthen diving head foremost into the water. 4. As the immersionwill be less felt when it is effected suddenly; and as it is of conse-quence that the first impression should be uniform over the body,we must not enter the bath slowly or timorously, but with a de-gree of boldness. A contrary method would be dangerous; as itmight propel the blood from the lower to the upper parts of thebody, and thus occasion a fit of apoplexy. For these reasons, theshower-bath is attended with considerable advantages, because ittransmits the water quickly over the whole body ; and, conse-quently, is more consistent with the rules before mentioned. 5.The morning is the most proper time for using the cold bath,unless it be in a river; in which case the afternoon, or from one totwo hours before sun-set, will be more eligible ; as the water hasthen acquired additional warmth from the rays of the sun, and theimmersion will not interfere with digestion ; on the whole, onehour after a light breakfast, or two hours before, or four hours afterdinner, are the best periods of the day for this purpose, (j. Whilethe bather is in the water, he should not remain inactive, butapply brisk general friction, and move his arms and legs, to pro-mote the circulation of the liuids from the heart to the extremities.It would, therefore, be extremely imprudent to continue in thewater till a second chillness attacks the body ; a circumstancewhich would not only defeat the whole purpose intended, butmight at the same time be productive of the most injurious effects.Immediately after the person leaves the bath, it will be necessaryfor him, with the assistance of another person for dispatch, to wipe

and dry his body with a coarse and clean cloth. He should notafterwards sit inaciive, or enter a carriage, unless warmly clothed,and wearing flannel next the skin : il season and circumstancespermit, it will be more proper, and highly beneficial, to take gen-tle exercise till the equilhrium of the circulation be restored, andtile vessels, as well as the muscles, have acquired a due degree ofre-action. J'lie best place for cold bathing is in the invigoratingwater of the sea, or a clear liver: and where neither of tlie.se canbe conveniently resorted to, we recommend the Shower Hath ; anapparatus of which may be procured from the tin-man. Its effectsare doubtless more powerful than those of the common bath ; andthough the latter covers the surface of the body move uniformly,yet this circumstance by no means detracts from the excellence ofthe former; because those intermediate parts, which the water hasnot touched, receive an electric and sympathetic impression, in adegree similar to those brought into actual contact. As everydrop of water from the shower-bath operates as a partial cold bath,its vivifying shock to robust individuals is more extensive, and be-neficial, than from any other method of bathing. Hence this bathis possessed of the following important advantages; 1. The suddencontact of tin: water may be repeated, prolonged, and modified atpleasure ; 2. The bead and breast are tolerably secure, as it de-scends towards the lower extremities: thus, the circulation is notimpeded, breathing is less affected, and a determination of blood tothe bead and breast is effectually obviated; 3. As the. water de-scends in single drops, it is more stimulating and pleasant, thantlie usual immersion ; and can be more readily procured andj adapted to circumstances; lastly, 4. The degree of pressure fromthe weight at water, is here likewise in a great measure prevented;

I nor > s the circulation cf the fluids interrupted so as to render thei use °f tins bath in any degree dangerous; a circumstance of the1 highest importance ; because, by the ordinary immersion, personsare olten exposed to injuries which they least apprehend,j Baths, Warm or Tepid, are such as have a temperature abovej the 7t)tii, and not exceeding the 9(>th or 98th degree of the thermo-meter before mentioned. There are various springs in Britain ,especially those of Bath, Clifton, Buxton, and Matlock, to whichMature has given this temperature, the most beneficial to the humanbody. But whether the tepid bath of this description be naturalor artificial, it is equally conducive to die restoration of energy,.though its effects have, till lately, been little understood. Phy-sicians, as well as patients, have hitherto been too generally accus-i lomed to consider a warm bath as weakening the body, and useful’ only tor the removal of certain diseases, especially those of thej skin. Experience, however, lias amply proved, that there can beno safer and more efficacious remedy in a variety of chronic orinveterate complaints, than the warm baths, if properly used, and.continued for a sufficient length of time. Dr. Marcard, residentphysician of Pyrmont, has, in our opinion, satisfactorily demon-strated, that the warm bath, in many cases of debility, from spasms,pain, anxiety, and other causes, as well as to hectic and emaciatedpersons, is generally, of eminent service, and almost the only, means of restoring their health, and prolonging their lives. In-stead of beating the human body, as lias erroneously been asserted,

! the warm bath has a cooling effect, inasmuch as it obviously1 abates the quickness of the pulse, and reduces the pulsations in ai remarkable degree, according to the length of time the patientcontinues in the water. After the body has been over-heated byfatigue from travelling, violent exercise, or from whatever cause,

; and likewise after great exertion or perturbation of mind, a tepid; bath is excellently calculated to invigorate the whole system,j while it allays 'those tempestuous and irregular motions, which! otherwise prey upon, and at length reduce, the constitution to asick-bed. Its softening and assuasive power greatly tends to pro-mote the growth of the body ; on which account it is peculiarlyadapted to the state of such youth as manifest a premature disposi-tion to arrive at a settled period of growth : and it has uniformlybeen observed to produce this singular effect, in all climates. Thewarm hath is of very great utility to such individuals as are trou-bled with a parched and rough skin ; it lias also been found to af-ford relief in many paralytic, bilious, hypochondriacal, hysteric,and even insane cases, as well as to forward the cure of scorbuticanti leprous eruptions, when strict attention bad been paid to bothdiet and regimen. In palsy, likewi.-e, modern observers assert,that warm bathing is one of the most effectual remedies; thoughthe late Dr. Mead expressly maintained, that it is prejudicial to all■ 8 paralytics.