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paralytics. Dr. Charleton, of Bath , was the first who refuted thisassertion ; because he had seen, in the hospital of that city, nu-merous and manifest proofs ot its efficacy in paralytic cases.

Baths, Ilor, are those which have a temperature above 9S or100 degrees of Fahrenheit, and are occasionally increased to 110or 120°, and upwards, according to the particular nature of thecase, ami the constitution of the patient. As no prudent person,we trust, will have recourse to a hot hath, without medical advice,we shall but briefly enumerate a few particulars relative to its use,as well as its effects. 1. Hot bathing, whether natural or artifi-cial, is supposed to be the most general solvent of all the humoursof the body ; 2. It consequently is the mo-t probable mean otremoving obstructions of every kind; 3. Previous evacuations arenecessary to cleanse the fir.-t passages, and prepare the habit; forwhich purpose repeated emetics are often sate and useful. 4. At-tenuating and aperitive metlicines are proper to render the humoursmore fluid, and promote the discharge of noxious particles, andwhatever caused the obstructions. 5. 'Poo greit a degree of heat,or too long a continuance in the bath ; too heating a bed after it;profuse perspiration; exposure to cold air on bathing days; eatingof high-seasoned dishes, or drinking of spirituous liquors, duringa course of bathing, are always improper, often dangerous, andsometimes fatal ; 6. The head should in no case be dipt, till thebather is rising out of the water; 7. A course of bathing should belong, hut regulated by intervals, according to the various effectsperceived by the bather; S. The temperate seasons of the yearare most proper, safe, and beneficial, both for drinking and bath-ing. On the whole, there can be no stated rules laid down, asevery thing depends upon the peculiar circumstances of each pa-tient; and hence Dr. Oliver asserts, in bis “ Practical Essay onthe Use and Abuse of Warm (hot) Bathing, &c.” that by the pru-dent use of the hot hath, most chronical disorders, and gouty casesin particular, not in an inflamed state, may be relieved, and some-times cured; while persons in high health may be greatly injuredBy wantonly sporting with so powerful an alterative of the animalmachine, either from sickness to health, or from health to sick-ness.

Baths, Sweating, or Vapour Baths, which are much usedby the Russians of every rank and age, in almost every disorder;before and after a journey, hard work, &c. These are frequentedat least once a week, or as often as possible, whether in a state ofhealth or sickness: the extraordinary degree of heat produced bythe evaporation of water thrown upon red-hot stones, in a closeroom, raises the therommeter to 146 or I6S degrees; the latter ofwhich number is a degree of heat considerably above that whichmelts wax, and only 12° below that for boiling spirit of wine. Insuch a bath, the Russians lie naked on a bench, and continuethere, notwithstanding a profuse perspiration, sometimes tor twohours, occasionally pouring hot water over their bodies: thussome, with a view to promote perspiration, and completely to openthe pores, are first rubbed, and then gently flagellated with leafvbranches of birclt ; while others wash their bodies with warm orcold water ; and all of them at length plunge over head in a largetub of water. Many, however, rush out almost dissolved in sweat;and either throw themselves immediately from the bath-room intothe adjoining river, or, in winter, roll themselves in snow duringthe most piercing cold, without suffering any inconvenience, andprobably with advantage; for we understand that rheumatisms arescarcely known ill Russia ; and there is great reason to attributethis exemption to the use of the vapour-bath. Indeed, they dilferfrom all the balnea of antiquity, as well as from those of the mo-dern Orientals, in the circumstance of not being dry sweating-baths; w hence their peculiar excellence in many eases where hotwater-baths would he inefficacious, or even hurtful. Bv excitingan unusual degree of perspiration, they promote cleanliness, w hilethey render the skin soft and smooth : hence, again, they cannot becompared to the voluptuous baths of the Greeks and Romans ;because all the consequences of effeminacy and luxury are herecompletely obviated, l-'rom the prejudices imbibed during a softand effeminate education, this sudden transition from heat to in-tense cold apnears to us unnatural and dangerous: hut it certainlyHardens the body of the Russian, and enables him to brave all thevicissitudes of the weather, and all the severities of his climate.To conclude this interesting subject, we shall observe that the na-tural perspiration, the most important of all excretions, must na-ijraliv go on better in a body constantly kept soft by bathing. A

great number of impurities which privily lav in us, the train totedious and dangerous di-tempers are timely removed, ere theypoison the blood and the juices. All exanthematic diseases areabated by batnmg, consequently then the small-pox; and if thisdreadful disorder he actually le-s fatal in Russia , than in othercountries, this phenomenon need not be attributed to any othercatt-a titan the vapour-bath.

Baths, Dry, were formerly made of ashes, salt, sand, shredsof lea:her, and similar substances. Celsus informs us, that theancients had a variety of sweating-baths by a drv heat, and espe-cially by certain steams naturally emitted from the earth, and re-ceived under a proper arch or hot-house ; or sometimes by meansof hot sand, stove-rooms, or artificial bagnios. Although manycases are recorded by medical and ot her autltors, from which itappears that dry baths have often been found beneficial in remov-ing obstinate pains in the limbs, and even curing that odious dis-order which salivation cannot always remove, yet we have reasonto doubt their efficacy, when unassisted by internal medicines. Insuch cases as rheumatism, gout, palsv, &c. where profuse perspi-ration is necessary, as it were, to expel the malignant morbid hu-mours, there is no occasion for resorting to the precarious use ofdry baths ; we would, therefore, preferably recommend the Prus-sian Vapour Bath, which was lately used in that kingdom, withalmost general success. It simply consists of a close wooden box,the lower part of which resembles a common night chair, in whichis placed a large vessel with boiling water: the upper compartmenthas only one aperture on the top, opening with two horizontaldoor*, having in the centre an excision large enough to admit a per-son’s neck with ease, in such a box the patient is placed for one,two, or three hours, according to the nature of his case, anti thedegree of perspiration deemed necessary. There can he no rea-sonable objection against this simple contrivance, which, with afew improvements-, deserves to he adopted in the British army,and especially in tile navy, where want of room, and other cir-cumstances, might render it, on many occasions, extremelyuseful.

Baths, Medicated, are those saturated with various mineral,vegetable, or sometimes animal, substances. Tims we have sulphur| and steel baths, aromatic and milk baths; there can be no doubt,that such ingredients, if duly mixed, and a proper temperature begiven to the water, may, in certain complaints, be productive ofeffects highly beneficial. Water impregnated with the scales orru-t of iron, which abound with the saline and sulphureous particlesof that metal, is of great service tor strengthening the part to whichi it is applied ; re invigoiating debilitated limbs; stopping variouskinds of bleeding; restoring tlie menstrual and hemorrhoidal dis-i charges, when obstructed; and, in short, as a substitute tor the; natural iron-bath. In the vicinity of smelting works, large quantities, of the slag of copper, antimony, and cobalt, are generally thrownaway as useless; but these substances contain a considerable pro-portion of sulphur and vitriolic arid, combined with an earthybase, which renders them valuable in baths designed for bracingand giving lone to the weak fibres, or relaxing them when they arepreternaturally rigid. Besides, such baths are possessed of deter-sive properties, so (hat they may be used with advantage in many: cases, if due regard be paid to those circumstances which we havepointed out under the head Cold Baths. In preparing such arti-ficial baths, however, the slags ought to be thrown into the waterimmediately after they are taken from the furnace, or they shouldbe previously heated: these preparations may then be used, occa-sionally, either in the form of baths, or fomentations. There arevarious other medicated baths, such as those saturated witli alumand quick-lime, sal ammoniac, &c. by boiling them together orseparately in pure rain water: they have long been reputed aseminently serviceable in paralytic and all diseases arising fromnervous and muscular debility. Lastly, it is worthy of remark,that all mineral waters presented to us by (lie beneficent hand ofnature, may be artificially prepared, with tolerable accuracy, andsometimes of superior efficacy, w hen we are sufficiently acquaintedwith the component parts of such springs.

Bath-Waters are celebrated on account of their having ahigher temperature than any other in Britain , and being the onlyl springs which are sensibly hot to the touch. Ali other thermali waters of tins island are below the animal temperature, and de-I serve that appellation only, from being invariably warmer thancommon springs are in general. By the erection ot elegant baths,

these