16 Dr Traill on the Russian Vapour-Bath. 



this person, who informed me that he had been constantly en- 

 gaged in this Aicupation for sixteen or eighteen months. 



The centre of the ceiling of the bath-room is perforated by 

 numerous holes which allow a copious shower-bath of cold 

 water to descend on the head of the bather, when a valve 

 managed by a cord is opened. 



Such is the apparatus necessary for a Russian vapour-bath. 



After remaining some time in the bath, the first sensations 

 of oppressive heat subsided, and I ascended to the second tier 

 of benches, the wood of which, however, was somewhat cooled 

 by the plentiful affusion of cold water. At each remove this 

 operation is repeated ; otherwise the contact of the wood would 

 be insupportable to the skin. It is needless to say, that the 

 perspiration very soon began to run from every pore, not mere- 

 ly as a moist exhalation, but ran off in copious streams. This 

 greatly moderated the sensation of heat. 



After lying extended for some time on the second tier of 

 benches, a bucket of cold water was dashed on the upper one, 

 and we removed there ; but the heat, so near the ceiling, was 

 fully as oppressive as on first entering ; and I found it neces- 

 sary to allow the air to enter my nose through my fingers. If 

 I inhaled it with the mouth wide open, I felt an oppressive 

 heat in my chest ; but by degrees even this degree of heat be- 

 came supportable ; though I never was able to sit upright on 

 the upper bench ; so strong was the temperature of the humid 

 atmosphere close to the ceiling. 



Wh'de we were groping our way from bench to bench, the 

 assistant more than once plunged headlong into his cold bath, 

 to refresh himself ere he commenced on us the next part of his 

 professional occupation. 



We were one by one requested to descend to the second tier ; 

 and the assistant, grasping in his hand a bundle of birch rods, 

 began assiduously to whip his patients, who lay extended on the 

 bench at full length, from head to heel. This application dif- 

 fers essentially from the well remembered scholastic birch dis- 

 cipline ; for the leaves are left on the' twigs, and the sensations 

 produced in no way resemble the effect of the instrument em- 

 ployed in English schools to convey Si fundamental knowledge 

 of Greek and Latin into the heads of our youth. In fact, this 



