MINERAL WATERS 



211 



relaxation is an important auxiliary to the treat- 

 ment. Spas are only suitable for patients suffering 

 from chronic disorders. 



No classification of mineral waters based upon 

 their chemical composition can be strictly exact, 

 because many springs are, as it were, intermediate 

 between tolerably well characterised groups. The 

 following classification, adopted by Althans, is 

 ]>erliaps the most convenient : ( 1 ) Alkaline Waters ; 

 <->) Hitter Waters; (3) Muriated Waters; (4) 

 Earthy Waters; (5) Indifferent Thermal Waters; 

 (6) Chalybeate* ; (7) Sulphurous Waters. 



(1) The Alkaline Waters are divisible into (a) 

 Simple Alkaline Acidulous Waters, of which the 

 chief contents are carbonic acid and bicarbonate of 

 soda. The most important spas of this class are 

 the thermal springs of Vichy and the cold springs 

 of Fachingen, Geilnau, and Bilin. These waters 

 are useful in certain forms of indigestion, in jaun- 

 dice arising from catarrh of the hepatic ducts, in 

 gallstones, in renal calculi and gravel, in gout, in 

 chronic catarrh of the respiratory organs, and in 

 alidominal plethora. Vichy (o.v. ) may !>< taken 

 as the representative of this class of springs, (b) 

 Muriated Alkaline Acidulous Waters, which differ 

 from the preceding sub-group in additionally con- 

 taining a considerable quantity of chloride of 

 sodium. The most important spas of this kind are 

 the thermal springs ot Ems, and the cold springs 

 of Sellers and Salzbrunn. They are useful in 

 chronic catarrhal affections of the bronchial tubes, 

 th' -tomacli and intestines, and the larynx ; while 

 the Ems waters posses a high nMiutation in certain 

 chronic diseases of the womb ami adjacent organs. 

 (c) Alkaline Saline Waters, of which the chief 

 contents are sulphate and hicarlionate of s<xla, 

 such as the warm springs of Carlsltad and the 

 cold springs of Marienbad, serviceable to patients 

 suffering from alidominal plethora, if unconnected 

 with diseases of the heart or lungs. These waters, 

 especially those of Carlsbad, afford an excellent 

 remedy for the habitual constipation which go 

 frequently arises from sedentary occupations. 



(2) The chief contents of the Bitter Waters are 

 the sulphates of magnesia and soda ; and the best- 

 known spas of this class are those of Sedlitz, 

 I'Viedrichshall, and Kissingen ; although two valu- 

 able English examples are the bitter water of 

 Cherry Kock, near Kingswood, in Gloucestershire, 

 and the Purton Spa, near Swindon, in Wiltshire. 

 These waters act both as purgatives and diuretics. 



(3) The Muriated Waters are divisible into (a) 

 Sim/ill' Miirinted Waters, of which the chief con- 

 tents are a moderate quantity of chloride of sodium 

 or common salt. The chief spas of this class are 

 Wiesbaden and Baden- Baden, which are hot ; those 

 of Soden (in Nassau), of Mondorf (near Luxem- 

 burg), and of Canstatt (near Stuttgart), which 

 are tepid ; and those of Kwsingen, Homburg, and 

 Cheltenham, which are cold. The inurinted saline 

 springs of Saratoga in the United States are some 

 of tin-in chalybeate, others sulphurous or iodinous ; 

 all of them V-ing rich in carlionic acid gas. The 

 Ballston saline spring near Saratoga has a very 

 high proportion of carbonic acid. They are 

 chiefly employed in cases of gout, rheumatism, 

 scrofula, and alxlominal plethora, (b) Miirintnl. 

 /,.////.< Waters, of which the chief contents are the 

 chlorides of sodium and lithium. In pout they 



irravate the pain, but then give relief; and 

 in periodic headache they have been found service- 

 able, (c) Brines, whose chief contents are a large 

 amount of chloride of sodium, such as the spas 

 of Iti'hme in Westphalia and Nauheim in Ilr>-c'. 

 They are mostly employed for bathing, and are 

 often of much service in scrofula, anaemia, rheu- 

 matism, certain forms of paralysis, and catarrh of 

 the mucous membranes, (d ) lodo-bromuted Mttri- 



cited Waters, in which, besides a moderate quantity 

 of chloride of sodium, the iodides and bromides of 

 sodium and magnesium are contained in an appreci- 

 able quantity. The Kreuznach waters are used 

 both for drinking and bathing, and are of service 

 in scrofulous infiltrations of the glands, in scrofu- 

 lous ulcers, in chronic inflammation of the uterus 

 and ovaries, &c. The waters of Hall, in Austria 

 Proper, have a high reputation in cases of broncho- 

 cele or goitre. 



(4) Earthy Waters, of which the chief contents 

 are sulphate and carbonate of lime, as at Wil- 

 dungen, Leuk, Bath, Lucca, and Pisa. The Wil- 

 dungen water is 'a capital diuretic, and not only 

 promotes the elimination of gravel and renal 

 calculi, but, by its tonic action on the mucous 

 membrane of the urinary passages, serves to pre- 

 vent the formation of fresh concretions. It is 

 also much used for chronic catarrh of the bladder, 

 neuralgia of the urethra and neck of the bladder, 

 dysuria, and incontinence of urine.' The baths of 

 Leuk, in which many patients remain nine hours 

 daily (viz. from 4 A.M. to 10 A.M., and from 2 P.M. 

 to 5 P.M.), until an eruption appears, are chiefly 

 used in chronic skin diseases. The waters of Bath, 

 Pisa, and Lucca, which are thermal, are useful in 

 chronic skin diseases, gout, rheumatism, &c. 



(5) Indifferent Thermal Waters, which usually 

 contain a small amount of saline constituents. Of 

 the spas of this class the most important are 

 Gastcin (95 to 118), Teplitz (120), Wildbad 

 (90), Warmbrunn (100), Clifton (86), and Bux- 

 ton (82). Their most striking effects are to 

 stimulate the skin and excite the nervous system. 

 ' They are especially used in chronic rheumatism 

 and M tonic 1 gout ; in diseases of the skin, such as 

 prurigo, psoriasis, lichen ; in neuralgia and paraly- 

 sis due to rheumatic and gouty exudations, to 

 parturition, or to severe diseases, such as typhoid 

 fever and diphtheria; in hysteria; and in general 

 weakness and marasmus.' 



(6) Chalybeate Waters, which are divisible into 

 (a) Simple Acidulous Chalybeate^, whose chief con- 

 tents are carlxmic acid and bicarbonate of protoxide 

 of iron; and (b) Saline Acidulous Cltalybeates, 

 whose chief contents are sulphate of soda and bi- 

 carbonate of protoxide of iron. The quantity of 

 iron present is very small from "08 to '15 in 1000 

 parts. Many of the chalybeate springs, especially 

 in Germany, contain also much carbonic acid ; 

 carbonate, sulphate, and chloride of sodium is 

 frequently present, and may help in the cure. 

 Harrogate, Kippoldsau, Homburg, and the Put- 

 nam Spring at Saratoga are examples of chaly- 

 beate wells which are very seldom thermal. Strath- 

 peffer has both chalybeate and sulphurous springs. 

 Chalybeate waters are valuable in ana-mia, enlarge- 

 ment of the spleen, and many female disorders. 



(7) Sulphurous Waters, which contain sulphu- 

 retted hydrogen or metallic sulphides (sulphurets), 

 or both. The most important sulphurous thermals 

 are those of Aix-la-Chapelle, Baden (near Vienna), 

 Bareges, Eaux-Chaudes, and Bagneres de Luchon ; 

 whilst amongst the cold sulphurous springs those 

 of Nenndorf (in Hesse-Nassau ) and Harrogate are 

 of great importance. They are extensively used 

 in chronic diseases of the skin, and are of service 

 in many cases in which exudations require to be 

 absorbed, as in swellings of the joints, in old gun- 

 shot wounds, and in chronic gout and rheumatism. 

 In chronic laryngeal and bronchial catarrh they 

 frequently give relief, and in chronic poisoning by 

 lead or mercury they favour the elimination of the 

 poison, although to a far less degree than iodide of 

 potassium taken internally. The sulphurous watei-s 

 are employed externally and internally, and mineral 

 mud-baths are believed by many physicians to form 

 a valuable auxiliary to this treatment. 



