KNIGHTS OF THE BATH BATHING. 



447 



goes on with the other ; now kneels upon the bather ; 

 now takes hold of his shoulders ; now causes his 

 spine to crack, by moving the vertebrae ; now ap- 

 plies gentle blows to the fleshy and muscular parts. 

 After this, he takes a cloth of hair, and rubs the 

 whole body, removes the hard skin from the feet 

 with pumice-stone, anoints the bather witli soap and 

 perfumes, and finishes by shaving and cutting his 

 hair. This treatment lasts about three quarters of 

 an hour, and produces the greatest refreshment. 

 An agreeable feeling, pervades the whole body, and 

 ends with a sweet slumber of several hours. Public 

 baths are common in Europe, and there are, at pre- 

 sent, few cities without them. Medicine has endea- 

 voured to increase the wholesome effects of baths 

 by various compositions and methods of application. 

 Baths are distinguished by the nature of the fluid, by 

 the degree of heat, and by their influence upon the 

 body. They are prepared with water, milk, wine, 

 &c. ; are of different temperatures ; and herbs, iron, 

 soap, and other substances, are mixed with them, as 

 the purpose requires. There are, also, baths of earth, 

 sand, air, vapour, and electric baths. They are ap- 

 plied either to the whole body, or only to a single 

 part. The shower bath affords an agreeable and 

 healthful mode of bathing, and much use is made of 

 it in medicine. Mineral baths are those, the water 

 of which naturally contains mineral ingredients. 



The principal natural warm baths in England are 

 situated at Bath and Bristol, in Somersetshire, and 

 Buxton and Matloch in Derbyshire. The tempera- 

 ture of the Bath springs ranges from 93 to 1 17 ; 

 while that of the Buxton and Matloch waters 

 scarcely exceeds 82. The latter are chiefly used in 

 the cure of chronic rheumatism, while the reputation 

 of the former rests upon the benefits which they are 

 believed to confer on gouty and paralytic sufferers. 

 As to the cold bath, it is generally employed by the 

 young and vigorous, and chiefly as a source of 

 pleasurable sensation. Hence, the shores of our is- 

 land, during summer, are covered with crowds of all 

 ranks from the interior, who repair thither for the 

 sake of enjoying the breezes of the sea, and renovat- 

 ing their frames by immersion in the ocean flood. 



Independently of all modifications of temperature, 

 bathing is found to be advantageous, from the various 

 impregnations of mineral substances abounding in 

 natural springs; such as iron, sulphur, and lime. 

 The baths of Harrowgate, for instance, being strongly 

 impregnated with sulphurated hydrogen gas, are of 

 the greatest use in the cure of obstinate cutaneous 

 diseases, as also of indurations of the glands. 



Besides hot and cold bathing, the application of 

 the steam of hot water has of late come into vogue 

 in Great Britain, having been found very efficacious, 

 as well as convenient, in the removal of various 

 chronic diseases. For this purpose, water may be 

 sprinkled on heated stones, or a flexible tube, applied 

 to a large boiler, and the vapour conveyed to the body 

 of the patient, seated under a loose covering of oiled 

 silk. The Swedes, Danes, and Russians are addicted 

 to the use of the vapour bath, and do not hesitate to 

 rush reeking hot from its application, and plunge 

 themselves into the nearest river ; a practice which, 

 although enjoyed by them with impunity, has been 

 attended with fatal consequences, in more instances 

 than one, to those foreigners who have attempted to 

 imitate so daring an example. 



The most celebrated natural hot baths in Europe 

 are those of Aix-la-Chapelle, and Baden, and Leige, 

 in Germany ; Taeplitz, in Bohemia ; Bagnieres, Ba- 

 reges, and Dax, in the south of France ; and those 

 of England already enumerated. 



BATH, KNIGHTS OK THE ; a military order of England, 

 concerning the origin of which antiquaries differ. It 



is certain that Henry IV., on the day of his coronation, 

 conferred the degree upon forty-six knights. From 

 that time, the kings of England have bestowed this 

 dignity previous to coronations, after births and 

 marriages of the royal issue, &c. Charles 11. created 

 several knights of the Bath, but after his time the 

 order fell into neglect, till 1725, when George I. 

 revived it. By the book of statutes then prepared, 

 the numl>er of knights was fixed at thirty-eight, viz. 

 the sovereign, and thirty-seven knights companions. 

 The king allowed the chapel of Henry VII., in 

 Westminster abbey, to be the chapel of the order. 

 The dean of Westminster is dean of the order. An 

 esquire of the order is allowed to hunt and fish in the 

 king's royalty, and is exempted from serving in the 

 office of high sheriff, and every parochial office. 

 K. B. is the abbreviation for knight of the Bath. 



BATHING. The practice of bathing may be con- 

 sidered in a twofold point of view ; either as a neces- 

 sary means of purifying the surface of the body, or 

 as a method of cure in various diseases. In the lat- 

 ter case, its application falls more particularly to the 

 lot of the physician ; in the former, each individual 

 must judge, by his own practice and feelings, how 

 far its employment may be extended or indulged in. 

 There is no application of bathing which is more 

 interesting to the public at large, than that whereby 

 the symptoms and progress ot febrile diseases may 

 be at once cut short and terminated ; and it is strange 

 to think how little the use of bathing has been 

 adopted in reference to this end. The public are 

 deeply indebted to the researches of the late Dr 

 Currie, who was the first to call the attention of his 

 medical brethren to this subject. It appears, from 

 the instances adduced by that learned physician, that 

 the application of cold or tepid water is of the great- 

 est advantage in checking the progress of typhus 

 and scarlet fever, and moderating the symptoms of a 

 variety of febrile diseases. If a person labouring 

 under fever be taken from his bed, and a stream of 

 cold or tepid water poured over his head and body, 

 then rubbed dry and replaced in bed, his tempera- 

 ture will be frequently reduced, even by a single 

 affusion of water, from 104 or 106 to the natural 

 standard, and the frequency of his pulse abated from 

 120 or 130 to 80 or 90 pulsations in the minute. The 

 patient feels himself immediately relieved from the 

 attendant headache and pain in his limbs, soon falls 

 into a calm sleep, succeeded bya gentle perspiration, 

 and frequently awakes, after a few hours, entirely 

 freed from the fever. If, after a short time, this de- 

 sirable result does not follow, then a second, or third, 

 or even fourth application of cold or tepid water is 

 generally successful. In applying this admirable 

 remedy, due attention must be paid to the heat of 

 the skin and increased action of the heart and arte- 

 ries ; for the hotter the skin, the colder may be the 

 temperature of the water employed. But from ex- 

 periments made several years ago it appears, that 

 water at the heat of 90" of Fahrenheit is the most 

 efficacious in abating the frequency of the pulse. 

 This remedy is also of great use in moderating the 

 distressing symptoms of hectic fever ; but in such 

 cases it is desirable only to apply tepid balhing to 

 the hands and feet of the sufferer during the hot 

 stages. Warm bathing has been considered useful 

 in checking the approach of old age and prolonging 

 life ; and, indeed, there can be little doubt that, 

 when employed under proper precautions, it has a 

 tendency to produce both these results. The late 

 Dr Darwin used to prescribe it with these intentions, 

 and, as he says in his writings, with considerable 

 success. The Romans, in their days of sensuality, 

 were accustomed to use the warm bath for the pur- 

 pose of relieving themselves from the effects of their 



