NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS. 59 



a supposed seizure of cramp, arise from this cause, viz , the 

 enfeebling effect of undue cold upon vital action. This is 

 perceived in the difficulty of fastening the dress when the 

 hands are chilled. Hence persons of a spare and slender habit 

 of body, even though they be good swimmers, should be 

 cautious of venturing into deep water, especially at an early 

 period of the season, when the water at the surface is no true 

 indication of its temperature beneath. Even when the results 

 of too long an immersion are not so directly injurious, the 

 system suffers from other evidences of defective reaction, such 

 as a sense of chilliness, which continues throughout the day. 

 Though cold never injures the body when acting as a stimulant, 

 yet, in delicate and convalescent persons, the sensations of the 

 bather must be specially regarded in relation to its mode, 

 duration, and degree. The time occupied in bathing in cold 

 water by invalids, though varying according to individual 

 cases, should not, as a general rule, exceed a few minutes, say 

 from two to ten. Before entering the water, a smart walk 

 should be taken along the shore, so as to produce a comfortable 

 glow, and assist the reaction. Persons in moderate health 

 may remain in the water a longer time, in this respect being 

 governed by their own experience ; but they must not omit 

 the use of active exercise, both during and after the bath. 



When the bather is suffering from nervous exhaustion from 

 bodily fatigue, when the skin is cold and covered with moisture, 

 or where there has been violent perspiration from the effects of 

 medicine or exercise, the effect is sometimes to overpower the 

 system rather than to rouse it to reaction. Care must also be 

 taken not to allow too long a time to elapse in the preparation 

 for the bath, and particularly not to hesitate too long before 



