NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



3:1 



Id. The natural perspiration, the most im- 

 ant of all excretions, must nalurnll.v go on 

 er in a boilv kept constantly soli by bathing. 

 IV impurities that privily lay in us the train 

 sdious and dangerous distempers, are remo- 

 in lime, before they poison the blood and 

 es."* 



\'e. think nofhin": more need be said to prove 

 utility of balhing. Kut this, like nil ctiier 

 d tbiiiffs, is liable to abuse. Cold or warm 

 110;?, excessively or improperly used, is in- 

 cus. Every body knows, who is in the least 

 ree conversant with ancient history, that 

 xander had nearly lost his life by plungins:, 

 le heated and exhausted, into the river 

 Inus, The cold bath was succt^^fully ii'od 

 ■ iie recovery of the Emperor Augustus IVom 

 jerous sickness, but the same application 

 'supposed to have proved fatal to his heir 

 arent, Maicclliis. Like other powerful re- 

 lies, it ought not to be (although it too fre- 

 ntly is) tampered with. With good advice, 

 efore, go into water, whether warm or i old. 

 had better not bathe at all, than not b.ithe 

 ule. .i^rmstrong, celebrated both a? a phy- 

 n .uid a poet, touches on this subject in the 

 wing lines : 



t tliose who from the frozen Arctos reach 

 I'd -Mauritania, or the «ultry West, 

 e wide flood througli rich ladostan roll'd, 

 jt, thtice a day, and in the tepid wave 

 i5t their stubtjorn pores ; that full and free 

 vaporation through the soi'ten'd skin 

 Liiar proportion to the swelling blood ; 

 ill they ^scape the fever''s rapid llamcs. 

 us.t the man of no complaint deniaads 

 varm ablution, .just enough to char 

 ] luices of the skin, enough to keep 

 )ody sacred from indecent soil." 



t the languor, which the preceding heat | nances were languid, their whole appearance 



has induced. Another is that bathing |)reparos [ dejected, and their eyes had a dull red suiTusinn. 

 us to meet the approaching cold of winter with- ; These men were carefully separated from the 

 out inconvenience and without danger; so that J rest of the corps, and immediately subjected to 

 we neither suffer frcun a sense of cold, nor fall ' the cold affusion of water, always repeated once 

 sick from the gradual changes of the seasons i and sometimes twice a day. In fifteen of the 

 from summer and autumn to winter. Bathing j number (be disease was exlinguishod ; two only 

 too, is one of the greatest preventives of an- > went through the lever. On the same day the 

 tumnal fevers; forVroof of this lake the fol-i commanding officer, at my desire. Issued an or- 

 lowin? facts from Dr. Currie. I <ler for the wliole remaining part of the rcgi- 



" In the vear n'J'2, a regiment of troops was ! ment to bathe in the sea; and for sometime 

 stationed in Liverpool, England. Their gen- j Ihey were regularly mustered, and marched 

 eral guard-room bad been previously used as a : down at high water, to plunge into the tide. — 

 place of conlinement for deserters. It was ex- {These means were successful in arresting the 

 tremely close and dirtv, and under it was a eel- endemic. After the L3lh of June no persoo 

 lar, which in the winter had been full of water, was attacked by it. Fifty-eight had the disease 

 This water was now half evaporated, and from 1 — thirty-two went through its regular courses, 

 the surface issued olfensive e\halations. In a i and in twenty-six the fever seemed to be cut 

 dark, narrow ami nnventilated cell, it was usual ' short by the cold affusion. Two only died, and 



lese directions, however, are rather poeti- 

 lan practical, ami tend more to amuse tlie 

 than to enlighten the understanding. — 

 ,'ithstanding the great importance of bath- 

 s a mean of preservinti; health, or healing 

 ses, nothing definite, nothing scientific has, 

 itliin a few years, been published on the 

 ct. As Dr. CotKn well observes in the 

 rtisement to the Treatise which is the 

 ct of this notice, "The principles of bath- 

 ave been but little studied, or the practice 

 ratioDally adopted in the United States ; 

 ndeed than our general advancement in 

 zation, or the present improvement in the 

 ;e of preventing and curing diseases would 

 ine to expect or desire.'' A number of 

 rate publications on this topic, have in- 

 appeared in Euro|)e, but they are not only 

 linous, but inaccessible to the great body 

 3 community. Such a work as the one 

 ! us, was, therefore, very much wanted, 

 jght to be read bj' every person capable 

 iding and reflection, to whom health as 

 s cleanliness are objects worth attention, 

 the benefits of bathing in autumn we shall 

 some remarks, furnished by a medical 

 , whose science, judgment, and experi- 

 nay be relied on. 



ime persons think that so soon as the hot 

 r abates, bathing may be discontinued 

 It loss. But this is so far from being true, 

 lere are some peculiar advantages to be 

 d from continuing the practice in that 



"M. One is that the bath enables us to sur- 



tlie f, 



,«*fcs' Cyclopedia. 

 Jreat Britain. 



to contine such men as were sent to the guard 

 for misbehavior, and about the 20th of May, 

 several men had been shut up in this place on 

 account of drunkenness, and suffered to remain 

 here twenty-four hours, under the debility that 

 succeeds intoxication. The typhus, or jail fe- 

 ver, made its appearance in two of these men, 

 about the first of June, and spread with great 

 ra[)idity. 



'• Ten of the soldiers laboring under this en- 

 demic, were received into the Liverpool In- 

 firmary, and the wards allotted to fever could 

 admit no more. The infection continuing its 

 progress, a temporary hospital was titled up at 

 the tort, and I was requested to give my assist- 

 ance. In two rooms, each about 15 feet square, 

 were fourteen patients laboring under fever. — 

 The symptoms of the disease were, more or 

 less of cough, with mucous expectoration. In 

 all those vvho had sustaiued the disease eight 

 days or more, there were petcchiae* on the 

 skin , in several there were occasional bleed- 

 ings from the nostrils, and streaks of blood in 

 the expectoration. Debility was considerable 

 from the first; the pulse varied from 100 to 

 130 strokes in the minute ; heat from 101 to 

 103 degrees. Great pain in the head, with 

 stupor, pervaded the whole, and in several in- 

 stances a low delirium. Our first care was to 

 ventilate and clean the room; our second, to 

 wash and clean the patients themselves. Our 

 third object was to stop the progress of the in- 

 fection. We first attempted to purify the guard 

 room, but this was found to be impracticable. 

 The weather being wet and cold, the men on 

 guard could not be prevailed on to remain in 

 the open air ; and from passing the nights in 

 the infected guard room, several privates of 

 the successive reliefs caught the inlbction, and 

 fell ill on the 10th, 11th and 12th of the month. 

 In several of these the fever ran through its 

 course ; and in others it was immediately ar- 

 rested by the affusion of sea water over the 

 body. 



" The infected guard room was shut up, and 

 a temporary shed erected in its stead. Still the 

 infection proceeded ; on the 13th, three more 

 having been added to the sick list. On this day 

 therefore the whole regiment were drawn up 

 at my request, and the men examined in their 

 ranks; seventeen were found with symptoms 

 of fever; it was not difficult to distinguish these 

 as they stood by their fellows. Their counte- 



'■■ Red or purple spots resembling flea-bites 



both of these had been enfeebled by a West 

 India climate, and by other causes. 



" Several instances have come to my knowl- 

 edge, of individuals who had during a number 

 of years usually sutTercd from autumnal fever 

 and rheumatism, but who, after a regul.ir course 

 of sea, or other cold bathing, have escaped these 

 complaints. In these cases there has been a 

 sensible increase of strength, diminished ten- 

 derness in regard to the sensation of cold, and 

 less liability to catarrh from the ordinary at- 

 mospheric changes of the season. In this way 

 the preventive operation of bathing can be 

 readily understood." 



Having already protracted this article to an 

 extent beyond our intended limits, we must 

 omit giving quotations from the work of Dr. 

 Coinn, which we would wish to recommend, 

 rather than attempt to criticize or review. — 

 Perhaps wo may again advert to it, ])articularly 

 that part which is entitled " Remarks on the ef- 

 fects of drinking cold water in warm weather." 

 We would, however, before we dismiss the sub- 

 ject of batliing, recommend to the consideration 

 of innkeepers, whether it would not be pleas- 

 ant, profitable and salubrious, to establish cold 

 and warm baths, especially the latter, at their 

 houses of entertainment ? The weary and way- 

 worn traveller may frequently derive more re- 

 freshment from five minutes bathing in a warm 

 bath, than from as many hours spent in altera])t- 

 in"' to repose on a bed of down. Warm bath- 

 ing dispels fatigue, as it were, by magic, and 

 gives a predisposition to enjoy the benefits ol 

 •' tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep," 

 which are often sought in vain by those to 

 whom violent and long continued exercise have 

 rendered them peculiarly necessary. 



We will now close our recommendation of 

 bathing, and the treatise which directs when 

 and how the bath is to be used, which gave oc- 

 casion to these remarks, with one other quota- 

 tion from a favorite poet, whose maxims are 

 well calculated to lessen the miseries of human 

 life. 



" Still to be pure, e'en did it not conduce 

 (As much it does) to health, were greatly worth 

 Your daily pains. 'Tis this adorns the rich ; 

 The want of this is poverty's worst woe ; 

 With this external virtue, age maintains 

 A decent grace ; without it, youth and charms 

 Are loathsome. This should maidens know. 

 As doubtless do your wives ; for married sires 

 As well as lovers, still pretend to taste ; 

 Nor is it less, (all prndeni wives can tell) 

 To lose a husband's than a lover's b*art." 



