402 



Popular Science Monthly 



Administering a needle bath and massage. The effects of this treatment 

 are soothing to the nerves and at the same time invigorating to the body 



ful narcotics, "knock-out-drops" in reality, 

 until they sank in a stupor. When the 

 sufferers revived a little from the depressing 

 effects of these powerful chemicals and 

 began to show signs of life they were again 

 drugged. This was kept up for weeks at 

 a time. In such a state they were of course 

 no trouble to those who had charge of 

 them. In the course of time they recovered ; 

 for nearly all maniacs do recover. The 

 exponents of this method of treatment 

 claimed to have found a cure 

 for mania. It was found 

 that the abuse of the system 

 by these powerful drugs had 

 evil results. Some of the 

 patients passed from stu- 

 por into death, and 

 those who recovered 

 mentally often found 

 their digestion ruined 

 and their general 

 health impaired. 



The Modern Hu 

 mane Water Cure 



So, the age of 

 chemical restraint 

 passed away and 

 nowadays we have found a treatment so 

 simple that it is no wonder that it was over- 

 looked before. It is nothing more nor less 

 than water. Hot water, cold water, shower 

 baths, tub baths and sitz-baths, and every 

 conceivable manner of applying water 



medically is to be 

 found in the modern 

 hospital for the in- 

 sane. Besides being 

 used for the excited 

 cases, it is also found 

 to have a good effect 

 on all cases, benefit- 

 ing physically even 

 if it has little or no 

 effect on the mental 

 condition. Water is 

 also found to be a 

 valuable curativ^e 

 agent for great 

 numbers of people 

 who suffer, as the 

 saying is, from their 

 nerves, their trouble 

 taking the form of 

 hysteria or neuras- 

 thenia (nervousness) 

 in the more severe 

 cases and sleepless- 

 sick headaches" in the 



ness and periodical 

 milder ones. 



There are three main ways of giving the 

 water treatment — by the pack, by the 

 "Scotch douche" and by the continuous 

 bath. By "packing" a patient is simply 

 meant wrapping him tightly in sheets 

 wrung out of water of the desired temper- 

 ature, pinning blankets tightly around him 

 and leaving him in the sheets for anywhere 

 from a half hour to two hours. Packs may 

 be either hot or cold. The temperature for 

 hot packs is about 105 degrees, for cold 

 packs about 60 degrees. In either case an 

 ice-bag is put to the head and a hot water 

 bottle to the feet. It is astonishing to see 

 the soothing effect on excited patients. 

 Mildly excited patients, who, with- 

 out this treatment, would eat or 

 sleep but little, tear their clothes 

 - to pieces, use pro- 

 fane language, and 

 in general cause 

 much trouble, are 

 kept quiet and 

 tractable with 

 water, and after 

 they have been 

 packed in at bed- 

 time, are able to sleep soundly. A hot pack 

 for an hour at night would cure many cases 

 of sleeplessness in normal life, by the way. 

 The Scotch douche may be described as 

 a shower bath raised to the nth degree of 

 perfection. It consists of four upright 



"Neptune's girdle," a cold wet wrap around 

 the waistline, is a cure for sleeplessness 



