Of the Salubrity of Warm Bathing. 6 1 r 



furnished with a damper, leading from the closed fire- 

 place of the boiler immediately into the chimney, might 

 be made ; and, whenever the pavement should become 

 too hot, by opening this canal the smoke would pass 

 off immediately into the chimney by the shortest road, 

 and the pavement would receive no more heat from it. 

 I think it would in all cases be advisable to take this 

 precaution, in constructing a bath on the principles 

 here recommended. 



But I must hasten to finish this long dissertation ; 

 and I shall conclude it with a few passages from a 

 modern traveller (M. Savary), who may be considered 

 as being well qualified to give an opinion on the sub- 

 ject in question. 



Speaking of the manner of using the warm bath in 

 Egypt, he says : " The bathers here are not imprisoned, 

 as they are in Europe, in a kind of tub where one is 

 never at one's ease. Extended on a cloth spread out, 

 with the head supported by a small cushion, they can 

 stretch themselves freely in every posture, whilst they 

 lie quite at their ease, enveloped in a cloud of odorifer- 

 ous vapours, which penetrates all their pores. In this 

 situation they repose for some time, till a gentle moist- 

 ure upon the skin appears, and by degrees diffuses 

 itself over the whole body. A servant then comes and 

 masses them (as it is called, from a word in the Arabic 

 language, which signifies to touch in a delicate man- 

 ner). He seems to knead the flesh, but without caus- 

 ing the smallest pain ; and, when that operation is 

 ended, he puts on a glove made of woollen stuff, and 

 rubs the skin for a considerable time. 



" During the whole of this time the sweat continues 

 to be most profuse, and a considerable quantity of 



