THE THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF WATER. 
367 
sels, the parts becoming anaemic, and their temperature lowered. 
Water acts as a refrigerant and diminishes pains in inflamed 
parts. A long continued employment of cold produces reflex 
trembling, a decrease of the respiration and of the action of the 
heart, and increases the pressure of the blood by driving it from 
the periphery to the internal parts. As a drink, water not only 
reduces the temperature of the stomach and intestinal canals, but 
of the whole body, through its absorption into the blood. This 
becomes diluted, and, as in the case of all excretions, histogenetic 
changes take place more rapidly, the urine is discharged more 
copiously and the faeces may be diluted to an actual diarrhoea. 
The lungs, kidneys, skin and intestines eliminate excessive quan¬ 
tities of water, if the latter has been taken in too large a quan¬ 
tity. Warm water softens and relaxes the organic fibres; when 
given internally it acts as a diaphoretic, and consequently is bene¬ 
ficial in the first stages of rheumatic and catarrhal troubles. 
Larger quantities of warm water, when introduced into the stom¬ 
ach of the dog, cat or pig, produce vomiting. This fact deserves 
our attention in cases of poisoning, where it at once dilutes the 
poison, neutralizing and to some extent eliminating it. Hot 
water vapor at a temperature of 180° to 220° Fahrenheit destroys 
in five to thirty minutes all infectious substances, for which rea¬ 
son it is a reliable disinfectant. Cold washings and cold baths 
strengthen the skin and make it more resistent to changes in the 
temperature and to climatic influences. In cool weather it is 
necessary to rub the bathed or washed parts dry. Cold washings 
of the soles and hoofs of horses is very beneficial after a day’s 
work on hard paved streets; it gives great relief to the relaxed 
and fatigued state of the extremities. 
Superficial bleeding may be stopped by dropping cold water 
on the bleeding surface, because the small capillary vessels will 
contract sufficiently to help the formation of a blood clot, whereas 
bleeding from larger vessels may be augmented for the reason 
that the water washes away the blood and stops the formation of 
a clot. Snow and ice possess, on account of their lower tempera¬ 
ture, more energetic astringent, haemostatic and antiphlogistic 
properties. Cold water is frequently employed as a foot bath, or 
