Hydropathy Or The Philosophy Of Bathing

Author : John Goodman
Publisher : Rarebooksclub.com
ISBN 13 : 9781236285423
Total Pages : 70 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (854 download)

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Download or read book Hydropathic Series written by John Goodman and published by Rarebooksclub.com. This book was released on 2012-05-20 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1858 Excerpt: ...is unable to warm because it is not wrapped tightly around the body next to the skin. The body not being well covered with abundance of dry clothing, suffers the perspiration to pass into the atmosphere, this checks the circulation, when chill, colds, entire retrocession of the blood, consumption, rheumatism, or other evil consequences are the frequent result." By the hydropathic method we may premise that in our own practice in delicate cases a whole wet sheet is very rarely employed, but a wet piece of about one sixth or one fourth its ordinary dimensions. In our establishment we constantly use, in ordinary cases, a packing piece about three feet deep by four feet or so wide, and in very delicate cases one even half of this size. As required, the piece can be very conveniently increased, by employing two pieces or more, and a whole wet sheet when necessary. One of these ordinary pieces when dry weighs 10oz., when well wrung it weighs llb., and contains, therefore, but 6oz. of cold water to be applied to and rapidly warmed by the naked body under much clothing, blankets, bed, &c. We have not employed wet towels in packing, because being made of so much thicker material they retain considerably more moisture than a piece of linen of the same dimensions, and would, in delicate cases, incur the necessity of applying them either of a smaller size or of wringing them out of water of a higher temperature, both of which are objections in the water treatment. Whatever may be said of the resemblance of a wet packing to a "body poultice," there is incalculably more benefit derivable from the primative stimulus of a cold wet piece or sheet which afterwards becomes warm and soothing, than when a poultice is applied and put on originally warm. Some o...