The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-28 00:00:00

Th© " Lancet" on the Turkish Bath in

Disease.

The recent death of Mr Longfield, a gentleman of consi-
derable property in Ireland, in his private Turkish bath,
has attracted public attention, and deserves medical consi•
deration in its relation to the influence of the Turkish bath
on the treatment of disease. From the evidence at the in-
quest it appears that Mr Longfield, who was advanced in
life, had for some years suffered with paralysis, and was
of a rheumatic constitution. He had been ill for some
years, and had derived great benefit from the bath, so
that he had fitted up one in his residence. Mre. Long-
field reported that on the night previous to his attack,
Mr. Longfield awoke her, complaining of torturing
and unbearable pain in the back of the head, and had re-
mained very unwell during the day. He went alone into
his bath. of which the temperature, however, was moderate
(120 degs.), and after staying there some time, was found
dead. Unfortunately no post• mertern examination was
made, so that no definite explanation of the cause of death
can even be fairly guessed. No one seems to have any
accurate knowledge either of the state of the heart or of
the nature of the cerebral disorder under which Mr Long-
field obviously laboured. Whether or not the use of the
I bath was the direct or indirect cause of death really can-
not be stated by any one, and all guesses may be perfectly
wide of the mark. Mr Longfield may have died from
cerebral apoplexy, from rupture of an aneurism of the cere-
bral vessels, from syncope, or from other causes ; and it is
possible that, as Dc Barter suggested, the death may have
been altogether independent of the influence of the hot air,
and such as might have occurred anywhere—at a railway
station, in an omnibus, or sitting quietly at home. On the
other hand, Dr Barter stated that when formerly Mr
Longfield was brought to his public baths, he thought his
condition very serious, and would not accept him unless
one came with him. There is an obvious caution to be
drawn from this case, and there can be little doubt that a
person in Mr Longfield's state of health ought not at
any time to have subjected himse.f to that degree
of excitement of the circulation which the bath occasions
without careful supervision, and that he should always
have had an attendant with him.

It would be idle to say that the Turkish bath should
never be employed in any case where there is ony disease
of the heart, for attested records show that patients
suffering from well-marked valvular disease have in many
cases derived considerable benefit from its medical use, and
the records of more than one lunatie asylum show that
the influence of the Turkish bath in varied fcrms of mental
disorder and cerebral disease has been most bened,lial. In
fact, in the dropsy from heart-disease, as in the
dropsy from kidney-disease, in albuminuria, and mania,
the Turkish bath has proved a very potent agent. So that
it would be injudicbus to attempt to lay down as a canon,
that either heart. disease or cerebral disorder contra-indicate
the bath—they may prove direct indications for it. Bat
they certainly afford grounds for care, and reason for in-
sisting on close supervision and vigilant watching. The
therapeutical effects of the Turkish bath deserve the con.
tinued study of the profession—stripped of thef exaggerated
pretensions in its favour as a harmless and efficient
universal panacea, it has proved itself, as we anticipated,
a potent therapeutical agent. Sir John Fife, Dr. Barter,
Dr. Lockhart Robertson, and others, have, on a large
scale, applied most usefully this invaluable introduction of

Mr Urquhart, to whom a great debt is due for impelling the
creation of these baths in London. At the Hammam in
Jermyn •street, and at the exoAlent baths of Messrs Pollard,
in Brompton, great facilities are afforded for medical pur-
poses. At the latter establishment a considerable number of
patients:have now been treated by mercurial fumigations for
syphilis in this combination with excellent effect. Medical
literature is as yet somewhat deficient in details; but the
next few years will probably more than confirm our anti-
cipations of the services which the Turkish bath may ren•.
der to medicine.