The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-21 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sm,—The letter of Dr. Kidd in yours of yesterday
took me by surprise. The length of time the bath
has now been established, and the great number of
people that are constantly using it, had, I thought,
entirely removed all fear of danger from the use of
the Turkish Bath. It is, however, very opportune
that I have lately been called upon by an eminent
medical man in Geneva (where the bath is now esta-
blished) for statistics on this subject, and as these,
I think, will be found sufficient to set at rest the
fears that such a letter as that of Dr. Kidd is cal-
culated to excite, I beg to request your insertion of
the same.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant,

76, Jermyn-street, London.

JOHN JOHNSON.

[Dr. Kidd's letter—which has at once elicited the
subjoined communication from the Manager of the
}lammam—we had several reasons for inserting,with
pleasure, in our impression of last evening. First of
all, in obedience to the sound and just principle ex-
pressed in those three good words, bidding us—
audi alteram partem. Secondly, and very par-
ticularly, because we feel perfectly well satisfied
that all that the system of The Turkish
Baths requires in this country, to ensure its
wider and more general adoption, either as
a preservative of health or as a remedy for disease,
is—inquiry. In speaking of it as we did on Friday
we spoke simply from our own experiences,- not
eulogising the bath, by any means, because
we have come to look upon it either as
an elixir or as a panacea, as a cure for
" all the ills that flesh is heir to," or as a means of
drinking in immortal youth as from the cup of a
Rosicrusian. Such as we have found it to be, we
in our article of Friday evening, in as plain words
as we could put together, described it as being—
speaking of it, again we say this, from an often
repeated and an always delightful experience.—
ED. Sun.]

The following are the remarks and statistics re-
ferred to in the above letter from the Manager of
the Hammam

As to cases of injury produced by the bath, 1 beg to
answer that my experience dates from the first bath built
by Mr. Urquhart, in England, at Manchester, in May,
1857, and from that time to the present I have myself wit-
nessed the effect of the bath upon not less than 100,000
people ; in Jermyn-street alone, in two years and a quarter,
upwards of 73,000 ; during five months at another estab-
lishment, upwards of 6,000 ; and in no instance was there
any injury produced. At Riverside, the residence of Mr.
Urquhart, where he had built two baths, one of which (a
small one in the garden) was thrown open for the use of
the public, I had four years of experience. Many people
afflicted with chronic diseases were brought long distances
to the bath and cured. The bath was frequently thronged ;
some days as many as 25 people using it. Some of these
have since, on any attack of illness, come to London to get
the benefit of the bath for two or three days, returning to
their labour quite restored ; and by this means, they say,
saving themselves a lengthy attack of illness. In no in-
stance was there any injury resulting.
During these years I have been in constant communica-
tion with many in other towns who had baths in operation.
Many had built these baths without consulting Mr.
Urquhart, and for the purpose of gain, and had paid no
heed to the points requisite for a proper bath, and yet in
the seven years I have so passed not one case of injury has
come to my knowledge.
Since I received your inquiry, I have, to strengthen my
own testimony, written to a number of these baths to make
inquiry as to their numbers, the temperature used, and
what case of injury they may have to report upon.
In enclosure A I forward, as far as I can get them, the
answers as to numbers; but to give you a proper and cor-
rect idea of the numbers bathing, I have to add to these
some 30 baths from whom I have no return, some of whom
I know to have a large business. These taken in the whole
I shall be far within the mark in setting them down at near
300,000 per year, which may be raised again for the time
they have been in operation to 900,000. Again, there are
in Ireland some ton public baths built at a cost of £50,000,
which have been in operation for seven years. These put
at a very low average will give 500,000. To these must
be added the private baths, of which now great numbers
are in existence, and you will have a total of noar 2,000,000
of bathers, and no case of injury reported.
So far as I have procured answers, I have in enclosure B
enclosed extracts as to temperatures and to cases of injury.
I have written to Dr. Robertson, of the Sussex Lunatic
Asylum, to got from him such statistics as he can give you ;
also to Dr. Power, of the Cork Lunatic Asylum ;
also to Dr. Goolden, of St. Thomas's Hospital, in reference
to the bath. I regret I have not these as yet, as they
would be valuable testimony. However, I will forward
them as I get them to hand.
In concluding this letter, I beg to remark that the men
who took up the bath and established it in England were
men possessed of no medical knowledge or skill. They
were working men who got a knowledge of the benefits
and delights of the bath from Mr. Urquhart, and, acting on
this, immediately set about turning it to advantage ; that
it has been raised to its present position, despite the oppo-
sition of medical men who prognosticated danger from its
use; that in these early baths there was only one room
heated, the temperature ranging generally from 170 deg.
to 200 deg. ; that cure after cure by these baths forced it
upon the medical profession, and its efficacy as a curative
agent is this day again admitted in the leading medical
journal (the Lancet), a copy of which I beg to enclose.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
Dr. Gosse, Geneva. JonN Joincsox.
ENCLOSURE A.

AGGREGATE NUMBER OF BATTLERS AT THE UNDER-

MENTIONED TURKISH BATHS IN ENGLAND.

Description of How long
Baths. Established.
The Hamaam, 76, Jermyn-

No. of
Bathers.

. . _
street ... ... ... 21. years ... 72,000
Golden-square ... .., In 5 months after
opening ... 6,000
Oriental Baths, Victoria-
street ... ... ... 21 years ... 54,720
Liverpool ... ... ... 2i „ ... 7,875
Bradford ... ... ... 1 year ... 15,600
Sheffield ... ..• ... 2 years ... 41,600
Stockport ... ... ... 1 year ... 7,875
Manchester ... ... 6 years ... 37,400
Ditto ... ... ... 6 ?, ... 24 960
Staleybridge ... ... 6 /7 ... 24,960
Newcastle Infirmary ... 5 71 ... 23,440
Queen-square ... ... 4 ... 37,440
Il
Kennington 4 ... 41,600
11
Brompton ••• ••• 3 ... 23,400
Southport ••• 0.0 2 71
~. 20,000
Keighley ...
... 6 „1. "
2 71 ... 60,000
Leamington ... ... 1 year ... 4,000

Total ... ... 502,870
ENCLOSURE B.

Tho house surgeon of Newcastle Infirmary writes :
" With respect to the risks incurred in high temperatures,
the Caladarium here is seldom above 150 deg., and I have
never witnessed any ill effects in this temperature, nor
when the heat has been raised to 170 deg. for special
cases."

At Keighley the attendant says :—" Our usual tempera-
ture is 150 deg. to 160 deg. If I were to sit down to write
all the good done by the high heats, it would take me till
next week, and then I should have to say the half has not
been told. I have seen no bad effects of high tempera-
tures."

LIVERPOOL.—The manager writes :—" Our temperatures
are 130 dog., 150 deg., and 170 deg. I can say that I never
have seen the least sign of danger ; on the contrary, have
the best results to point to."
QUEEN-SQUARE, LONDON.—The manager writes :—" Old
bathers and persons acquainted with the properties of heat
favour it to the extremest degree, and of the many hundreds
who have used this bath since 1861 not one case of accident
has occurred. Many bathers have left us, as we have no t
had the extended heat; that is, beyond 160 deg."
MANCHESTER.- -The proprietor writes :—" I have had
six years' experience in the Turkish Bath, and have done a
large business, and I have always, found that with ordi-
dary care in administering the bath no danger can at-
tend it."

The manager of the bath at Bradford in 1857-58 says :
" I can say, without fear of contradiction, that not a case
of injury occurred. Our temperature was 170 to 180 deg.,
and we bathed 300 per week. The bathers prefer the
highest heats ; and as a curative, my seven years' experi-
ence shows that it is far more efficacious and agreeable to
the patient."
SOUTHPORT.—The Proprietor writes :—" We have had
over 20,000 bathers, chiefly invalids, and no case of injury
has occurred."

LEAMINGTON.—The Secretary writes :—" The Turkish
bath here is kept at an average of 150 deg. We have had
885 bathers in the year, and have never had a case of
accident or injury of any kind in the two years we have
been open."
The Managing Director of the Dublin Bath writes:—
"In four years we have had about 115,000 bathers. I
have never yet known of a person being injured by the
bath. I have sometimes heard reports of injury, but when
I have inquired into such cases, I have invariably found
such reports to be without foundation."

The Earl and Countess of Tankerville are ex-
pected in London from Heron Court, Christchurch, where
they have been on a visit to the Earl and Countess of
Malmesbury.
NORTHUMBERLAND Ho USE.—it is respectfully
'announced that the admission to view the lying in state of
the late Duke of Northumberland at this house on Thurs-
day and►'riday next is of necessity limited to the relations,
personal friends, tenants, and tradesmen pf the deceased.

'l,4p
Irani

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Feb. 20.
The Queen walked and drove in the grounds
this morning, attended by the Marchioness of El 7.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Helena, at-
tended by the Hon. Flora Macdonald, went out
driving.
Her Royal Highness Princess Louise rode on
horseback.
His Royal Highness Prince Arthur left the castle
for Greenwich-park, attended by Major Elphinstone:
Their Royal Highnesses Prince Leopold an
Princess Beatrice went to London, attended bY.
Lady Caroline Barrington, Mdlle. Norelle, Col. the
Hon. D. de Ros, and Mr. Buff.
Sir George Grey had the honour of dining with
her Majesty and the Royal family yesterday, and
left the Castle to-day.
Countess Blucher left Windsor Castle yesterday.

The Prince and Princess of Wales 0
The Princess of Wales took a carriage driv
yesterday, attended by the Hon. Mrs. Stonor. d
The Prince of Wales went to the House of fords.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, attended btio
the Hon. Mrs. Stonor and Major Teesdale, went
the Olympic Theatre in the evening.

The Duke and Duchess of Cleveland have arri'.ed

in town from Battle Abbey, their seat in Susses.
The Marquis of Clanricarde, who is suffering
from indisposition, has arrived in Stratton-street fr°T
Portumna Castle, his seat in the county Galway. The Obi°
marchioness has also arrived with his lordship.
Mr. Morant has returned to Park-lane Apra
Brockenhurst, Hants. "
The
ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-GARDEN.---- ,e
following distinguished visitors have honoured tut
Royal English Opera with their presence during the
Beatr°7
ic_e
few days :—Their Royal Highnesses the Princess
and Prince Leopold (attended by Lady Caroline Barringi
Madlle. Norelle, Colonel the Hon. D. de Roe, and togs
Buff), their Royal Highnesses the Count and Conn de
d'Eu (attended by Baron and Baroness de Lage and )01E,
Lisboa), their Royal Highnesses the Count de raris'
Prince and Princess de Joinville and the Duke d'Ain"' eci
the Duke of Granada, the Marquis of Sligo, the Ea'rlZ.
Countess of Mountcharles, the Dowager Countess of P
rington, Viscount Torrington, Viscount Falklan Colonel 3
Rivers, Lord Wm. Graham, Hon. W. H. Brand, .n
art.,
the Hon. James Macdonald, Sir Richard Levinge,
M.P., Sir Henry des Voeux, Colonel Farquharson, fie'