New-York daily tribune., 1844-02-17
Hydropathy.

last evening on the WATER-CuRE was sl''P''
and lucid exposition of the origin, history pro-
cesses and philosophy Of the new system. we
have repeatedly given place to many OF the lac's
here adduced, and shall now glance but briefly a'
the more important.
Vincent Priessnitz an unlearned, strong mind
ed peasant Of Grafenberg, mountain haniel III
Austrian Silesia, first imbibed the idea OF curing
diseases by water alone from his own experience
in healing rapidly crushed finger by simply
Lesn;no !; in water to alleviate the pain and at
,eruard when several of his ribs had been broken
bv a fall from cart, tearing off the applications
of a pbvsician, from inability to bear the agony
thew caused him, and applying instead wet
sheet to assuage his torture. perfect and speedy
cure was the result, where the physician had as
sured him that lifelong deormity and exposure to
suffering were inevitable Henceforth ne began
to cure wounds, and gradually other diseases by
water at first thinking only ofallevating the sui
fernqs of his neighbors; but under cloud oi
obloquy, detraction and derision, the tame oi MS
wonderful and rarely-failing cures graduaily eA-
tended patients flocked to him from the next
village and the next; he could not refuse to treat
tben. the laws ofthe land against Medical nnoVa-
ton were very severe, but report IN his favor by
q Medical commission sent to visit him and scru-
tnize his processes nearly relieved him from Their
terrors-his establishment was gradually en-
larged and still enlarged to make room ior more
patents-at length visitors were a'lracteo " II
from Foreign lands-and for some years ne had
constant succession of FIVE or SIX hundred pa
tents. Of these, when his total number OF pa
tients had amounted to near three thousand, IN
clpdinq Of course hundreds who had been given
over by physicians and come to him only because
they had no other hope, the total number OF deaths
had been but thirty-s;z- Since l04o, his estao-
ishment has been less thronged, owing to the es,
tablishment of may like it--nearly one hundreo
IN GERMANY alone. In England, France ana
other Countries, the system has many devoted
advocates, and is every where rapidly extending
The water used medically must be pure anc IS
apped by drinking freely, especially in the morn
ing; by baths, usually cold, and either general OF
martial; by rubbing the patient brlskly IN wet
sheet and then dry; by wrapping him in wet
sheet and then in dry blankets, replacing the
sheet frequently if the reduction of fever be the
object, otherwise continuing it until a soft and
genial perspration is produced. Experience has
taught Priessnitz TO produce persplratlon far
less frequently than at first The douche, or
cascade falling on the patient from hight OF
twenty or thirty feet, is much used, and with sig
nal effect.
The philosophy Of this treatment imports that
Nature is the best restorer of her own sapped or
shattered tenements, and that all she asks OF
Medicine is Opportunity The copious and con-
slant use of pure water, internally and externally
carries off the irritating or poisonous matter
which has lodged in the body, giving its recuper-
ative energies chance to operate. And again ::
Health (as laid down by DR.. Billing, an eminent
writer on Medical Philosophy depends greatly
on the contractile or stringent powers of the hv-
ing tissues or nervous system; whenever these
become relaxed, faccid, incapable of contracting,
disease has fastened itselIon the system, and will
remain there until the vitally necessary power of
selrcontraction be restored TO these tissues. This
is secured by the Water-Cure, but especially by
the douchc, which operates directly and potently
to restore the power which is needed We have
no room for more.