The New York herald., 1844-12-21
Hydropathy, or the Cold Water Cure-Dr.
shevv's Lecture last evening, at the Ciin-
I'LL

i
ton Hall.
There was pretty good muster last evening in
the lecture room Of Clinton Hall, to hear DR. Shew
| show forth the advantages OF this mode OF
curing all the disorders which flesh is heir to, as
well as to meet the various objections made by
most rational folks against it. The lecturer started
with the latter point first. He said that he was
only gong to give his hearers plain common
sense lecture, but would not pledge himself to all
that had been said in favor OF the cold water cure
i II was well known that there had ever been from
i time 10 time what was termed water doctors, who
had done deal Of good, but whose principles were
| never rightly understood until Pressnitz, some
/ twenty years since, was successful. There was
| a great fault in our education, tor we were always
| led to believe that when were i'll we required
| medicine, but it was such thing, water would
| do better than even medicine could; but from its
| superhuity we overlooked it. The first objection
| made to the cold water system was by the French,
| that it was not founded on fact The facts were,
that no man had been successful in his practice
| as Pressnitz that under his system there had been
less mortality than under any other. The second
objection was, there were several cases in which
the application of cold water was highly dam
gerous Now this was true, for instance drink
| ing cold water when IN a great heat, but at the
l III
cases OF high fever drink OF cold water had per
| formed perfect cure. The lecturer then alluded
to some old physician, who wrote two large volumes
on the, value OF water as medicine. he then
\ treated on the sort OF water that was most de-
| sirabe for the object in view, and went to show
| that drinking it in abundance at meals was bene-
| fetal. Bathing was IN no case dangerous, and
that many cures had been effected by IT. but II was
necessary to know the proper time for bathing &c,
the same as drinking oi the pure stream. 1t was a.
most capital remedy for indigestion when It was
| fully known the quantity that ought TO be
drank. The great bugbear Of the system to
| most people was the wet sheet; this, 1t was
true, might be made injurious by improper appllca
tion for instance, damp sheet would be 'nJurl-
GUS, but wet one would have quite a contrary ef-
feet and proceeded to show how this was the case,
and said it was founded on an ancient mode OF Gu
ring disorders-that OF incloslng diseased persons
in the warm carcases OF animals slain tor the pur-
pose, or wrapping them up in the W I'm skin Just
stripped from them and that the wet ueet had just
the same effect in reducing inflammation, either
in burns, scalds evers ulcers, or peurlsy and that
there were no drugs in existence to equal the cold
| water for curing these disorders. The system
could not be studied too much, and there might be
cases in which the remedy might be bad, but there
were cases in which 1t was good, and II time per-
| mitted he would cite several OF the latter One or
two he did give-lhat of an old lady, who had been
given up by the doctors tried it and was perfectly
cured, and alive at the present time Tor ought
he knew. Another case, OF little child, affct-
| ed with fever and ague, who was perfectly cured
by the cold water SYSTEM, and afterwards got SO
TODD to partake Of it, The last was case OF the
lecturers brother, who was suddenly attacked
with Inflammation in the bowels to such an extent
as TO defy both doctor and drugs But the lecturer
epped In, and with bandages, sheets, &c, banlsh-
| ed the disorder, and the afflicted walking
about in "a hours afterwards. he Did not wish
his hearers to take his assertion IN these mat'ers
but to try for themselves. Drugs were ten times
more dangerous than cold water, and he could
cite hundreds OF cases 10 prove this was the tact
People were killed by drugs in our hospitals 10
dozens and those present who had ever any Ill
ness, might be very thankful that they had no.,
been drugged TO death Bleeding and mercury
had killed thousands, while Prespltz had cured all
his patients. The Geld water cure was more an
system known; and the gentleman wound up his
lecture with nigh eulugium on water.
GREAT FIRE IN SALEM---Loss OF PROPERTY
| Sl00,0 600 We are indebted 10 the editors OF the
Register for slip, giving the particulars OF one Of
most destructive fires that has occurred In that city for
Il broke out at IL O'Clock in the s.eaming Saving and
Planning Establishment VI James ". Bufum, on Front
street. and spread with unparalleled rapdy The steam
mill desire, ed in very short time, and the fire then
extended in ell directions, sweeping every thing before
IL. MIR. Gntns large sailor boardng house, wnh his ex
PceIss row. Lafayette ~, Containing IA tenc.
nenis Briggs Counting House his wood wharf TO-
tally ed The whole south side OF front from the
rn.r cf Llayett. street to the Meal Market including
the buildings above named Varney Stores Ropes stove
esabshment, end all the lumber and outoulldDgs on
the wharv es in The rear Messs Lords shop
s,derapy damaged on the nurti, eide street,
Bu's BAKERY a large three story brick building, Ed
wards clothing store and shaiwels three story dwelling
house, all consumed The store occupied by Mr. Pond Is
also considerably damaged Onthe east side q Laaye se
street. the large building known Concert Hall occupied
by N. Safo ard Sheridans gymnasium, Is evelied
also Bowke Clarks large gram store and store
barrels -four, all consumed David Moores store, and
several other buildings including dwelling houses in
Williams Court, which, in the confusion prevailing we
are unable to ascertain The fire still raging, but appa
| rently the frsmen are getting he control
lies arc driven forth houselcss and ho meess will re
quire immediate aid Several females and children in
their fright rushed from their burning dwellings into
the street, without suicency OF clothing TO shelter
! them from the inclemency OF the weather
We regre, to add that Mr. John Weston, hoatman, was
struck on tue shoulder Of person standing below which
undoubtedly saved his lie. Several other persons we
hear injured but not dangerously.
The Fnemen from the neighporing towns were on the
| spot doing yeomans service
The streets are filed with furniture and moveables. 1t
is to estimate loss with any accuracy, but
cannot fall shoito 100000 Unfortunately It was low
tide at the me and water was obtained with great dim
| Guilty.
| O'Clock, A. M.-The FIRE Is subdued and com.
pletely under the control Of the Departments Its extent
~ to the western extremity the Chester street buryipg
ground and southery from Front street TO the south
scrptions, and an immense quantity OF wood and lnm.
Der, besides clothing, graiD -four and other valuable
| merchandise are totally destroyed.
| An Exta from the Salem Gazette Office says, that i'm
medatey the breaking out Of the fire. rs ms oil cars
despatched TO Marbehead and Ly and large num-
hers Of the citizens from both those towns. Our
and Beverly neghbors were also on the spo, I'M
modatey.
tram OF cars sent to Boston, which also brought
down an engine with number OF from East Boston
Three engines present from Lynn, snd also
raj from MaIblehead, Beverly and Danvers-Bosfon De
| mocrat, Dec. 10.
Loss or LIFE ON LAKE HuRoN.-The little soop
| Huron. Chief, having on board w. +. Goodlng,
| ESQ T. p, the owner, his brofher-nlaw Mr..
Ronald, Good and Mr.. Isaac g.. Clarke. ship
builder, left the harbor at Goderch, G, W., on
the 3Olh October TO assist in getting eff the Ame-
Bay de Dor, about 10 miles north OF Goderich -
They succeeded in the enterprize, and the shooner
made the harbor Of Goderich on the llth ultlmo,
leaving the Huron-Chief to follow next day. But
i - a..