Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1848-01-27
Water Cure.


We cut the following description of the cold
water treatment of diseases as practiced at
Priesniiz's celebrated water cure establishment
in Austria, from the correspondence of the
Boston Transcript
This is cold region. The thermometer this
morning is down to 26|; andal the mountain
tops, with which this village is surrounded have
been covered with snow ever since our arrival.
But the valley has been free, and the weather
and walking are delightful. As. for weather,
however, Priesnitz's patients take no note OF
/ it; whether it SHOWS, rains, or shines, IS cold
or moderate, tits all the same to them. Will
give you a brief sketch of the business of the
patients, (ther business is getting mcH,) and
you can Judge whether the water cure is any
loke, and whether we do not deserve to be re-
warded hereafter with the best of health.
Well; the daily routine is this as early as
six in the morning, we leave warm bed, and
90 into another, on which there is mattrass,
and on the mattrass, spread, first a thick blan-
ket, and on this blanket a cold wet sheet, on
which you stretch yourself, and it is closely
wrapped round you. Then the blanket is
wrapped equally snug, until you present very
much the shape of a mummy, and on these Is
| pl ed feather bed, together with more blank
cts, if they are needed. This is called pack
ing, and very properly. You remain IN this
condition some ten or twenty minutes, or until
| YOU feel comfortably warm. You are then un-
packed, and thereupon Immediately jump into
bath of the coolest water, where you remain
two or five minutes. As you come out, dry
sheet is thrown Ovcryou, the windows ofyour
chamber are opened. Placing yourself where
the air blows fresh upon you, you flap yourself
with the sheet some five minutes until you are
perfectly dry. Then wet band reaching from
/ your shoulders to your hips is wound three
| times around you, and thus provided you are
roay TO dress
II Flanncls are discarded With nothing but
! linen next the skin you go forth, walk two or
three miles, and return to breakfast about eight
or half past. For breakfast you have cold
milk or water homemade bread and butter,
and, if YOU are luXuriously inclined, cold
roast apple. At nine O'Clock the wet belt is
replaced by a fresh one. From nine to eleven
you walk or amuse yourself as you please
At eleven, you strip, and standing up are close
l,ly enveloped in wet sheet from the neck
| downwards. For five minutes you are smart
ly rubbed by the bathman from your head to
your toes. This done dry sheet Is again
thrown over you, with which you flap yourself
dry as in the morning. You now take ath
bath, OF as we could call it hip bath-sitting
in tub of cold water over the hips for quar-
ter of an hour. After this you are rubbed-a
! fresh wet band is wound round your body
you dress, and walk till dinner time, one o.
clock.
The dinner may be of any plain meat and
vegetables YOU choose. Salt, oil and vinegar
are allowed. You can have apples, raw or
cooked, at all times. Water isyour only hev-
eragc At two comes a fresh band, and you
are a free man till five clock, when the morn
ing's treatment is repeated, and you take your
walk afterwards. On your return you partake
of meal precisely like that youhad for break
fast. At eight o'clock, fresh bandage is ap-
piled, and you may retire to bed as soon as
YOU please, which is generally yrerysoon. The
treatment varies according to the malidics; and
| think you will admit that we are laboring
hard for health
VI There are five or six hundred patients here,
most of them very respectable people. Among
! them are great numbers ofthe nobility from all
parts of Europe. The only Americans here,
besides our party, are Mr.. Miller, representa-,
| tive in the last United States Congress from
| the city of New York, with his family, and
Mr.. George Douglass and family, also of that
! city.