Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-05-04
THE DAILY"TIMES
REVIVAL OF AMOUNTING.

of the sanitary value of the ancient practice OF
amounting with oil. 1t appears that The learned
professor, when recently visiting the manufacture
| ing town OF Galashiels, was casually informed
that the workers in the wool mill in that plac.
were exempt from the attacks of consumption and
scrofula On Inqdiring of the medical men in
the vicinity, the truth of the statement was con-
| tirmed and it was then deemed expedient to pur-
| sue investigation on d broader scale Cornmuni-
cations were accordingly sent to physicians re-
siding In Dunfermline, Alloa, Tillicoutry Inver-
ness, and other districts where wool mills are in
| operations; and in the of all, it was ascer-
| tanned that similar immunity was enjoyed from
the fatal diseases mentioned. 1t further appeared
that, in some of The localities, scaratna had to
be added to the list; and also that employment
In the mills not only preserved health but chill
dren of delicate constitutions were sent to be
woolworkers for the express purpose of acquir-
| ing strength, a result in almost every instance
| attained.
The question now came to be- to ascertain the I
precise cause OF this singular result of milwork.
Cotton mills did not produce similar effect, and .
workmen in certain departments of wool mills f
were found to be subject to the ordinary malades
of the country; it therefore soon became evident,
that the cause was referable the great ouanti-
ty of oil consumed in the preparation of the raw
material in wool working. coat or any other
portion of dress. when hung up in of the |
rooms, was found to be saturated with oil in |
few days; and the operatives must therefore, be
held to draw into their system large amount of
oleaginous matter either by inhalation OR by alb
sorpton from the clothes through the skim the
latter being probably the principal mode in which
the substance is mbibcd. The hands and face
of the workers are constantly besmeared, but un-
der their clothing there are scarcely any marks
of discoloration, although it is obvious that the
oil must be received through all the pores of the
body, and, indeed, the greatest quantity will PEN
citrate where there is the least facility for exter
nal evaporation.
The application of this discovery to practical
medicine is calculated to be of important service
in so far as some of our most serious malades are
concerned. Consumption, now understood, is
supposed to arise from defective nutrition--there
being in consumptive and scrofulous subjects a
deficiency OF fatty as compared with albuminous
matter; and to restore the equilibrium of the two
elements, cod OIL as is well known, has been in
extensive use for the last ten twelve years, and
with singular effect. In many instances however,
oil when swallowed is found to excite nausea;
and in such cases, the introduction of this saving
agent by external application is likely to be pro-
ductive of beneficial consequences. Means are to
be taken to get rid of the dsagreeable odour of
the cod oil, and when freed from this objection.
there can be few or drawbacks to the ancient
custom of amounting. That it adds rapidly to the
weight of the emaciated, has already been proved
by actual experiment and one ns lance may be
mentioned of an individual who gail ed stone in
weight III the SHorC peflOQ OF TOUR weeks. Inc
use OF Oil IN this way is not disagreeable, but, on
the contrary is found to be productive of pleasant
sensations 1t has only to be added so far as the
medical action is involved, that the mode in which
the oil strengthens delicate PATIENTS is by its be-
ing received into the BLOOD the chemical charac-
ter of which un9argoes vital change by the pro-
cess.
II amounting should come into fashion, it will be
merely return to the customs Of the olden time.
The Jews, says Dr. Cox, in his Biblical Anti
quities, Up. 1861 addicted themselves to anoint
ing, which consisted either of simple oil or such
as had aromatic spices infused. They applied ONT
ments chiefly to those parts of the body which were
most exposed to the atmosphere, by which means
they were considerably secured aganstits changes
and incemencies. The illusions to amounting with
oil, not only the head and beard, but the feet and
other portions of the person, are well known fea-
lures in Bible narrative.
Homer makes frequent mention of oil in connec-
ton with the bath; and when Ulysses enters the
palace of Gree, we told that after the of
the bath, he was anonted with costly perfumes.
Passing down to later times, it is very signifi-
cant fact, that consumption is rarely if ever al
luded to by medical writer's among the Greeks
| and Romans; and it is all but certain, that the
rarity of the distemper is attributable to the
slant external use of oil. In the matters of bath
ing and amounting, they initiated the example of
| the Greeks; and attached to each bathing estab-
lishment was an uactuartm, where says DR..
Adam, tthe visitors were anointed all over with
coarse cheap oil before they began their exer-
else. Here the finer odoriferous ointments which
were used in coming out of the bath were also
kept; and the room was so situated as to receive
| a considerable degree of heat. This chamber of
perfumes was quite full of pots, like apothe-
cary'S shop; and those who wished to anOnt and
perfume the body, received perfumes and UNI
guents. In larger bathing establishments, the
el3thesium was filled with an immense numberof
| and In nxyfnv 70 hnh olHr lnrtn
ming were practised by the Romans, may be
judged by the following reference to the ngredi-
ents employed THE vases contained perfumes
and balsams-very different in their compositions,
according to the different tastes of the persons
who anointed themselves. The lhodinum, one
of those liquid perfumes, was composed of roses;
the lirinum, of lily; cyprinum, of the flower of
tree called cypra, which is believed to be the
same the priuet; baccarnum, from the fox
glove; myrrhinum was composed of myrrh. Oils
were extracted from sweet maTjoram, lavender,
and the wild vine-from the iris, ben, and wild
thyme. The last three were employed for rub
bling the eyebrows, hair neck, and head the
| arms were rubbed with the oil of sisymbrium, or
water mint; and the mustles with the oil of anar-
cum, and others which have been mentioned :
After amounting the bathers passed into the
sph9risterium-a very light and extensive apart
ment, in which were performed the many kinds
of exercises to which this third part of the baths
was appropriated of these, the most favorite was
the ball. After exercise, recourse was a second
time had to the warm bath-the body was then
scraped with instruments called strigils, most
usually of bronze, but sometimes of iron; PERU
med oil of the most delicate kind was then adj
ministered anew; and the process of ustration
was complete.
Let it be remarked, that considerable amount
of friction was used by the ancients when the oil
was rubbed in; and also that exercise of an ex-
citing and laborious kind followed the unctuous