Gazette and sentinel., 1860-04-07
The Importance of Ba,hing.

we notice in the columns Of the Crescent
an interesting article upon this subject by a
of medicine whose name we have
extracted from some Northern med
jcal journal, being q relation OF a number oil
cases to prove the great beneficial effect TO the
system which the outward application OF wa.
ter gives, and the counteracting effect to DIS
ease which will assuredly result from regular
bathing, and the consequent prolongatlon oil
life. We have room, however, but for the
two following cases:
az few years since several young men from
the North, honSe carpenters and joiners, went
10 Charleston, :. c., to work at their trade
None of them escaped the prevailing fever oil
hat climate except one. He bathed, and ne
yer slcpt At night in any Of the clothing he
wore by day. The others were not so partic-
uiar: al night they laid aside their outer gar.
mentS, but slept in their preparations, aud
died"
As a case somewhat similar to this, we will
state. that in 1887, in New Orleans, We passed
through our first yellow fever epidemic sea-
son. nc ltNGi was vi IA N''b ~" 80 .
numbers persisted, and among them, several
from the office ia which we were engaged and
from our boarding house; but we were not
attacked in the least and never enjoyed better
health. From The commencement Of the epi-
iemic we had been accustomed TO take a bath
regularly every afternoon late, and to change
-. -. 49,, N nab. rr. a'gn I'D
mitted as much air as we could into our bed
room. The next case is Of a different charac-
ter, more amusing than otherwise, but we
beg to say, that in connection with It we have
no aSsimilating experiences
In DR.. Currie's work, on the authority Of
DR.. Robertson, Sur5eon-General Of the Naval
Hospital at BIrbadOeS, is narrated the follow
iug singular effects Of cold water by abSorp-
ton and its medicated influence upon the to-
DIV: 4 gentleman whose name was Weeks, "A
resident of this island, and a great votary Of
BaCchuS, for twenty years was IN the daily
habit Of intoxicating himself. In this state
he was taken to 4 pond, IN which he lay aud
slept, supported 10y 4 negro servant. In two
or three hours he awohe, feeling no laSSitude,
no headache, no debility, no nausea, but really
cheerful aud refreshed, and free from all the
effects Of iuebriation. Jon one occasion his
servant who watched him fell asleep himself,
and his master was nearly drowned. He then
had a trough constructed, with a pillow TO
accommodate his head; and on this being I'LL
ed with cold water, he was thrust therein
whenever he was overcome 10y deep rotations.
He sad his sensations were very pleasant
lie revived each time by sleeping in cold wa
ter. Tn last time he was 30 mmoirrate.y
intox Gated that his friends took him in a
chair TO the pond, immersed him IN water to
the chin, aud there held him for ln hour. At
rom he would sleep in his wateTy bcd one,
two and even three hours, and ever eXperlen-
eng the greatest refreshment. When his wife
or family required HIM, they would wake him
up by taking ont the plug and allow the wa
ter to escape, when he would pleasantly con
I plain Of the Loss of his bed clothes" Sleep
ing on one occasion ia the trough without the
water, he was seized with extreme rigor with
| chllis, followed by fever aud rheumatism. lie
lived, however, some years longer, but drank
TO excess, and died OF appOplexy in the G+,h
war Of his age.
1t cannot be denied that frequent bathing,
in summer or winter, is one Of the principal
auxiiaries to health and good spirit, as the
above cases would 60 to show; but, while
advising oar friends to pursue the system as
recommended by the former, il an epidemic
should occur, We trust they may never be in
duced to test the virtues Of the latter, in the
sultry days that are coming by the tempting
and inviting bosoms Of our "a ct and shady
bayOus.