The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-11-08
lllNltulCnlCui
BATHING.

want of knowledge how TO proceed? ? Is |
| IL want Of opportunity or want of time?
| o how gladly would you spend every
morning half an hour If you knew its
| invigorating effect!
1t ia true, most of the laboring class
| have not the opportunity of bathing
room, nor even JdthiHg apparatus.
since We live mostly in rented dwell
inps, But dear reader, these are not
necessary, not at all! true they are con-
| Venience3, but they do not in the least
enhance the effect 1t Is the tonic prop
orty of tho cOM water; the effected alb
| luton the opening of millions of pores
on our epidormis (skin); the f0rtiiica-
| ton of the system against external in
fuences and the improved condition in
| perSpirutiOR, circulation and respiration
| that constitute the benefit to the system.
But our limits restrain us from further
| physiological remarks.
Many have commenced the practice
| of daily bathing, and on account OF
some unlavorable circumstance, or from
want of persistence to perform 1T daily,
| properly and at the right time and in "a
proper manner, have failed OF success
and dropped It..
The best time, and generally the most
convenient Is before breakfast. But in
any event it must be done at least one
hour before the next meal, or it might
seriously interfere with the digestive
powers, and in this interval the body
| should have some exercise.
| If you have no apparatus place piece
cs old carpet or any old cloth on the
| floor; for the wafer n little tub or u
large pail will do vutv well. Two large
towels ere necessary, one 10 wet and
wash, the other a. a drier. First manip-
| ,,In 20 I, a ,tf f,,Iing, in I,
and clearing the throat, and before you
proceed, dry the hair with your dricr,
rubbing briskly till the hair is so near
dry that it can be combed after you get
| through. Those subject to pulmonary
complaints will 90 well here TO snuff
the cold water through the nose till it
comes into tho thrDat three or four
times, as this will greatly fOrtify the air
pa.sege5 lCaling TO, and connecting
| with the lungs, and viii consequently
modify in a considerable degree, and in
young persons, or those not yet Cnfe0.
| b!CG, most probably altogether remove,
| the liability of taking cold in the throat
! or even the lungs. When wU are through
with the head and neck we next wash
and batho the arms. tho shoulders, and
! the whole upper part of the body down
TO the hips, then this part is 10 be dried
again as quickly as possible, then we 90
to the legs and lastly the feet. Were
we to go over the whole body at once,
we could hardly avoid getting chilled;
we therefore divide the process into
three or four parts, and for beginners
perhaps four OF five are necessary.
The tonic effect Of the water consists
only in its COldncss, aud not in its chem.
ical properties. The colder therefore it
can be used the greater its effects. But
a.tr. tg, ltl IA fsr
ton. Many, Cspt Cially weakly, deli
cate persons cannot at first endure very
cold water, and these then must gradu-
ally accus,om thens Ives, tili they can
bear it, which will not be long if they
use it every mOrAuE or only every
other morning a Little colder, about half
Il degree. Some persons can bear it 50
cold rs ice or nearly so, which is thirty
two degrees "Fahrenheit." The tom
perature of about forty-iive degrees f.,
is perhaps as good as any, rs this is tho
temperature which exists couple OF
feet below tho surface of the earth the
whole year, summer and winter, and 1t
is consequently the temperature Of the
water in the wells in our climate. The
temperature Of our blood is ninety.
eight degrees f. and the difference
would thus be hlty-three. degrees suill-
cicut certainly TO produce the livGlie5t
reaction.
La the summer time lower temper
ature than forty-tive seems, therefore,
Inconvenience and since tits undoubtedly
best to use uniform temperature for
bathing, that of forty-tive degrees
"Fahrenheit' seems to be the best and
most convenient for all seasons in our
climate. The colder the water the
greater the ultimate effect, this may be
| II Y,,fnr n a
anything turns up with our system, as
II slight cold, febrilo symptoms, &C., we
should then sethe water warmer than
otherwise. When our mind is disturbed
in anger, grief or sorrow, or after vic
lent mental exercise, use warm water,
Orwet the head not at all, proceed calmly
slowly and cautiously. and never stand
barefOoted on cold 1loor Wnlle bath
ing. Thrifty persons, those having
habitually ppetlteandWhot there
fore produce much blood and perspire
freely, should use warm water reg
ularly once or twice week. Some
medical writer's recommend to use cas-
tile soap with the warm water. Perhaps
it would be good and proper for all to
use the bath occasionally warm, about
every week or ten days. 1t will be found
that the room requires to be war ler
for the warm than for the cold bath.
The reason Is because the reaction Is
then slow, and the evaporation on the
skin is more rapid. 1t is well known
that evaporation is general and pow
erful source of cold. The bath is of very
little benefit if the head, the centre of
all communications, the central gov
ernment of the entire system lis omitted.
When the mind Is in disturbed con.
= dition the healing power OF Nature la
bor5 under great, almost insurmounta-
bic difficulties. All our cares must be
: shaken oil, contentment and peace must
reign or we cannot expect much help
p. either from Pharmacy or Philosophy
E This then is one of the first conditions;
:. physical or mental (over-) excitement
| are irreconcilable enemies to recovery
3 retarding 1t more than any human skill
/ can promote 1t.
5 Nor should we expect supernatural
: effects from natural remedies. All rem
-, edies act in consonance with the law.
of nature. gradual little bV little. not