Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-10-17
Remedial Mud.


"Grace Greenwood has bocn aston
ishing the people down East" by the
accounts of the mud baths which she
has seen or heard OF during her late
travels on the Pacific coast. Mud
baths are said to be a popular reno.
dy with certain uncivillzed copper
coloreassavages. The barbarous be-
ings. when sick, are SAID to burrow
in the mud, very much as certain
namcless scavenger quadrupeds dc il
civilized countries, OF hot day,
whichever they can find puddle
large enough. Some of our contem.
poraries seem to think that a pre-
>crip,ion that is good Tor pigs is for
that very reason had for humans. -
But We beg leave to differ, a
cleansing, or cooling, or other tened
ial process may be equally arplica-
bic whether the patient be hey or
! tie higher animal"
At first thought there may be
something wildly suggestive OF diit-
mess in the idea OF mud bathing -
But we are prepared to show that
municipality Is jus, the cleanest treat
ment in existence. The reader IS
respectfully requested not to con.
found the idea of mud medication
with mudspattering. No one would
like to have mud thrown into his
face nor on his clothes; and he
would resent q similar application of
water. Yet, in.rinsicelly, nothing is
cleaner than earth, nothing purer
than water; and the admiX,ure Of
the two constitute mud.
Things intrlnsically good may be.
come bad by misuse Mud ont Of
place is an evil. So is bread. Wa
ter is wholesome in the fluids but in
furious on the brain. Air Is liie-sus-
tanning in the LUNGS but tatal in the
bIoodvessels. A ph, sicisn may be
a good thing among sick folks, but
set hun TO practising on the well,
and
Man was originally made of mud.
The record says dust OF the ground
But every one knows that dust can
not stick without water, and that
dust and water are mud. Moreover,
earth dressings" are a modern i'm
proTement In treating wounds. lnlu
fies, to.l ulcers etc. They combine
the virtues ct water and meal, and
are substituted for iavements, cata-
plasms and poul,ices. They keep
tie part of \ uniform tenpraiure,
and absorb the pu,rescer,t matters
The surgeons of the New York and
Philadelphia hospitals have testified
to their healing and cleansing effects.
Aud what is mud bath but an
extended earth dressing: IT the
skin is hot, teverish and INSTRUCTED,
why is not a mud envelope as good
as a wet sheet pack : 1t Is, though
not SO convenient 10 manage. Civ
EN- that others perform the. dirty part
Of the work, we should as willingly
be immersed (the head excepted in
pure earth diluted to the cons.stence
OF batter for griddle cakes, as to be
wrapped in wet sheet. We are
perfectly sure 1t would be equally
ctlicacious as remedial agent, and
we are OF the opinion it would be the
more Agreeable process.
Recoliect, ta.tiiions reader, that
the mud Is not absorbed. 1t does
not get into the pores. On the con-
trary it is an absorbent, and takes
the impurities ont of the skin. IF
anything should be absorbed while
luxuriatiug in q mud pack, it would
be the water The dust is sure TO
remain outside. If any one of our
readers who needs pack Of any
kind, let him try it. and the Science Of
Nea'M will be responsible for all dam
ages.
But, after all, mul-baihs are moth
ing new. Their virtues were attest.
ell thousands Of year, ago. Even
the clay and -pittle' which 40 won
dertulIy cured a case OF diseased
eyes III New Testament times, was
local application OF the principle Of
treatment We are endeavoring TO in
culcate. And If the reader will con
suit the Xya,opGtdie Encyclopedia, he
will learn that mud baths have been
employed in various European coun
tries before Grace Greenwoodn
heard ol them in California. i Science
u Wea3L