The Portland daily press., 1876-03-27
The Daily Raih.

In paper on the "Means of Preserving
Health" written the forlLondon Sanitary
Record, DR.. Fl. I. Bowditch, after urging the
Importance Of keeping the skin scrupulously
clan and in healthy condition, especially in
cases where there is predisposition 10 con-
sumption, adds the following practical sug-
gestions with regard to bathing:
Daily bathing, then, of some kink, from
from children to old age, should be the rule.
Some direct that the cold bath should be
always used. I cannot think that this is
true doctrine. With few children, and still
gew old persons, and very many adults,
morning cold bath is the most refreshins and
exhilarating of operations. But with many,
either feeble adults, old or too young persons,
a chill remains sometime after taking the
bath and the powers of life are exhausted in
stead of being invigorated by the stimulus.
But those who suffer from cold bathing will
usually be able to take with great advantage
daily tepid bath, and withyut the least chill
or discomfort followind it. Each individual
arrived at years of discretion should judge for
himself which of the two to choose. At GER
taia periods of life he may use one or the
other, and be himself the judge as to the COL
tinuance of the one or the other by the effect
left upon him. The parent, of course, will
uOlICC tuC CuCCG upOu Iuc CLlluS duu uGCluC
accordingly. But there are various kinds of
baths. The shower-bath is rarely used now.
II used at all, it should be so cautiously.
Sponge-bathing is admirable, with either
warm or cold water, according to the circum-
stances of each case. Buteven this cannot
be borne by many. A simple hand-bath,
i. e., where the water is borne by the hand of
the bather to various parts Of the body, and
the same hand or warm towel used for
,otia Oft 10 inf,
ing when other methods fail of being so.
Surfbathing should be very cautiously in
dulged in by all predisposed to pulmonary
difficulties. Cough OF permanent nature
has been at times started by incautious surf
batheng, or any cold water, sea or river bath
ing, especially if the body is immersed for
long time One of the most striking cases of
consumption ever had was distinctly traca-
BILE to a very long and cold river bathing.
Hence we see that bathing, like every other
good thing, if used immoderately tends to
cause evil rather then good.
1t NAV be asked, if cold bathing be evil in
its Tenderness, how happens it that the
"wate-cure," so called, proves so good in a
thing? The answer is briefly this: A man
once fairly ''packed in cold, wet Sheet"
becomes in very few minutes bathed in
profuse warm preparation. But the water
cure, incautiously by persons who are not
aware of its power or porper none of applica-
ton, becomes destructive and not restorative.
One of the severest forms of infamed lung,
and which lasted for months, threatening
consumption, and which would probably
have prove such in an older person, 1 saw
in the case Of little girl whose mother
undertook to cure violent fever by bathing
her two or three times in one night in cold
water drawn from a well in the country house
where they were stopping. The general rule,
therefore, is, battle daily, but choose that
the patient, and let all consumptively in
clined patients beware of long continued surf
or seashore or river bathing.