The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-09-02
How to Battle.

The mere fact of immersing the body
in water, whether salt or fresh, has no
magic power for good. As a matter OF
physical experience, bathing causes loss
of bodily heat, which is rarely if ever
desirable. People generally make great
mistakes as to the use of baths and bath.
ing. 1t seldom happens that an ordina-
ry bath cleanses the skin, which should
be the primary purpose. For the rest,
no possible good can be done by merely
burying the surface of the body in wa
ter. As to the idea that the salt of the
sea acts on the skin, that is a flimsy no.
ton, resting on very insufficient prem
Uses; and if it were true, sponging
with saltwater would be better than
bathing in the sea. The truth is, the
value of bath is in proportion to its
effect as an agent producing reaction.
There may be cases in which the alb
straction of heat by bathing in cold wa
ter would DO good. We know there are
such cases, but they are not, as rule,
to be found among the multitudes who
battle. For the purpose of lowering the
temperature of the body, cold bathing
must be used under medical direction,
and it is improbable that practitioner
desiring to employ this remedy would
order his patient to "bathe,'' in the or
binary sense of the term. It may there
fore be repeated that the use of bathing
is to produce reaction, and act as a
stimulant to the circulation, especially
at the surface of the body and in the
skin, This should be borne in mind,
and it will be at once perceived that
there is nothing but evil in prolonging
the bath beyond very brief duration.
As soon as the surface is cooled, the
bather should quit the water, and, rub
bling the skin briskly with rough towel,
bring back the blood, and produce the
redness and the glow of health. The
actual length of time which a bather
may remain in the water should be de-
termined by the exercise he is able to
take while in it. If he can throw his
muscular system into vigorous action, so
as to maintain his heat, the exercise will
do him good, and in q few minutes he
may secure as good constitutional as
he could get by brisk walk, or a gal
lop, or game Of cricket; but unless he
can thus work to make heat, he is SIM
ply throwing away heat, which he may
not readily replace, every moment he
remains in the bath. Many weakly but
fairly healthy persons do themselves
great harm by bathing frequently, and
under the mistaken impression that re-
naming in the water is in itself health
full. This idea should be cast aside as
erroneous and misleading. The only
safe rule for the ordinary bather is to
regard the bath as means of prOmOt-
ing the circulation of his blood. If he
finds that when he comes out of the wa
ter he is warmer than when he went in,
he is benefited. If he is colder, the
bath has done him no good. 1t may
not perchance have done him any seri-
Gus harm, but it has certainly done no
good, and risk has been run by taking
it, while the loss of heat entailed has
been a waste of power. This power
may be replaced; but if it is, there will
need to be an expenditure of strength
in some subsequent exercise which had
better have been tn ned to profitable
account on land, instead of being simply
devoted to the repair of an injury in
flicted in the pursuit of health.-Har-
per's Weekly. .. a