Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-03-23
TILE HONSEITOLD.



A late number of the Boston journal Of
Chemistry contains an article on the subject
Of the air bath as sanitary and curative
agent which Is of interest to invalids The
writer submits that it is impossible for ply
sicians or individuals of ordinary saRacity 10
fail to see that a large proportion Of invaids
and emi.invalids do not bear well the appli.
cation Of either cold or tepid water to the
body. Only the strong and robust in cold
climates can endure the icy stream Of the
shower bath. The sponge bath oven saps
the vitality Of many to fatal extent, and
feeble persons are rarely in any degree bene-
flied by its use. The tepid bath as a oura-
tive means, constantly followed, weakens
rather than strengthens and, in short, he
claims that bathing beyond the needs of
perfect cleanliness, is not to be recommend
ed to any one" There are hundreds of
thousands of people of both sexes In this
country who lead miserable lives. and vet
they are not in bed, nor perhaps confined to
their dwellings they suffer from nervous
prostration, from imperfect digestion and
assimilation, from worry, from overwork,
from the care of households etc For such
the "air bath, " the merits of which were first
discovered by none other than DR.. BENJAMIN
Franklin, is recommended. But this bath il
a means of recuperation which needs to be
intelligently and carefully adopted, and, like
all other good things, must not be abused
This is the way the writer thinks the highest
good may be obtained from this curative
agent that comes without money and with
out price to the feeble and physically impov.
ershed:
The morning Is the time for the air bath,
and all that is required is har.cloth mitten
and a moderately cool room. When the in
valid steps from the bed to the floor in the
morning, let the hair glove or mitten be
seized, and without removing the night
clothes proceed to rub gently all parts Of the
body, Mt the same time walking about in the
room until feeling of fatigue is experienced ;
then drop the glove and gently pass the hand
over all parts of the body before resuming
the clothing. Unless the nude body is ex.
tremely sensitive to the cold portion may
be exposed to the air for few moments
while in motion, even on the first morning
The next morning jump out of bed in q
moderately cool room, aud 60 over the same
! process Us before, remaining a little longer
| exposed to the air after the rubbing The
third morning repeat this treatment and on
the fourth, or at the end of week, take of
all the night clothing, and briskly apply the
| hair glove, first with the right hand and then
| with the left, all the time walking about.
| Follow up this, as the degree Of strength per
mits morning after morning. until the body
is so rejuvenated and the blood so attracted
to the surface that the cool air is felt to be a
luxury. Let the body be entirely nude, nc
socks upon the Sect no scarf about the chest
At first, or after the first week perhaps, the
exposure to the pure cool air may be three
or four minutes soon increase the exposure
until, after month or two, the air bath may
continue twenty minutes or half an hour
Do not fail to walk about during the frs
! month, using tho hands in polishing the skin
After the first month the patient may sit in
the air of the room part of the time bu
constant, gentle exercise is best"
Another most important curative agent il
connection with the air bath is sunlight 81
possible" says the writer, sit and walk il
sunlight during the bath. It is astonishing
what the direct actinic rays of the morning
sun can do for an invalid when the who'll
nude body is brought under its influence"