River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-04-05
Hot Water as a Medicine.

A Young man who was compelled to
resign his position in one of the public
schools of this city because he was break
ing down with consumption, and who
has ever since been battling for life, al
though with little apparent prospect of
recovery, was encountered several days
ago in Broadway restaurant.
az see," he said, ''that you seem sur
prised at my improved appearance. No
doubt you wondered what could have
caused such a change. Well, it was a
very simple remedy-nothing but hot
water"
"Hot water?"
That's all. You remember my tell
ing you that / had tried all of the usual
remedies / consulted some ofthe lead
ing specialists in affections ofthe lungs in
this city, and paid them large fees.
EXPERIMENTATION with me under all sorts
OF medicines. / went to the Adiron-
dacks in the summer and to Florida in
the winter; but none of these things did
me any substantial good. | lost ground
steadily, grew to be almost a skeleton,
and had all the worst symptoms ola con-
sumptive whose end is near at hand.
At that iuncture friend told me that
he had heard of cures being affected by
drinking hot water.
II consulted a physician who had paid
special attention to this hot-water cure,
and was using it with many patients.
He said: ''There is nothing you know,
that is more difficult than to introduce
new remedy into medical practice, par
ticulsrly if it is very simple one, and
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and preiudices that have long been
entertained. The old school practi-
TONERS have tried for years to cure con-
sumption, but they are as far from
doing it as ever.
Now, the only rational equalization of
consumption is that it results from de-
fective nutrition. 1t is always accom-
panied be mal-assimilation of food. In
nearly every case the stomach is the
seat of a fermentation that necessarily
prevents proper digestion. The FIRST
thing to do is to remove that fermenta-
ton, and put the stomach into condi-
ton to receive food and dispose of it
properly. This is effected by taking
water into the stomach, as hot as it can
be borne, an hour before each meal.
This leaves the stomach clean and pure,
like boiler that has been washed out.
Then put into the stomach food that is
in the highest degree nutritious and the
least disposed to fermentation. No food
answers this description better than ten
derbeef A little stale bread may be
eaten with it. Drink nothing but pure
water, and, as little of that at meals as
possible. Vegetables, pastry, sweets,
tea, coffee, and alcoholic LIQUOR should
be avoided. Put tender beef alone into
clean and pure stomach three times q
day, and the system will be fortified and
built up until the vast ng away, that is
the chief feature of consumption, ceases,
and recuperation sets in
This reasoning impressed me. I be-
gan by taking one cup of hot water an
nour before each meal, and gradually
increased the dose to three cups. At
first it was unpleasant to take, bit now
drink it with relish that never ex-
perienced in drinking the choicest wine.
began TO pick up Immediately after the
nee treatment. and gained fourteen
pounds within two months. | have
gained ground steadily in the trying eli,
mate of New York: and / tell you, sir,
feel on a sure WY to recovery.
Here an old gentleman who had been
standing near, and evidently listening to
the conversation, turned to the teacher,
and said: This remedy of hot water
drinking has attracted my attention for
some time. 1t has been of immense
service in relieving me Of terrible dys-
pepsia that tormented me for many
years. Tried numerous able physicians,
and there is probably no medicine that
is prescribed for such an ailment which
was not given to me; but none of them
gave me any permanent benefit. But
the simple remedy Of drinking hot wa
ter, accompanied by rational regula-
ton of my diet, has entirely cured me,
advanced though / am in life. 1t was
not the dieting alone that did it. | had
tried that before. 1t was the use of hot
water that cured me, for that made it
possible to derive benefit from a
iudicious diet. | have also found this
treatment of great benefit In kidney dis