Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-09-06
The s.MaSSage" Cure.

| weakness, and debility arising from eA-
cess and overwork, has sprung up IN
this city. 1t is called massage ana
| consists in the manipulation OF the
human body by the hands of an opera
tor. Strictly speaking. it is not rupDing'
but consists in series OF kneadlnSs
and working of the patients nesh by
vigorous palms so as to excite clrcuia-
ton of the blood on the surface "I the
body and in the extremities. 1t hist be-
came known to the general pubic IN
quiet way some six or eight years ago
by two or three foreigners, VINO
put up their signs "Profess!onaI
Massage,' and received patients who
were sent by physicians. For some
time only rheumatic, paralytlc, ana
neurosthenic invalids availed them
selves OF the benefits of massage. But
its beneficial effects were ultimately
found to be of service to debauches, anu
great Ihost of fashionable men ana
women who lived eXtravagantiy,d drank,
smoked, and set up late, and otherwise
exhausted their nervous systems by
destination or mental and emotional
overwork.
Then the number of manipulators be-
gan to increase. Cards appeared in
public that Nine. - and Mr.. -
applied massage at their elegant rooms.
There We're Swiss, Swedish, French
and German massagers; and presently
it became fashionable thing to 20 and
be manipulated after night out or
reckless dinner-party.
One of these operators, who is lady
and has her rooms on Twenty-eighth
street. devotes herself exclusively to la
dies, and among her patrons are several
wealthy females who come regularly
two or three times a week and 90
through the kneading process. The OPP
orator acknowledged in conversation
with the reporter that in many cases
the manipulation only took the place of
that kind of muscular exercise which
the patients were indisposed to take for
themselves. Another operator, on Sixth
avenue, placed a much higher value on
the process, and said the massage i'm
parted vital strength by the contact, if
the operator was healthy and yigor-
Gus person.
The process consists, as already said,
in kneading and working the flesh of
the patient with the hand in such man
ner as to force the blood into the small
veins at the surface. The person to be
treated is placed either in chair OF on
a couch; and the operator with barred
arms then seizes upon the flesh, and
commences a rapid but deNterous Sc
ries OF pulls, pinches, squeezes, press
ures, shoves, pats and rubs, until every
inch of the surface has been gone over
many times and the flesh begins to glow.
The expert manipulation will do all
this so rapidly and SO gently that the
combined sensations of the subject are
but unpleasant. Indeed, il is
not unusual for the patient to go off
mo Il kind of mesmeric sleep.
The lady on sixth avenue has num-
Der of patients who have no ailment
whatever except a constitutional leth-
argy, and they undergo this treatment
regularly with as much satisfaction as
il they were having their back hair
combed.
In certain cases of dyspepsia the sub
iects are put upon Il couch and carefully
very much as q batch of
dough would be by q skillful French
baker
There are other mildle-aged ladies
who, before going to party, have to
be regularly made up. like q pillow
That has been slept on. Before they are
harneSSed and decorated for the fray
hey have to be kneaded. The process
S supposed to impart compactness, to
increase the roundneSS and elasticity Of
ne surface, and to give something of the
)uoyancy OF youth to the frame. 1t is
ocularly said by some OF the knowing
'nes that you can tell well-kneaded
party in any company.
There Is, or was a few weeks 400, n
negro uptown who was regularly en-
,loyed at that business by several phy-
icians. He had no rooms. but applied
lis process at the houses of the patients.
lie was considered by the doctors who
Employed him to be one of the most ex-
'ert men in the business. He was kept
'usy all day going from house to house.
nd among his subjects were several
Dung men of fast regulations. who
Tier nights excess perferred this
nethod OF recuperation to the Turkish
ath.
but, Just as massage was BECOMING
ne fashionable thing, up comes =
ankee and threatens to kill the whole
BUSINESS with machine. Another on
ilty-nnth street has invented what he
ais mechanical massage. He puts
IS patients into 4 machine and thew
re manipulated by steam power. 4
ISL TO his establishment disclosed as
lany as twenty patients of both sexes
the treatment. Some of
hem had their limbs in the machines
nd pair of rubber hands seized them
na added to the kneading rapid Vi
Iatory motion that was new and Curl
US. here We're men and women with
neumat'sm and paralytic affections.
eng shaken up in the most approved
The physicians all speak we'll Of +be
recess. They say that it forces the
regulation into the capillaries. and
rings 1t away from the centers and
parts. 1t is in short n new
mo- ingenious method of applying ex-
'clse' but 1t threatens to do away with
Re maa!nipulators, for a new man who
an an AFFORD gas-engine can have him
, - come snneen an up without hiring a person
World. H. L"