Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-01-02
HOW TO sArHE IN WINTER.
Some Valuable Hints from Physician on
an Important Subject.

an Important Suhject
81 will tell you how to get Russian
steam bath at home that will be nearly
as satisfactory as if you paid 81 for it at
an hammam," said the physician. "Just
have big friedrich heated red hot in the
kitchen range and place it upon an iron
stool or some such thing. Then stand q
chair over the stool. Sit down on the
chair and have four leaved screen put
around you, with blanket thrown over
the top. Thus you will find yourself in
sort of closet, and, having been previ-
ously provided with jug of hot water,
you amuse yourself by pouring it very
slowly over the hot brick. The water,
transformed Immediately into steam, fills
the inclosed space and at once induces
violent perspiration."
"It would take more than 81 to induce
me to go through such self inflicted
ordeal" remarked The Star reporter.
ga cold bath is good enough for me-"
"Do you mean cold air or cold water:"
"Why, cold water, of course; never
heard of such thing as cold air bath"
"Cold air baths are excellent, never
theless, and I strongly recommend them
as tonic for persons who are not strong
enough to indulge in cold water. In
taking one the bather should open bed
room window wide-upon rising in the
morning is the proper time-and stand
in the cold air perfectly nude, mean
while rubbing the limbs and body vigor-
ously with a dry towel. There is no
danger of catching cold, even when the
thermometer is down to zero outside,
for the reason that the sensitive pores
of the skin contract under the exposure
SO as to make it first rate protection.
Gas for cold water baths, 1 deem them
excellent for people of abundant vitality,
but the trouble is that very many who
take them are not strong enough to en-
dure their effects. Nobody who is in
the least delicate should ever touch cold
water for bathing purposes. In the case
of robust individual, the blood driven
from the surface of the body by cold
water comes quickly rushing back again
under the ministrations of a brisk rub
and a delightful glow is felt. But
weakly person, whose vital organs are
not sufficiently vigorous to send the
blood swiftly back to the superficial
blood vessels, fails to experience the
health betokening reaction and is very
apt to feel a faintness instead. How
ever, there are mild ways of taking cold
water baths which do very well in win
ter, as well as in summer, for those who
are only moderately vigorous"
"Such as what, doctor?"
"The mildest process is simply to dip
a towel in cold water and wet only one
portion of the body at time, taking the
parts successiyely-first an arm, then q
leg, and so on until the ablution is COM
| pleted, each part being rubbed dry be-
fore the next is moistened. In this way
shock is avoided. For a reasonably
strong person the best plan is to use a
towel sopped in cold water in the ordi-
nary fashion, with thorough rubbing,
of course, to follow. But do not indulge
in any of this nonsense in the way of
harsh towels and flesh brushes, which
merely serve to get up local irritation;
soft towels are much better to rub with.
A gentler method of cold bathing than
the plunge, and very good one, is to
stand up in the tub and squeeze sponge
over your head; disadvantage of this
plan is that it is rather too shivery to be
comfortable. The kind of bath ] usu-
ally advise, unless the patient is .!eakly,
consists in going over the entire body,
after getting up each morning, with a
towel wrung out in cold water as quickly
as possible, the dry rub following. In
rubbing after bath the attention should
be given almost wholly to the limbs; the
body circulation is active enough to take
care of ITSELF"
elbow about hot baths?'
"Hot baths should not be too hot, and
they should not be stayed in long, else
the effectwil be to partially paralyze the
little blood vessels that form network
all over the body beneath the skin, thus
disordering the circulation. You can
see this effect for yourself by observing
how quickly the fingers become wrinkled
at the extremities when held in hot
water, the blood leaving the surface.
The best time to take warm baths is at
night, and two week are plenty for the
purpose of cleanliness Bathing is fire.
quently overdone by people who are over
nice about their persons. Turkish baths
should not be taken on cold days, unless
the bather is very remarkably robust,
| and never more than once n week. I
am not in favor of too much bathing"
Washington Star.