The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-07

lawyer who always has his head well
rubbed before going into court with q case
has practical idea of the value of
massage, and If its virtues were fully
understood clients would insist on
general practice of the habit, when prob
ably fewer muddle-headed judgments
would result
TO attempt description of the mode of
applying massage physicians agree is not
an easy matter. For perfection it requires
certain rapport of an intelligent, skillful
hand with the feelings of the patient-a
rarity which anyone can imagine who has
tried to have his head combed in exactly
the right way.
French, German and Scandinavian ply
sicians often apply massage themselves
without thought of compromising their
dignity. Drs. Brown-Sequard, Weir Mitch
ell and Edward III. Clark have tried their
hands 1t. But the patient would probably
prefer less valuable time and feel more at
ease with an ordinary nurse. About sew
enteen years ago DR.. Metzger, of Amster-
dam, treated the Danish Crown Prince
successfully for chronic joint trouble;
but such Injuries are reserved for crown
princes, and stiff joints are better pre-
vented by cheap, good masseurs whom
one can afford every day.
DR.. Weir-Mitchell refers his first interest
in the subject to the remarkable results
obtained from its use by charlatan in a
thinks there is great room for improve
ment In the training Of masseurs, and
most patients will agree with him. His
'shrewd, superannuated auntie out of
job, " who has learned the meaning of the
word massage and prints it on her card,
and continues her rubin as she has always
done, Is the type of a plentiful class of
masseurs who can be tolerated if they do
not mix magnetism, scientism and spirit
ism with their muscle and can keep their
hands off q patients trinkets and fine
handkerchiefs during visit.
The muscular, middle-aged trained
nurse, who smells rather strongly of pre-
spiration and needs a dentifrice. who
chews gum during the operation and talks
Just enough to break the soothing effect OF
friction, whose touch would be perfect if it
were anywhere else, is not likely to do
much good TO one who is anything of a
sensitive patient. A stout, rudy or plump
person is not the best for massage. Such
people require great deal of exercise in
the open air for the proper oxygenation of
the blood and combining work, like mas
sage, with its STOPPING posture, wearies
them and puts them out of breath"
TIE BEST MAssEURs.
Spare, enduring persons, with q gentle,
firm touch, absolutely without magnetism,
are far and away the best masseurs. For
magnetism is like any other hypnotic
chloral, chloroform and the rest-prone to
reductions which leave the patient weaker
for its use. Sensitive people will agree
with me that the so-called magnetic per-
son absolutely repels and antagonizes
them; every bristle. so to speak, stands
erect at his or her approach. and the whole
system seems reused to throw off an un-
wholesome power. Some clean old colored
auntie or spinster who is thankful to earn
her bread by honest "rubbin," without
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sirable than the half-trained masseur who
has hurried through a course under some
pupil teacher in haste to be earning her
81 an hour. Ughi touch of her hands,
Shiny with vaseline, is something one
would fain forget, but cannot. One point
must be taken, that the best physicians
condemn the use of vaseline or any salyes
or unctions in massage.
The Romans used to have their slaves
| rub them with oil, it is true, and so they
| anointed themselves with the sweat of
| stalwart helots, thinking to imbibe
| strength thereby. These two details of
| practice they have left for US to improve
upon by rejection.
| Oil baths for the thin and badly nour-
| ished are described, but they should never
! be given by hand. The best wav of gain
| ing their effects is by hot air bath first
| it may be over a hot register or by blaz-
ing fire in ones room-till the pores are
| quickly applied and wiped dry, should
leave the skin free, when pure olive oil, al
mond or refined salad oil should be poured
| on the shoulders and rubbed over the per-
| son with sponge or absorbent silk. All
| the better If the oil is misunderstanding
| and refreshing more senses than one. At
| least fifteen minutes should be spent in
| the hot air, allowing the skin to absorb the
| oil--it is nonsense to talk of rubbing it in
with any ordinary friction. Six tablespoon
| fuls of oil are quite enough for bath, as
| it is all the skin is likely to take at once,
| to keep the person entirely warm and in q
! glow during the bath. In fifteen minutes
4 TO half an hour, as one grows accustomed,
| the remaining oil can be washed off with
| warm, soapy water-no soap being applied
| directly to the skin or it will wash the oil
| from the pores.
Very weak persons may take an ammonia
bath irst-one tablespoonful of liquid
| ammonia TO three quarts of warm water
| in the forenoon, with oil after ii, and a
second oil bath late in the day or evening
without water bath. The oil should be
| always as hot as is comfortable. 1t is said
| that oil baths are given in connection with
some of the public baths of Chicago, but it
| is probably for the purpose of supplying
| the joints rather than to nourish and
| strengthen invalids.
Thin dyspeptics who can eat little;
peFsONS III 1uNauCcQ anu
| patients recovering from fevers are nour-
| ished and strengthened by absorbing
nutrition in this way, when the stomach
is too weak to supply the system.
HOW TO STROKE THE FACE.
As 10 the mooted point in facial mas
sage, whether the stroking is to be given
toward the eyes and nose or away from
them, the answer is always away from
the nose and eyes. As to whether mas
sage is given across the wrinkles or in
| their direction, the skin has its own con-
tractile power when reused, and there is
| less danger of stretching il than is mag
ined. Enough has been said on this sub
| ject before. Dr.. Douglas tells us that mas
| sage on other parts of the person often has
more effect in reaching organs than rub
| bing the parts themselves. In massee-
| ing the face of a fat patient the
! tissues can be only rolled and stretched
/ under the fingers and palm, away from the
corners of the eyes and nose, toward the
! angle of the lower jaw. If the patient is
| thin or in moderate tlesh the cheeks can be
| grasped between the thumb and fingers
! and more thoroughly squeezed and mas
/ seed in the same direction. The foreiinger
/ covered with a fold of thin cloth may be
put inside the cheeks, and these softly
/ squeezed, manipulated and stretched be-
/ tween thumb and finger.
But nowhere, our author tells US, is
| more practice and skill required than in
massage of the face and head. That il
will relieve the dreadful neuralgia of the
| fifth pair of nerves is of far less interest 20
| most women than that the cheeks can re-
| cover plumpness in this way. Still mas