The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-22

threshold and enter the gambling hell, off
the hat must come, and everybody lights
his cigar and goes to suffocating the ladies.
But what l came here for, five weeks ago,
was the baths. My right arm was disabled
with rheumatism. To sit at home in Amer
lea and guess out the European bath best
fitted for particular allhent or comblna-
tion of ailments is not possible, and It
would not be good idea to experiment in
that way, anyhow. There are great many
curative baths on the Continent, and some
are good for one disease but bad for an
other. So it is necessary to let physician
name your bath for you. AS rule, Amer
leans go 10 London to get this advice, ana
South Americans go to Paris for it, Now
and then an economist chooses his bath him
self and does 1000 miles of railroading 10
get to 1t, and then the local physicians tell
him lie has come to the wrong place DE
sees that he has lost time and money and
strength, and almost the minute that he re-
aizes this he loses his temper. l had the
rheumatism and was advised TO go to AK,
not sc much be, ause ! had that disease
because | had the promise of certain others.
What they were WAS not explained to me,
but they are either in the following menu
or | have been sent to the wrong place. DR..
Wakefeld's book says:
We know that the class of maladies benefited
by The waller and baths at AK are those due TO
feet Of nutrition, debility of the nervous sys-
TEN, or 10 a equity, rheumatic, heTpetic or scrof-
nlous diathesis-Ail diseases extremely debilitat-
ing and requiring tonic, and not depressing
action OF the reIneGy. This, II seems, TO find
here, as recorded experience aud daily action
can testify According to the line OF
treatment, followed particularly with Que regard
10 the temperature, the action of the AK waters
can BE- made sedatlye, exciting, deIiVatlve or
Alternative and tonic.
The Establishment" is the property of
France, and all the officers and servants are
employees of the French Government. The
bath-house is Il huge and massive pile of
white marble masonry, and looks more like
temple than anything else. II has several
floors, and each Is full of bath cabinets.
There is every kind of bath-for the nose,
the ears, the throat, vapor baths, tub baths
swimming baths, aud all peoples fayorite,
the douche 1t is good building to get lost
in, when you are not familiar with il. From
early morning until nearly noon people are
streaming IN and streaming out without
halt.
The majority come afCot, but great num-
bers are brought in sedan chairs, suffi-
GENTLY ugly c0ntrivance, whose cover is q
steep little tent made of striped canvas.
You see nothing of the patient in this diving
bell as the bearers tramp along, except a
glimpse of his ankles bound together and
swathed around with blankets or towels to
that generous degree that the result Sug-
geSts a sore piano leg. By attention and
practice the pall-bearers have got so that
they can keep ont of step all the time-Rnd
they do it. AS a consequence their yelled
like bell-buoy IN ground swell. 1t max IS
the oldest sailor seas!ck 10 look at that spec
tace
TIE course" is usually fifteen DOUGH
baths and five tub baths. You take the
douche three days in succession. then knock
off and take a tub You keep up this dis
tributiOn through the course. If one course
does not cure you, you take another one
after an interval. You seek local physician
and he examines your case and preScribeS
hal l. rFnFl lfl Nnfh
other particulars; then you buy your course
tickets and pay for them in aGyance-S9.
With the tickets you get a memorandum
book with your datsS and hours all set down
in ii. The doctor takes you into the bath
the first morning and gives some instrnc-
tons TO the two dOucheurS who are to handle
you through the course.
The pour bOlres are about 10 cents to each
OF the men for each bath, payable at the
end of the course. Also at the end of the
course you pay or francs to the superin-
teudent OF your de- artment of the bath
house. These are useful particulars to
know, and are not TO be found in the books
A servant OF your hotel carries your towels
and sheet TO the bath daily and brings them
away again. They are tho property of the
hotel; the French Government doesn't fur
nish these things. You meet all kinds of
people in place like this, and if you give
them chance they will submerge you under
their experiences, for they are either very
glad or very sorry they came, and they want
to spread their feelings out and enjoy them.
One of these said to me:
Its great, these baths. l didn't come
here for my health. l only came to find out
if there was anything the matter with me.
The doctor told me if there was the symp-
toms would soon appear. After the first
douche l had a sharp pain In all my muscles
The doctor said it was different varieties of
rheumatism, and the best varieties there
were, too. After NV second bath | h ad
aches in my bones and skull and around.
The doctor said it was different varieties OF
neuralgia, and the best in the market, any
body would tell me so. | got many new
These were IN my joints. The doctor said
1t was govt, complicated with heart dis
ease, and encouraged me to go on. Then
We had the fourth douche. and | came out
on stretcher that time, and fetched with
me one vast, diversified undulatlng con-