The Democratic advocate., 1899-07-15
HEAT IN SICKNESS.
Therapeutic Effects of Hot Air Baths
as a Remedy for Various
Diseases.
Dr.. L. II. Haskell. in Hinsdale Beacon.

Or. l. II. Haskell in Hinsdale Beacon.
One of the most potent remedial agents
known To science is heat 1t has been
instinctively resorted to in all ages, in all
countries and among barbarous as well as
civilized peoples.
Rome in its palmy days had its great
baths, such as Diocletian' ; and Caracalla 5,
covering many acres and fitted up with
great elegance with frescoes, paintings and
statuary To these the citizens resorted
daily as the people Of the present day re-
sort to the club These proved to be
health preserving TO such an extent that
physicians were not needed Wherever
the Roman army was stationed the bath
or thermae was established, as in Bath,
England, 50 named because Of the great
Roman bath which remains there and is
now utilized as Turkish bath
When Christianity took possession Of
Rome strange to say, the authorities de
Stroyed the baths as pagan institutions. and
it remained for Mohammedan Turkey to
establish them within its domain, and
thence comes the name Turkish bath 1t
should be borne in mind that the Turkish
bath Is a hot air bath. while the so-called
Russian bath is steam bath, and the two
are totally unlike in their effects The
former l. essentially tonic in its effects
while the latter. ike the hot water bath
Is cneryatng.
Very few people comprehend why the
hot air bath is 50 potent in the cure Of
disease. The reason Is simple. aud readily
understood Nature method Of protect
ing the body from the effects Of heat, es-
pecially high temperatures Is by the eyap
Grafton of moisture from the surface of the
body, and this moisture IS provided by the
perspiratiou. aud the less clothing the more
etfectual the results, so that native Of hot
climates who are nearly paked realize more
fully the benefits Of perspiration.
Upon submitting ones body, diyested
of clothing. to the l50 degrees aud up
wards, of heat. demand CONES for relief;
soon the pores are opened, perhaps TO an
extent not before realized for months OF
even wears, as many persons have inactive
skins. and when this Is the case other or
gans. aud notably the kidneys, must take
on double duty, and are thus oyertaNed
and diseased - now the pores are ac-
lively At work and the poisonous wornout
material i bein. eliminated from the body
through nature : sewerage system-thc
pores What follows as a sequence
Why, as the blood furnishes the perspiria-
tjon. It necessarily comes to the surface,
and thus the circulation Is equalized over
the entire surface, and as the logical Sc
qucnce Of this al oongestiye tedies object
relieved. thus establishing perfect equilib
rum. which Is absolutely essential to per
feet health The bath thus becomes
health preservatiye.
~ it /, expensive, and often iucouye-
nient, to resort to the pabhc bath or ther-
mae. an excellent substitute Is TO be had
10 th, Use Of the so-cllled bath cabinet,
which iucIose> the individual, except the
head the heat being furnished by an al
cuhul lamp. Much higher temperature
ana better results GAh te bbtAihNA III AtuNtN
where furnaces arr used by placing the
cabinet over the furnace register and shut
tin. of heat from some Of the other regis
tcr,. There Is no doubt whatever that
the grippe may be avoided, as well As
cured. bv u-e Of this simple and inexpeu-
,iye method which every one can have.
assert further that the c0nsestiye condl
,iun Of pneumonia can be readily relieved
by TIN. method This Is no mere theory.
for have known Of it, successful applica-
tiou ia the last crisis Of pneumonia, not
once. but several times, with both chil
drrn and adults. The medical domain Of
the bath i Gmjtle>s, and for the reason
that i places the entire organism in con
iitiou 10 relieve itself Of disease TO an eX-
tent impossible By any other means. |
have known Of the worst eases Of conhuent
smallpox cured aud not pock mark left
ON the skin 1, ha,-been proved beyond
all peradyenturc cure for hydrophobla
within my own personal knowledge.