The National tribune., 1909-09-30
Women and BathtubS,

women and BathtubS.
| Even very scientific men can be great
geese at times. There have been grea
dGings here in Washington this Ias
week among scientific hospital surgeons
and the like. The relative merits OF
the bathtub and the shower bath in
public institutions and hospitals was the
subject of a lively controversy at the
session of the American Hospital ASso-
| citation at the New Willard.
| The attack on the tub was made by
DIR. r. W. Corwin, Superintendent OF
| the Minnequa Hospital at Pueblo. Colo.
who read a paper on Suggestions In
Connection With Hospital Construc-
ton" DIR. Corwin said that bathtubs
were insanitary, and should be excluded
from hospitals and showers installed
His main criticism was based on the al
legation that patients with different dis
eases perform their ablutions in the
same tub, which, the doctor declared, Is
an insanitary practice.
What men really need sometimes is a
woman to give them some knowledge Of
actual practice. Men who theorize eter-
naIly get to believe that they really
know 1t all; but, somehow. theories will
not always work out. For instance, what
is this learned doctor going to do In his
hospital when they bring in to him a
little weak, pulling child that hasn't
been bathed but once since it was born,
in all probability? 3, Suppose he puts
the kid under a shower bath? The child
will probably collapse with terror and
shock. and the dirt on its filthy little
body won't be faxed a bit more than ice
water would faZe enamel paint. Mighty
few people who battle only little can
endure the shock Of shower bath, and
there are, thousands of people who love
the bath who can't take the shower.
L 1t H.A
as much water for women as it did for
men, and was that much more costly,
because women would have the tub,
whereas men preferred the shower
There is logical reason for that. Most
women have long hair, and unless the
hair was very clean indeed. and il prob
ably never is In the class of patients al
luded to, getting 1t wet under shower
bath would reduce II to a state that
would be absolutely pitiable. Dirty hair
wet down" is unspeakably filthy. 1t
sours before 1t dries. and it mats and
is sticky beyond belief As nothing is
provided for women to cover their hair,
for caps would sure enough be insani-
tary. women must dodge the shower
bath. Unless the long hair Is dried
quickly woman is liable to catch cold,
and II she must be put to bed she soils
the pillows and other bed clothing. A
woman could have told these doctors
this in just two minutes, and then they
need not have theorized to why wo-
men dislike the shower bath Anyhow,
it is not difficult to disinfect n bathtub
After the patient is out of it a quarter
of n pint of coal oil poured in the tub
and rubbed energetically around with
clean cloth will disinfect it in hurry.
In fact, rubbing down with coal oil
before putting the patient in the bath
would not be a bad idea. That is an
old, old housewife remedy to get rid &C
the vermin on the body ard that gets
into child's hair. After all. isn't COM
mon sense the best teacher? Given a
porcelain bathtub. plenty of hot water
and good strong soap, and a woman
will make clean the most Objectionable
creature, and she will leave a clean
bathtub when she is thru.