The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
BATHING VITAL SUBJECT
AMONG HYGIENE DELEGATES

'It Is an indisputable fact that to the
nerve and vascular supply ramifying In
its structure the skin owes it's life sus-.
tanning functions. and that these underlis
the sense Of touch, which Is the most
vital OF all the senses because its ex-
tinction- is fatal, while every other sense
may be destroyed without actual loss
Of life. II Is now positively known that
deaths OF animals which have been COW
cred with an impermeable varnish. as
was the gilded boy, are not due TO inter-
ference with the purifying function Of
the skin. but to interference with tenn
perature regulation, and that II the
temperature is maintained by envelopins
the animal with warm coverings IL may
survive for some time. There Is a sud-
den rise Of temperature after vanishing
the animal. II becomes weary, the pulse
and respiration become rapid as in fevers.
albuminuria and commissions ensue. ex-
halation of COZ is reduced enormously
and finally the animal expires with a
temperature far below the normal
Cold Baths Valuable.
What is the physiological action OF the
bath? We are confronted with a very
large subject which must treat briefly
on account of the pressure of time
Bathing may be defined as the act OF
applying water TO the skin The actfvi-
ties aroused in the latter are due to the
thermic and mechanical excitation Of
the nerve terminals and vessels rami-'
flying through the cutaneous area which
are subjected to this excitation- Pro-
longed observation has convinced me that
some Of the commonly accepted expla-
nations of the action OF cold water and
hot water upon the skin are erroneous
Cold water has been hitherto regarded
as conveying to the skin vessels and
nerves a decided irritation. which Is
transmitted on sensory tracts to the CEN
tral nervous system and thence reflected
on motor tracts to the various organs,
chiefly the respiration and circulation,
and through the latter upon secretion. ex-
cretion and tissue change. These ef-
fects have been termed reaction. am
entirely in accord with this view. so far
as II applies to very brief applications OF
cold water.
For example, when a healthy tndivid-
ual takes a cold shower. say OF temper
ature OF Is or 20 degrees centigrade OF
brief duration, this rationale sufices, It
also would explain the action of a plunge
OF the shortest possible duration into
water at that or lower temperature.
But when the exposure to the cold water
is prolonged for several minutes, this
process, which have termed nerve re-
action, is supplemented by what I have
termed the vascular reaction. which Is
not general. but local, that is, the thermic
excitation is exerted upon the ganglia
controlling the local peripheral vessels.
and the unstrtped muscular fbers which
form a network or web with the elastic
fbers and together constitute, according
to Unna, the oblikue tensors Of the skin,
and which together with the arrectores
pilorum control the blood supply Of the
skin. according to Tomsa and Sappey.
Another remarkable effect OF the bath
Is that cold water increases the number
Of red and white blod cells taken from
the lobe of the ear before and ater the
bath, while warm water increases the
white ellis chiefly.
We have succeeded in putting into
practical application the hygienic physi-
ology Of bathing, namely. its physical
and psychical action on the human body;
thus has expression been given also TO
John Wesley. who, quoting from the
Talmud, has said. Cleanliness is, indeed.
next to godIiness;'' thus has been demon
strated the truth OF Baron Justus Won
L.ebig's dIctum, Soap is the greatest
civitzer Of mankind
New York City's eminent superfntend-
ent of public schools has boldly pro-
claimed that the construction OF abund-
ant public baths would be far more ad-
vantageous 10 the people than the add
ton of libraries, much as he valued the
latter
This is the latest confirmation Of my
estimate Of the real purposes OF the
observation. I pray that with an i'm
petus given to the bathing habit by the
school and other baths free to all the
people these United States may become
q shining example of civic greatness IN
the history OF the world