The Washington herald., 1912-09-29

One of the most interesting discussion.
in the Congress on Hygiene and Demog.
raphy developed between two noted Ger
man public bath specialists. DR.. Simor
Baruch. Of New Yoxk, president Of the
American Association for Promoting Hy-
giene and Public Baths. arose to the oc-
| casion as peacemaker. The discussion
followed the reading Of papers by DR.
Baruch and Prof. DR.. L. Brieger. of the
Hydrotherapeutische Universitats-Anstali
| OF Berlin.
The whole discussion came under the
subject of the hygiene of physiology oi
exercise. and DR.. Baruch read the open
ing paper. He was followed by the Ger
man specialist, who spoke of the signifi-
canoe Of hydrotherapy for hygiene, the
rapeutics and medical instruction. The
| argument began when DIR. w. Polonis, OF
Hanover. Germany, said:
THE hydrotherapy management Is
only a symptomatic treatment The first
| important thing for every disease and
| trouble Of the body is to find the cause
and IL possible to remove It. A most
careful examination is necessary. We
must always remove the cause. and n.y.
ldrotheraphy cannot do that"
OF Utmost Importance.
Prof. Brieger said that removing the
cause was barely possible. that as a bac-
teriologist he has been all his life en-
gagged in finding the cause of disease and
trying to remove II, but so far We have
had more failures than successes"
He insisted that hydrotherapy is OF the
utmost Importance, despite the gentle
opposition OF his fellow-coGntryman.
DR.. Baruch said he would pour oil on
the troubled waters by stating that efforts
TO remove the cause Of disease do not
preclude the application OF remedies
which will carry the case to a success
full issue. Water is Of immense value
for aiding nature TO cure disease" he
said. THE mortality of typhoid fever
has been reduced from % to per cent
in the Munich hospitals of the German
army by strict and systematic cold bath
ing"
He said the statistics OF this hospital
are the most reliable in medicine, be-
cause they are collected from $500 cases
in individual soldiers of the same sex
and age, eating the same food. doing tie
same work. and over a period Of forty
years
"one word about the teaching Of hydro
therapy in this country he said. The
United States is the only country in
which a distinct share is given to hydro
therapy in two medical schools. / de-
clined' to accept the chair in Columbia
University unless the study OF hydro
therapy was made obligatory by section
teaching and final examinations.
Every graduate must pass my exami-
nation in order that he may be able to
teach nurses the various hydrothera-
peutic procedures. In Germany the
course is elective. and I have attended
DR.. Brieger's and other clinics with a
great deal OF benefit and pleasure"
DR.. Baruch IN his paper said:
Urges Public Baths.
THE hygienic physiology of baths has
changed with the changes in the concep-
ton Of the physiology OF the skin. When
I studied medicine fifty years ago elimina-
ton was regarded as the chief function
Of the skin. The textbooks related the
story of a boy who after being covered
with gold foil had represented an angel
in a papal procession and who died be-
cause the impurities which II was the
function OF the skin to eliminate were
retained.
II must confess that not long ago I
risked being regarded as uninformed on
modern physiology when I argued be-
fore an aldermanic committee for new
public cleaning baths that the. skin
purihes the organism just as do the lungs
and that therefore free cleansing baths
are as important to the community as
free parks.
Our present knowledge of the physi-
ology of the skin makes its eliminating
function the least important for the
maintenance of life under normal con-
ditions. In this presence it were an act
of supererogation to dwell upon the fol-
lowing facts, which are indisputaole,
were it not probable that the discussion OF
this section may be utilized for the di-
fusion of physiological knowledge OF
the bath among the lay people.