The Washington times., 1915-06-01

effect that he whose nails are
i soiled. never takos a bath" TO
To this NAV be added another
from the Italian, which says that IL all
the uhbathed wore white caps. crowds
would look like flocks If geese.
vaudeville humor. too. testifies to the
great American delinquency in nuner-
GUS funny ways. The hoary, senile Joke
which makes the rural maiden at sight
or the porcelain bath tub and warm
bath room clap her hands in Rlec and
say, oh, can hardly wait until Satur-
| day night comes" Is grim evidence Of
the neglect of this most hygienic of
measures. l know n hostess. with a
Keen sense Of humor. who has a sign
which she hangs In any guilty boarder's
room. which reads: please remember
| IL you would remain here-that every
day Is Saturday night in the bath rooms
o: this hostelry."
There is no longer q question of the
efficacy of indoor and pool baths as
necessary hygienic expedients. This
goes no wwithout dispute. The pool
| path aims as much toward vigor. good
| health and vitality as at cleanliness.
The ancients appreciated the value of
the pool bath more than does the mod
ern In his egolstic vanity and false SUI
periority. They taught then as do the
most ultra progressive psychologists of
| today that the pool bath-in modera-
! tion-is a stimulant and tonic more ef-
| fectiVe and permanent In its qualities
| than all Of the irons. quinines, and
strychnines of the pharmacopeia.
| 1t is only necessary to refer to such
psychologists as Prof. William T. Sedg-
wick. of the Massachusetts Institute Of
] Technology, and Prof. Theodore Hough.
! of Boston. to confirm this.
| clr In
In healthy condition. and this alone is
sufficient reason for making 1t a rule
in the hygienic mode of life.
bath which Is neither distinctly
cold nor hot generally answers all pur-
poses. The indoor pool or even the
makeshift bathtub fulflls the demands
of health. Such a pool varies between
so and 30 degrees. and the bathroom
| temperatures should not be much under
this. When soap Is used. water Of this
temperature removes the waste products
from the skin sufficiently for all prac.
tical purposes, especially when such a
are. however. without any stimulating
physiological effect, provided they are
not taken In a cold room. For some
people they are the most advisable form
The hot bath is not. as a rule. ad
visable. except before bedtime to pre-
vent colds" They are we'll recognized
as depressing In effect. After hot bath
great cautiono lS required OF pneumonia
may develop. These effects. in pools
however. are generally obviated by fol
| lowing the hot bath with a cold needl
bath, a cold shower or a cold plunge
and possibly this procedure may b.
beneficial form of bathing for the grea
majority of people. The moderated,
| warm bath serves the purposes Of clean
Illness more effectively than the indiffer
ent. bath, and the. shock Of the coli
| n
when taken Immediately after the skill
has thus been thoroughly warmed. To,
| frequent and especially too prolonged
hot bathing; however, is apt to remov
too much oil from the skin. Too long
stay in the pool or in the surf does like
wise.
Hot baths, either of the body as
! whole or at times hot foot bath. ar
often useful in bringing the blood t
the skin and thus repulsing an impend
ing cold" It should be borne in min'
that a very hot bath is a strong stimu
liant IL followed by rest and sleep.
Cold baths in the pool or tub shoult
bath longer than one minute is unde
sirable Thirty seconds Is the usua
time. while ten seconds is the maximum
for great many.
A cold bath should be taken whel
the skin is warm. Immediately on ris
ing in the morning, after muscular wori
or exercise. or without a moments los
of time after a hot bath. Then 1t II
most beneficial. and least likely to pro
Except in very warm weather cold
bathing should always be followed b,
a good rundown with a roNgh tower
This induces a flow of blood through
the skin. and adds to the tonic intiu
Fences.
Cold baths should never be taken II
a cold room. Pools must be kept II
warm places. not cellars. The unde