Eduard Hlawaczek

“ What are those persons to do who cannot walk at all? Experience leads to the belief that the mineral waters of Carlsbad agree best with the constitutions of those patients who only take moderate exercise (during and after the use of the waters) , instead of walking fast and mounting the neighbouring hills. Strong and robust people, whose illness has been brought about by sedentary habits, may move about as much as they like; weak and thin persons, on the contrary, should walk little and rest occasionally ”

“ Single apartments are always to be obtained, and it is advisable to choose them personally after arrival. The lodging must be paid for from the day it is taken. A stranger visiting Carlsbad for the first time will do well to go, in the first place, to an hotel, as his want of knowledge will be taken advantage of by unscrupulous lodging-house touts—under the pretext that everything else is taken—to conduct him to some out of the way, distant, and, at the same time, expensive quarter of the town. ”

“ In cases of acute and chronic diarrhœa, the Sprudel can be resorted to, at first, in doses of from two to four half-tumblersful daily, or one tablespoonful every half-hour or hour. Generally, it is best to drink as much as will be sufficient to induce the bowels to act once, twice, or even three times a day. If the motions are watery and clear, the quantity of water taken daily must be diminished: It must be distinctly understood that the action of the Carlsbad water is not purgative only, as many patients are completely cured of their ailments, their bowels acting but once a day. ”

“ Carlsbad lies in a rather narrow valley of the county of Eger, in the Kingdom of Bohemia; it is situated 1124 feet above the level of the North-sea, and close to the confluence of the Tepl and the Eger. The greater part of the mountains surrounding the town are covered with pine trees, beeches, &c., and consist of fine and coarse-grained granite. The highest of them reaches to a height of 879 feet above the Sprudel, and is called “Das ewige Leben” (Eternal Life) . ”

“ Exercise.—Plenty of exercise, carefully regulated and not over-extended, is necessary for the greater part of the patients, inasmuch as they have generally led a sedentary life before visiting Carlsbad for the purpose of getting cured. It is, however, a deeply-rooted idea that all patients must walk a great deal, as otherwise the waters would not be properly digested, and, consequently, it often becomes necessary to caution the patients against taking too much exercise. ”

“ The straight road leads us up-hill in about half an hour to the plateau of the Aberg, where we partake of refreshments in a very handsome Refreshment-room; adjoining this, is a tower from which we have one of the finest views imaginable. For the return journey, we select the walk leading down-hill to a hut; thence we follow the carriage-road, and after eight minutes’ walk arrive at a chapel. ”

“ To Elbogen is a drive of an hour and a half’s duration. If we go by rail, we have about half an hour’s walk from the station. The town is situated on a rocky plateau, surrounded by the Eger like an elbow (hence the name) , and its principal attraction consists in a chain-bridge and Haidinger’s porcelain manufactory. We advise good pedestrians to drive to Elbogen before dinner, to dine there at the Hôtel Zum weissen Ross, and then to walk along the banks of the Eger to the Hans Heiling Fels in about two hours. ”

“ The patient, after the conclusion of the cure, should, for at least four weeks, live in the same way as during his stay at Carlsbad. Business, if possible, should not be resumed; an hour’s walk should be taken every morning, and two or three tumblersful of warm Quellsalz or water should be taken before breakfast, with the addition (if necessary) of ohe teaspoonful of Sprudel salt. Moderation should be observed with regard to eating and drinking. Whether another bathingplace should be resorted to for the perfection of the cure, must be left to the judgment of the medical adviser. ”

“ It is not usual to bathe daily; many bathe two days following, then skip one day; generally it is best to take a bath every other day; for weak persons bathing twice or even once a week will be found sufficient. Either mineral water alone, or two parts of mineral and one part of common water, are taken for a bath, and this latter proportion is in no way calculated to diminish its action. ”

“ All the warm springs contain the same mineral constituents; they differ only in temperature, and, consequently, in the larger or smaller amount of carbonic acid gas they hold in solution. [1] The Schlossbrunn contains most, the Sprudel the least free carbonic acid gas. Consequently, it is advisable to classify them as hot and tepid springs, instead of speaking of them, as of old, as strong and weak. We can best compare these springs to a tree: the Sprudel is the trunk, the other springs form the branches; and the longer and thinner the branch, the cooler is the spring. ”

“ Before entering the bath the patient should ascertain, by the aid of the thermometer, that it is of the proper temperature; the bath should only be taken after a good rest. During the time of bathing it is advisable to use gentle friction of the limbs and abdomen, but it is unnecessary to submerge the head or moisten the hair with mineral water. After the bath the patient should be well wrapped up and repair at once to his apartments, where he should rest for at least half an hour in bed or on a couch. ”

“ As the mineral waters of Carlsbad act in a preventive, prophylactic way, they can be recommended for their quick, safe, and pleasant influence in all those affections, arising, sooner or later, from sedentary habits, and often connected with free living and irregular action of the bowels. The patient feels unwell without being really ill; going up stairs, and even stooping, are accomplished with difficulty through the accumulation of fat ”

“ A quarter of an hour's walk leads us uphill to the Dichterbank, a retired and quiet place in a rock. Near it the road branches off to the right for the Findlater’s Tempel, and to the left down-hill to a fine beech close to the high road, called the Stahl’s Buche. ”

“ Every suite of apartments should be provided with a steve, which in spring and autumn will be found indispensable.
Sleeping in the day-time is on the whole to be avoided, especially by persons suffering from congestions and fatty accumulation. Weak persons, however, who sleep badly during the night, may sleep for a quarter or half an hour in the day-time, but before taking their dinner.
Occupation.—During the use of the waters, the patient ought not to apply himself to any serious occupation; frequent letter-writing is to be avoided, as also reading books requiring much thinking. ”

“ To Dallwitz.—The Eger Strasse leads to the little village of Drahowitz, where we cross the Eger in a little boat; turning to the right, we follow the bank of the river for about half an hour, till we come to a rivulet in a small valley, crossing which, we arrive in about ten minutes at the broadest of those beautiful Dallwitz oak trees, celebrated in a poem by Körner, and at last take some refreshments at the inn Zu den 3 Eichen. In the little castle of Dallwitz there is an exhibition of different articles of porcelain, made in the adjoining manufactory. ”

“ The Burgomaster’s office has also the control over the record of the visitors, and, based upon it, issues the visitors’ list. For this purpose, as well as for assessing, each visitor is supplied with a form to fill up, and after a few days an official hands him the assessment-paper for payment. The Curtaxe (visitor’s tax) has to be paid by every visitor staying longer than eight days at Carlsbad. It amounts for wealthy people to 10 fl.; for well-to-do people, 6 fl.; for the less affluent, 4 fl., i. e., for each grown-up member of the family ”

“ This course is not to be recommended, and only a very small cup of unsweetened black coffee (or with very little milk) and one roll is advisable, but it is much better to drink nothing but Carlsbad or some other Sauerbrunn, or soda-water, during the afternoon. For supper stout people should eat as little as possible; those who have taken coffee with a roll in the afternoon, should totally abstain from supper the others should be satisfied with some stewed fruit or a plate of light soup, or a glass of beer with a roll. ”

“ Although the waters from all the hot mineral springs are used for exportation, the cooler ones are best suited for this purpose, because they contain more carbonic acid gas, and consequently their water, put into bottles well corked, will keep its strength for several years. This water may be used preliminary to the visit to Carlsbad, or after the return from it; it may also be taken by people who are unable to visit Carlsbad, especially by transatlantic patients, and eventually it may be used as a trial in doubtful cases. ”

“ To the village of Hammer.—We drive to this place with the intention of visiting its porcelain manufactory or the Atelier of Giinther, a cabinet-maker, after which we ascend the Mecséry Höhe, at the back of the factory, where we see basalt columns, and enjoy a fine view. An omnibus leaves for here daily, starting from the place before the Theatre. ”

“ At the first turning we notice three roads, to the right the Jubiläumsweg, showing on the left hand the Crinolinenstiege, leading to the Gemse, while the Jubiläumsweg itself brings us to a most retired spot, called somewhat bombastically “Himmel auf Erden” (Heaven on Earth) ; however, we know, that sometimes a most humble place deserves this name. Moving onwards, through the centre road, we arrive at the Gemse; further on at Mayer’s Gloriet, and at the Restaurant of the Hirschensprung. The left road, however, which we most recommend, winds agreeably to the ridge of the hill. ”

“ The answer will be, that there are circumstances which forbid everything, and others which forbid nothing; as a general rule, however, not too many dishes should be consumed, and all articles containing much fat and being heavy of digestion, are carefully to be avoided, such as goose liver, patties, lobster salad with oil dressing, eels, smoked salmon, &c., or dried peas, haricot beans, sour cucumbers, cucumber salad, raw fruits, excepting strawberries. ”

“ A band plays here every morning. The Säulengang of the Mühlbrunn, the Marktbrunn-Halle, the coveredway near the Schlossbrunn; to these should be added the Mineralwasserversendungs-Gebäude (building for the exportation of the waters) in the Eger Strasse, the building for the preparation of the Sprudel salt near the mouth of the Tepl, the bathing establishments near the Sprudel, the comfortable bath rooms in the Mühlbadgasse, as well as the magnificent Curhaus, with its bath rooms, containing 16 rooms for mud-baths, three for fullsized baths, a Russian vapour bath, and two for douche baths. ”

“ Labitzky’s band performs daily in the morning, from 6 till 8 o’clock, near the Sprudel and the Mühlbrunn; in the afternoon, from 4 till 6, at different places, and twice a week in the evening, from 7+1⁄2 till after 9 o’clock. The Theatre.—During the season, from the beginning of May till the end of September, there is a company playing, who will give satisfaction to those whose taste is not too refined. Dancing is indulged in generally on Saturday evenings in the Curhaus. ”

“ Recently, many patients have, been in the habit of drinking one or two tumblersful of cold or hot mineral water at home, immediately after rising; those suffering from habitual constipation may also take one tumblerful before going to bed. ”

“ To the Russell Sitz.— We traverse the Schlossbrunngasse and pass on to the highway leading to the Jägersaal; passing the bowling-green, we reach the forest, and, after about eight minutes’ walk, an open space, where, turning to the left, we ascend for eighteen minutes, and arrive at the Russell Sitz, a neat little place on a rock, with a fine view of the Erzgebirge through an opening in the woods. ”

“ THIS short, yet exhaustive description affords the visitor all the necessary instructions, regarding the Mineral Waters, and the dietetic regimen to be observed during their use. It will be found a trustworthy guide to the town, the walks, and drives; and gives information about its economical and social affairs. ”

“ There are several very comfortably furnished hotels in the town, where the stranger may live at the same rate as in a private lodging-house, without being required to board there. Such hotels generally send their own omnibus to meet the trains. ”

“ The third class comprises public officers of lower degrees, small tradesmen, salesmen, and peasants. Physicians and surgeons, with their wives and children, are free from this tax, as are also all Austrian officers up to the rank of captain, and every visitor provided with a certificate of poverty. ”

“ The change of temperature, as in all mountainous regions, is sometimes rather sudden, and there is this to be noticed, that after heavy rains, which sometimes last for several days, the ground dries so rapidly, that a few hours after the rain has ceased to fall, the roads on the mountain slopes are perfectly fit for walking. ”

“ Dishes made palatable by adding a little lemon juice or vinegar, may be enjoyed by most of the patients. Many people are accustomed to take a cup of coffee with milk several hours after dinner, and to eat two or more rolls at the same time. ”

“ They are, however, of little or no use if the enlargement of the liver is caused by some kinds of tumours, such as cancer, encysted abscess, ascarides, tubercles, &c., or if there is an atrophy of this organ, called cirrhosis. They often cure jaundice in its many forms; also biliousness; gall-stones; some tumours of the spleen and of the mesenteric glands; some forms of dropsy; obesity; stones in the bladder and kidneys, principally when caused by uric acid; diabetes ”