Water butt

“ Other muscular motions, that are most frequently connected with our sensations, as those of the sphincters of the bladder and anus, and the musculi erectores penis, were originally excited into motion by irritation, for young children make water, and have other evacuations without attention to these circumstances; "et primis etiam ab incunabulis tenduntur sæpius puerorum penes, amore nondum expergefacto." So the nipples of young women are liable to become turgid by irritation, long before they are in a situation to be excited by the pleasure of giving milk to the lips of a child. ”

“ Besides the insensible transpiration and the sweat, which are thrown out by the skin, this organ is constantly lubricated by an oily fluid, which occasions, when coming out of a bath, the water with which it does not unite, to collect in small drops upon the body, which greases the linen when it remains too long in contact with the skin, catches the dust that is floating in the air, makes, it remain upon the skin, and retains many foreign substances coming with the sweat from without or within. ”

“ When the heat of the system is adequate, the bather may stand or sit in a shallow tub, while he receives the water from a sponge squeezed over the shoulders or against the body. In this form of bathing, the person is more exposed to the cold air, and on this account it is less suitable for very feeble individuals than the first-mentioned method. In the early use of this form of the sponge-bath, the bather should content himself with a single affusion from the sponge; the body should be quickly wiped with a soft towel, and friction applied with a crash towel or a brush. ”

“ Where there is a tendency to stoppage of the urine, a warm sitz-bath should be taken. The patient first sits in three inches deep of comfortably hot water. More water at the same temperature is poured gradually in at intervals, until it rises well up over the abdomen. This will usually relieve even a bad case.
Treat with bran poultice and cold towels, as above recommended, after the warm bath has given relief. It should be remembered that the cold is the healing power, bracing the bladder and all its muscles and vessels. Hence more than a slight cooling is needed. ”

“ His view, in fact, is that the fluid which we drink passes into the bladder by being resolved into vapours, and that, when these have again been condensed, it thus regains its previous form, and turns from vapour into fluid. He simply looks upon the bladder as a sponge or a piece of wool, and not as the perfectly compact and impervious body that it is, with two very strong coats. For if we say that the vapours pass through these coats, why should they not pass through the peritoneum and the diaphragm, thus filling the whole abdominal cavity and thorax with water? ”

“ There was one drawback on the mud-bath, or peat-poultice. We cannot roll about, like a porpoise or whale, as in the water-bath, without considerable effort, so dense is the medium in which we lie; but I found that I could use friction to all parts of the body, with great ease, in consequence of the unctuous and lubricating quality of the bath. After twenty minutes’ immersion, I felt an excitement of the surface, quite different from that of the common mineral warm baths—even of those of Wisbaden, Kissengen, or Schwalbach—attended, as I fancied, by elevation of spirits. ”

“ With respect to bathing generally, very erroneous opinions appear to prevail, two of which only we will notice:—First, that for delicate constitutions bathing is dangerous, because no reaction takes place in the system;—secondly, that it is dangerous to bathe in cold water when the body is heated. ”

“ Besides the quiescence of the minute vessels of the lungs, there are many other systems of vessels which become torpid from their irritative associations with those of the skin, as the absorbents of the bladder and intestines; whence an evacuation of pale urine occurs, when the naked skin is exposed only to the coldness of the atmosphere; and sprinkling the naked body with cold water is known to remove even pertinacious constipation of the bowels. ”

“ The sudden plunge into a cold bath is good for the strong and healthy, but too severe for the delicate. One should always wet first the face, neck, and chest. It is extremely injurious to stand in a bath with only the feet and the lower limbs covered by the water, for the blood is thus sent from the extremities to the heart and internal organs, and they become so burdened that reaction may be out of their power. A brisk walk, or a thorough rubbing of the skin, before a cold bath or swim, adds greatly to its value and pleasure. ”

“ The patient should gain the habit of making water slowly, which is a matter of the utmost consequence, as it prevents the distention, and consequent rupture, of that part of the urethra, which is between the stricture and the neck of the bladder. ”

“ In some old people, who have experienced a long retention of urine, the bladder never regains the power of completely emptying itself; and many who are beginning to be weak from age can make water a second time, a few minutes after they supposed they had emptied the bladder.
I have believed this pain to originate from sympathy with some distant part, as from ascarides in the rectum, or from piles in women; or from caruncles in the urethra about the caput gallinaginis in men ”

“ The surface of the human body is protected by an oily film deposited by innumerable vessels, so that after a dip 18into water the skin is not thoroughly wetted, most of the water running from the body as from a duck’s back. After a Soap-bath, the bather will find himself thoroughly wet all over, the skin being apparently saturated as if it were blotting paper; both natural secretions and foreign matter will have yielded to the warm and cleansing bath of yellow soap and the after-application of cold water. ”

“ For the first time in the history of enemata appliances can an enema, recurrent douche, or vaginal injection be taken with water at any desired temperature and at the same time be medicated with any remedy desired. External pressure against the anal orifice is regulated at will; also the flushing of the integument about the anus and buttocks is easily accomplished before leaving the toilet seat. ”

“ To test this function place the patient on the bed pan into which a pint of hot water has been put, and give her a reasonable time to make the effort to pass her water. Should she fail, take an ordinary small bath towel and wring it out of very hot water, just as hot as she can tolerate, and spread it over the region of the bladder and genitals: if there is running water in the room, turn it on full and let it run while the towel is in position as above. If the bladder is full, there is a peculiar, irresistible desire to urinate when one hears running water. ”

“ Many persons overwork their kidneys by making them do both their own work and that of the skin as well, for nature will make one organ do double work rather than to leave its work undone. Each pore is the end of a little canal called a sweat-tube, which extends way down into the surface of the body. There are about 3,000 of these little canals to each square inch of our skin. They are continually exuding a moisture called perspiration, or sweat, which moisture is really a fluid secreted from the blood and laden with the impurities and waste matter of the system. ”

“ In order to take the bath, the water must not be entered at once. The skin must first be moistened with a towel or sponge soaked in the warm water; the hands, feet, armpits and breast. The hair must be allowed to float unfettered (this is for the natives and for women) and a hishaku (dipper) should be used to pour water over the knees, shoulders and head. Only after this preparation should the bath be entered. It is not well to remain too long immersed. If this is done the blood mounts to the head, the lungs become congested, vertigo ensues and consciousness is lost. ”

“ A love of cold-water bathing can perhaps be carried to excess, as in the case of those self-devoted Spartan swimmers, who, every morning, even in winter, assemble on the banks of the Serpentine, and audaciously defying their own instinct, plunge into the freezing water, even though they have first to break through the icy covering under which it is concealed by nature: the strongest constitution must suffer sooner or later from this treatment. ”

“ When the fingers are drawn forcibly over the skin of the practised bather, the white streaks caused by the pressure are instantly restored to their pink hue when the pressure is relaxed; the sanguineous stream seems to follow the pressure like a surge and instantly obliterates its effects; and the skin recoils with a snap like India-rubber when it is pulled away from the body and suddenly released. In the bath there are no wrinkles and no decrepit age; the skin becomes firm and elastic ”

“ If the oiled hand is introduced into the rectum or vagina in the early stages of the affection, the bladder may be felt beneath partially filled, but not overdistended with liquid, and its neck or mouth firm and rigid. In the more advanced stages of the affection the organ is felt as a great, tense, elastic bag, extending forward into the abdomen. In this condition the overdistended muscular coat of the bladder has lost its power of contraction, so that true paralysis has set in, the muscle closing the mouth of the sac alone retaining its contractile power. ”

“ Now the Hydropathic mode of treatment is the very reverse of this, viz., to bathe the head in tepid, and place the feet in cold water to about the depth of three inches, up to the ankles—friction of the feet accompanying their immersion; the whole being continued for about ten minutes. Let any person suffering from cold feet try this remedy, and he will satisfy himself of the truth of the principles which enjoin it. ”

“ After the friction with soap, the body should be thoroughly rinsed by means of the warm shower-bath; and after the warm shower-bath follows a shower of cold water, or a cold douche. The idea of a douse of cold water upon a fully perspiring skin suggests a feeling of alarm in the minds of those who have not experienced it, or have not thought upon the matter ”

“ The cold douche is contraindicated in inflammation of the uterus, ovaries, kidneys, stomach, liver, bowels, and bladder, in intestinal catarrh, chronic inflammation of the stomach, and general neuritis. It must also be avoided in rheumatism, arteriosclerosis, cardiac insufficiency, valvular diseases of the heart with deficient compensation, fatty degeneration of the heart, and in cases of extreme nervous irritability.
The Internal Use of Water.—The internal use of water is essential to life. Water constitutes about two-thirds of the body weight ”

“ Hydropathy effects a radical cure of this complaint, whilst medical remedies are only temporary, and often lead to serious consequences.
Treatment.—Morning, three rubbing-sheets and sitz-bath, twenty minutes; noon, the same; afternoon, the same, and an additional sitz-bath, making four sitz-baths during the day. At night, a rubbing-sheet but no sitz-bath, as it is too late to walk after it. Body bandage; much water to be drunk; douche four to eight minutes in the middle of the day, if possible. ”

“ If there is not sufficient warm water in the house for a bath, it is often quite as effectual to take a pitcher of hot water, turn the child upon its face, hold it over a pail, and pour the water on the back of the neck. This is more easily managed than a bath, and often is all that is requisite to bring about relaxation. A bag of hot salt laid to the back of the neck will prevent a return. If there is constipation or irritation in the bowels, give a copious enema of warm soft water. If worms are suspected, add salt, a tea-spoonful to one pint of water. ”

“ The bather should rub his limbs and the front portion of his body while the attendant pours water over his chest and shoulders, and rubs vigorously his back and sides. A person can take the bath very well alone by using a rather long coarse towel which can be drawn back and forth across the back by grasping one end with each hand. ”

“ Sweating and tepid bath, and cold sitz-baths, are generally resorted to in this complaint. If cold water is found too severe, tepid is used for a time; a bandage is always applied to parts affected.
For stoppage of the water, three to six rubbing-sheets; if they fail, resort to sweating process until water comes, then a tepid bath, or rubbing-sheet. ”

“ You lie down on your back, the tellak (bath attendant) kneels at your side, and bending over, gripes and presses your chest, arms, and legs, passing from part to part like a bird shifting its place on a perch. He brings his whole weight on you with a jerk; follows the line of muscle with anatomical thumb; draws the open hand strongly over the surface, particularly round the shoulder, turning you half up in so doing; stands with his feet on the thighs and on the chest, and slips down the ribs ”

“ Taking a bath and using soap and brush, and creating a friction until there is a red reaction of the skin, may then prevent the danger of catching cold, but after such a bath it is most important not to leave with a hot, red skin and opened pores, but to cause their contraction by a quick cold douche, continued at intervals until the skin is cooled and the pores thereby contracted. An energetic friction of the skin must follow before leaving the bathing place. ”