BATHING THE COLD TEPID HOT VAPOUR AND TURKISH BATHS.
No matter to what particular branch of physical education one may direct his attention, or whether he may practise with each separate apparatus of the perfectly furnished gymnasium, he must, to give his exercises justice, have constant recourse to the bath, be it hot, tepid, or cold; not only on account of its sanitary effects, but also for its peculiar hygienic benefits : the former of course promoting the latter.
General and partial ablution of the body was an important part of the Mosaic Dispensation, and this was apparently meant to encourage cleanliness, at a time when leprosy and other diseases of the skin were prevalent, for we find that the Scriptures mention bathing as a remedy or cure for disease.
"Cleanliness is next to Godliness"; and whether Christian or Sceptic, every one intuitively feels that it is a duty he owes to society and himself, if not to the Creator, to keep his body clean. Urquhart says, "that the habit of bathing, by rendering us more cleanly, will give us greater strength of muscle, greater powers of endurance, greater immunity from disease, greater facilities in recovering health, a longer term of life, more equanimity of mind, less desire for foreign stimu lants, whether physical or mental, which will bring with it a larger share of self-respect and diminish those sources of disrespect to which we may be exposed from others." Personal cleanli ness is a complete sanitary reformer, for we invari ably find that the person who keeps his own body clean, is particular to have his surroundings free from dirt.
In history, bathing seems to indicate progress in the direction of civilization and refinement, and is nearly always confined to the polished nations of Europe and Asia.
Only by water, hot air, and vapour, can we attain this, and we therefore betake ourselves to the bath for refreshment and health, purification, and invig oration.
The bath has, however, like everything else, on many occasions been abused. Care must therefore be taken lest over-indulgence should lead to bad results, as was the case with the ancient Romans, whose baths were of the most gorgeous description, but were ultimately resorted to more for luxury than for any healthful effects, and in the end were so much indulged in as to enervate and enfeeble the people.
Those who wish to bathe regularly, and benefit by the habit, should take a COLD or TEPID BATH every morning before breakfast, at a tem perature between 55° and 7o° F., the immersion in which should not last longer than from one or two to five minutes, unless in the exercise of swimming, when the stay in the water may be prolonged to twice or thrice that length of time.
Grecian athletes, when training for their most im portant contests, went into the cold bath in the morning for the purpose of bracing the sinews, and inuring the body to greater fatigue and exertion. The cold or tepid bath may be varied once a week with a HOT BATH, at a temperature of 98° or ioo° F., when the stay in the water should be prolonged to not less than twenty or thirty minutes. Should the bather leave the hot bath too soon, or before per spiration has exhausted itself, sweating will again break out, and a chill might follow. If the bather discovers he has come out of the warm water too soon, let him have a dip in quite cold water, or take plenty of the cold spray or shower, so that the pores may be closed before going out to the open air.
After violent exercise of any kind, a cold spray, or shower, or douche, will be found to be very refreshing. Many persons use the spray or shower immediately before going to bed, the effect of which is that it produces a calm and refreshing sleep.