HOW LONG TO STAY IN THE WATER To practise Swimming with a view to benefit by its healthful effects, the stay in the water should not be prolonged beyond from ten to twenty minutes. Enthusiastic swimmers as a rule do stay longer iri the water than this. They enjoy the practice and pleasure of rolling in the favourite element when they are in it, and they forget the evil effects which are almost sure to follow. The result is generally a debilitated feeling; the liveliness of spirit, and the healthy glow over the surface of the body has gone, and, instead of being refreshed and invigorated, one feels languid and sleepy; very often a disordered stomach, accompanied with headache, are the results. The body has given off so much heat that it has become too weak to produce that healthy reaction which is so pleasant and beneficial.
No doubt many instances have occurred tending to show how long one may remain in the water, and still retain most of the ordinary functions of the human body. Notably, the late great exploit
of Captain Matthew Webb, who, in his journey across the Straits of Dover, on the 24th and 25th of August, 1875, was immersed in the sea, with no covering or protection, for 23 hours 45i minutes, the longest swim and immersion of which we have any authentic record. But it must be borne in mind that the heroic and plucky Captain, besides being possessed of extraordinary powers of endur ance, had been in preparation for the great feat for more than twelve months prior to the date at which it took place.
In the usual course of things, however, one bathes for the sake of health, and in order that Swimming may be conducive to such an end, a short stay in the water is certainly to be recommended.