MINERAL WATERS, This term is usually applied to all spring waters which possess qualities in relation to the anitnal body different from those of ordinary water. Mineral waters have been used as remedial agents from a very early period. The oldest Greek physicians had great faith in their curative power, and the temples erected to /Escu lapius were usually in close proximity to mineral springs; they had recourse to the sulphurous thermal springs of Tiberias (now Tabareah), which are still used by patients from all parts of Syria in cases of painful tumor, rheumatism, gout, palsy, etc., and to the warm baths of Calirrhoe, near the Dead sea. which are mentioned by Josephus as havin,g been tried by Herod in his sickness. We are indebted to the Romans for the discovery not only of the mineral thermic springs in Italy, but of some of the most important in other parts of Europe, amongst which may be named Aix-la Chapelle, Baden-Baden, Bath, Spa in Belgium, and many others; and Pliny, in his Natural History, mentions a very large number of mineral springs in almost all parts of Europe.
The therapeutic action of mineral waters, or of spas, as they are frequently termed, depends chiefly upon their chemical composition and their temperature, although a variety of other circumstances, as situation, elevation, climate, geological formation, mean temperature, etc., have an important bearing upon the success of the treatment.
The best time for undergoing a course of mineral waters is, in the majority of cases, the months of June, July, August, and September. There are, however, exceptions depending upon climate; for example, at Gastein, celebrated for its thermal springs, the weather is changeable and stormy in June and July, but pleasant in May, August, and September. Early rising is usually advisable during a course of mineral waters, and. a.s a general rule, the water should be drunk before breakfast, at intervals of about a quarter of an hour between each tumbler, moderate exercise being taken in the inter vals. In many cases bathing is of even greater importance as a remedial agent than drinking. Baths are generally taken between breakfast and dinner; and should never be taken soon after a full meal. The time during which the patient should remain in the bath varies very much at different spas, and the directions of the local physician should be strictly attended to on this point. It is impossible to determine beforehand how long a course of mineral waters should be continued, as this entirely depends upon the symptoms observed during treatment. As a general rule the treatment should not be protracted beyond the space of six weeks or two months, but on this point the patient must be solely guided by the ph.ysician resident at the spa. It cannot be too forcibly impressed upon the patient that indulgence in the pleasures of the table, and excesses of any kind, frequently counteract the salutary effects of the waters, while perfect mental relaxation is an important auxiliary to the treatment. It will be seen from
remarks on the nature of the cases likely to receive benefit from the various kinds of mineral waters that spas are only suitable for patients suffering, from chronic &s ill' den, No clas.sification of mineral waters based upon their chemical composition can be strictly exact, because many springs are, as it were, intermediate between tolerably well characterized groups. The following classification, which is adopted by Dr. Althaus, in his Spas of Europe (Loud. 186'2), is perhaps the most convenient: 1. Alkaline waters; 2. Bitter waters; 3. :1Iuriated waters; 4. Earthy waters; 5. Indifferent thermal waters; 6. Chalybeates; 7. Sulphurous waters.
1. The alkaline waters are divisible into (a) Simple alkaline a,cidulous waters, of which the chief contents are carbonic acid and bicarbonate of soda. The most important spas of this class are the thermal springs of Vichy and the cold springs of Fachingen, Geilnau, and Bilin. These waters are useful in certain forms of indigestion, in jaundice arising from catarrh of the hepatic ducts, in gall-stones, in renal calculi and gravel, in gout, in chronic catarrh of the respiratory organs, and in abdominal plethora. Vichy (q.v.) may be taken as the representative of this class of springs. (b) Muriated alkaline acidulous waters, which differ from the preceding sub-group in additionally containing a consider able quantity of chloride of sodium. The most important spas of this kind are the ther mal springs of Ems, and the cold springs of Setters, Luhatschowitz, and Salzhrunn. They are useful in chronic catarrhal affections of the bronchial tubes, the stomach, and the intestines, and the larynx; and the Ems waters possess a high reputation in certain chronic diseases of the womb and adjacent organs. (c) Alkaline saline waters, of which the chief contents are sulphate and bicarbonate of soda. The most frequented of these spas are the warm springs of Carlsbad and the cold springs of Marienbad. Patients suf fering from abdominal plethora are those most frequently sent to these spas, which often prove of great service if the stagnation of the blood is owing to habitual constipation, pressure from accumulated fusces, or congestion of the liver, unconnected with disea.ses of the heart or lungs. These waters, especially those of Carlsbad, afford an excellent remedy for the habitual constipation which so frequently arises from sedentary occupa tions; the result being much more permanent than that produced by strong purgative waters.