BATH bath. By bathing is usually under stood the immersion of the body, or a part of it, in water. In a more extended signification, it means the surrounding of the body with any medium differing in nature or temperature from its usual medium; thus we speak of a vapor bath, a cold-air bath, an earth-bath. A four fold division may be made of baths: (I) Accord ing to the substance with which the body is surrounded, whether liquid, gaseous, or mixed, water, oil, wine, milk, blood, gas. sand, mud, and other baths; (2) according to the manner of application—into river, plunge, shower, drop ping, vapor, electric, and douche baths; (3) ac cording to the parts of the body subjected to the application—into whole, half, sitz, foot, and eye baths; and (4) according to the temperature of the substance applied—into cold, tepid, warm, and hot baths.
The most ancient historical accounts as well as popular myths make mention of bathing.
Among the Egyptians the bath was practiced as a religious rite; and in general we find the opin ion prevailing, throughout antiquity, that purifi cation of the body symbolized moral purity. in making the bath a religious ordinance, Moses may have had in view the prevention or more speedy cure of those skin diseases so prevalent in the East. The Mosaic law prescribes ex pressly, in some cases, the use of running water, which has given rise, through a misunderstand ing, to the deleterious cellar baths of the Jews.
In Palestine the wealthier Jews had private baths in their houses, and ponds in their gardens —an arrangement which prevailed in all the civi lized parts of the East, and does so still. There were, besides, public bath-houses among the Jews, as among other nations.