Hydriatics, or, Manual of the water cure : especially as practised by Vincent Priessnitz in Graefenberg / compiled and translated from the writings of Charles Munde, Dr. Oertel, Dr. Bernhard Hirschel, and other eye-witnesses and practitioners by Francis Graeter.

  • Graeter, Francis.
Date:
1844
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Hydriatics, or, Manual of the water cure : especially as practised by Vincent Priessnitz in Graefenberg / compiled and translated from the writings of Charles Munde, Dr. Oertel, Dr. Bernhard Hirschel, and other eye-witnesses and practitioners by Francis Graeter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    so does Smith (1724) in his publication on the healing powers of cold water. John Hancock, in an essay pub- lished seven times in one year, recommends it against fe- vers, and the plague. George CJieyne (1671-1748) com- plains of the neglect of baths, which he thinks ought to be fitted up in every house. Diligent plunging and over- pouring is useful, and as a beverage water is better than wine, for all artificial drinks are not for daily use. Richard Mead (1673-1754) rejects warm baths in cases of lameness, and advises cold immersions in madness, lameness, St. Vitus's dance and hydrophobia. Ilunham (1768), that distinguished disciple of the great Boerhaave, calls the invigorating effect of cold water miraculous, and recommends it particularly against rachitis. Thomas Short (1750) praises cold baths against some kinds of dropsy, and against the bite of mad dogs. Lucas (1750) calls it a universal medicine, useful to every one under certain circumstances, and which, if properly applied, will answer the test in all acute and chronic diseases. He mentions also, first, the wrapping in a sheet wet with cold water, used by an octogenarian. William Buchan (1729-1805) urgently recommends to parents cold bath- ing of their children, and endeavors to overcome the pre- judices of the nurses against it. Dutch physicians.—A very spirited view of the effect of cold baths was developed by the great physician in Hol- land, Herrmann Boerhaave (1660-1738), who compares theireffects with those of a Febris intermittens. Yet how- ever near this man of genius came to the truth found out in our century, of an artificial but salutary fever produced by