To lower the barometer from 31 in. to 30 = 857 feet must be ascended.
" " " 30 " 29 = 886 " "
" " " 29 " 28 = 918 " "
" " " 28 " 27 = 951 " "
" " " 27 " 26 = 986 " "
" " " 26 " 25 = 1025 " "
" " " 25 " 24 = 1068 " "
" " " 24 " 23 = 1113 " "
" " " 23 " 22 = 1161 " "
" " " 22 " 21 = 1216 " "
" " " 21 " 20 = 1276 " "
" " " 20 " 19 = 1341 " "
" " " 19 " 18 = 1413 " "
A very complex formula is given by mathematicians for finding very nearly
the true height of a mountain from barometrical and thermometrical
observations made at its base and summit. The following rule by Mr Ellis
will be found to give very nearly the same results:--Multiply the
difference of the barometric readings by 52,400, and divide by the sum of
the barometric readings. If the result be 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, or 5000,
add 0, 0·2, 6, 14, respectively. Subtract 2-1/3rd times the difference of
the temperature of the mercury. Multiply the remainder by a number
obtained by adding 836 to the sum of the temperatures of the air and
dividing by 900. A correction must also be given for latitude, which can
be done by the annexed table.
---------+--------++---------+---------
Latitude.| Factor.||Latitude.| Factor.
---------+--------++--------+----------
80 | 0·99751|| 35 | 1·00090
75 | 0·99770|| 30 | 1·00265
70 | 0·99797|| 25 | 1·00170
65 | 0·99830|| 20 | 1·00203
60 | 0·99868|| 15 | 1·00230
55 | 0·99910|| 10 | 1·00249
50 | 0·99954|| 5 | 1·00261
45 | 1·00000|| 0 | 1·00265
40 | 1·00046|| |
---------+--------++---------+---------
Fortin's and Gay-Lussac's barometers are employed for measuring heights.
The aneroid can be used for altitudes reaching to 5000 feet. A delicate
instrument will register for as small an ascent as 4 feet.
_The Barometer as a Weather-glass._--Generally speaking when the mercurial
column in the barometer falls, 'rain' is indicated, and 'fair weather'
when it rises. When it continues steady, a continuance of the weather at
the time is regarded as the forecast; when low, the weather is generally
broken or bad; and when high, it is fair and settled. A storm is usually
preceded by a sudden fall in the mercurial column, the violence of the
storm being in proportion to the suddenness of the fall. An unsteady
barometer indicates an unsettled condition of weather, whilst a gradual
change in it indicates the approach of some permanent condition of it. The
state and direction of the wind has also to be taken into consideration
when studying the changes of the barometer, and forms an important element
in the calculations of the meteorologist, each different wind indicating
variations of weather. The connection between changes of weather and the
pressure of the atmosphere does not seem to have been satisfactorily
established.
One of the reasons assigned for the mercurial column in the barometer
being lower in wet than in fine weather is that so long as aqueous matter
remains in the air in the form of elastic vapour, its tension assists in
supporting the barometric column, but that when this aqueous vapour is
precipitated in the form of rain, this tension is lost or removed, and the
column therefore falls.
The correspondence between wet and fine weather and an elevation and
depression of the barometer seems, however, equally, if not more,
dependent on the nature of the winds than on the preceding cause. "In
western Europe, the south and south-western winds, which are the
rain-bringing winds, are warm winds. Now, a column of warm air to be of
the same weight as one of cold air must necessarily be higher, but this
cannot well be the case in the atmosphere, for no sooner does the warm
column rise by its lightness above the surrounding level of the upper
surface of the aërial ocean, than it flows over and becomes nearly of the
same height as the cold air around it. The interchange taking place less
interruptedly, and consequently less slowly, in the higher strata than in
those near the ground, it is some time before the equilibrium, thus
disturbed, is restored; and meanwhile the barometer keeps low under the
pressure of a rarer atmospheric column. On the other hand, the northerly
and easterly winds, being comparatively cold and dry, are accompanied by
fair weather and a high barometer. It is thus to the warmth, and not to
the moisture of these winds, that the pressure is to be ascribed."[108]
[Footnote 108: Chambers's 'Encyclopædia.']
=Barometer, An'eroid.= An instrument invented, or at least perfected, by
M. Vidi, of Paris, in which the pressure of the atmosphere is measured
without the employment of a fluid, as in the ordinary barometer.[109]
Externally, it somewhat resembles in appearance a carriage clock or a
ship's chronometer; internally, it consists of a small air-tight
cylindrical box, formed of thin corrugated copper plates, and partially
exhausted of air, the sides of which yield to the pressure of the
atmosphere; the effect being regulated by a spring, multiplied by a system
of levers, and ultimately recorded by the index on a graduated dial.
Compensation for changes of temperature are self-effected, with almost
perfect accuracy, by the elastic force of the spring being so adjusted to
that of the air in the cylinder, that the loss of force in the one and the
increased expansive force of the other shall, independently of changes of
atmospheric pressure, preserve the lever in equilibrio.
[Footnote 109: An instrument founded on the same principle, and of nearly
similar construction was described by M. Conté, in 1798, in the 'Bull. des
Sci. Nat.,' t. i, No. xiii, p. 106.]
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
The indications of the aneroid barometer closely correspond to those of
the mercurial barometer at ordinary ranges; the differences never
exceeding ·01 of an inch. It is so extremely sensitive that an ascent or
descent of only a few feet is distinctly indicated by it; whilst its
portability adapts it for service in situations for which an ordinary
barometer is unfitted. On the other hand, it is liable to move by jerks,
and the elasticity of the spring, and consequently the zero-point of the
scale, has been found to be sometimes affected by time and a rough
journey. On this account it is necessary to compare it occasionally with
some standard mercurial barometer, to determine its amount or rate of
variation, if any.
[Illustration]
=Barometer, Phi'al.= This amusing philosophic toy is made by cutting off
the rim and part of the neck of a common glass-phial with a file. The
phial is then nearly filled with water, either pure or tinged blue or red;
and the finger being placed on its mouth, it is inverted, and suspended in
a vertical position by means of a piece of twine or wire, when the finger
is withdrawn. (See _engr._) In dry weather the under surface of the water
remains level with the neck of the bottle, or even concave; in damp
weather, on the contrary, a drop appears at the mouth and continues
enlarging until it falls, and is then followed by another in the same way.
=Barometer, Fitzroy.= This, which is a very cheap instrument, is made on
the syphon principle, but the cistern is formed by the lower limit, which
is blown into a bulb.
=Barometer, Port'able.= The most accurate are those of Gay-Lussac and
Bunten, and after them the aneroid. They should be set on universal
joints, and well balanced. The common instrument made with a box and
leather cistern seldom continues long correct.
=Barometer, Wheel.= The common form of the instrument having a dial-face
and hands.
[For further information in connection with the above subject the reader
is referred to the 'articles' ANEROID, ATMOSPHERE, GAS, HEIGHTS, STEAM,
STORM-GLASS, VAPOUR, WEATHER, &c.]
=BAR'OSCOPE=[dagger] (-sk[=o]pe). [Eng., Fr.] _Syn._ BAROSCO'PIUM, L. A
barometer; sometimes applied to the wheel-barometer of Hooke.
=BAR'RAS.= The concrete resinous exudation from the bark of fir-trees.
That from _pi'nus marit'ima_ is called GALIPOT.
=BARSE.= [Provincial.] The common perch.
=BAR'WOOD.= A red dye-wood imported from Angola and other parts of Africa.
It closely resembles cam-wood and sanders-wood in its colouring matter
being of a resinous nature, and scarcely soluble in water. In _dyeing_
this difficulty is obviated by taking advantage of the strong affinity
existing between it and the proto-salts of tin and iron. Thus, by strongly
impregnating the goods with protochloride of tin, either with or without
the addition of sumach, according to the shade of red desired, and then
putting them into a boiling bath containing the rasped wood, the colour is
rapidly given out and taken up, until the whole of the tin in the fibres
of the cloth is saturated, and the goods become of a rich bright hue. In
like manner the dark red of bandana handkerchiefs is commonly given by a
mordant of acetate of iron followed by a boiling bath of this dye-stuff.
See DYEING, MORDANTS, &c.
=BASALT'= (b[)a]-s[)o]lt'). [Eng., Ger.] _Syn._ BASAL'TES
(-s[)a]l'-t[=e]z), L.; BASALTE, Fr. In _geology_, &c., a species of
trap-rock, essentially composed of the minerals felspar and augite. It is
of a fine compact texture, of a dark-green, grey, or black colour, and
usually occurs in regular columns, of which the Giants' Causeway and the
Island of Staffa furnish magnificent examples. It is fusible; and when
rapidly cooled forms a dark brittle glass; but when slowly cooled retains
its original beauty and hardness almost unimpaired. Messrs Chance,
Brothers, of Birmingham, have availed themselves of this property to apply
it to decorative and ornamental purposes. Their process is to melt the
material[110] in a reverberatory furnace, and, when sufficiently fluid,
to pour it into red-hot moulds of sand encased in iron boxes. The
corresponding adj. is BASALT'IC (-s[=o]lt'-; BASAL'TICUS, -s[)a]l'-, L.;
BASALTIQUE, Fr.).
[Footnote 110: Rowley-rag is used by the Messrs C.; as beside ordinary
basalt, greenstone, whinstone, and other similar minerals, possess the
same property.]
=BASE.= [Eng., Fr.] _Syn._ BA'SIS (pl., ba'ses), L., Gr.; GRUND,
GRUNDFLÄCHE, Ger. In _chemistry_ it was formerly, and is now occasionally,
applied to metallic oxides which possess the property of forming salts
with acids. The alkaloids are also designated organic bases. In
_pharmacy_, the characteristic or principal ingredient in any medicine or
compound preparation; or that on which its qualities or efficacy depends.
=BAS'IL= (-b[)a]z'-). _Syn._ SWEET BAS'IL, CIT'RON B.; BASIL'ICUM, L.;
BASILIC, Fr.; BASILIKUM, Ger. The _oc'ymum_ ([)o]s'-) _basil'icum_
(Linn.), an annual aromatic herbaceous plant, of the nat. ord. Labiatæ
(DC.). It is a native of India, but is largely cultivated in every part of
Europe as a pot-herb. Leaves strong-scented; popularly reputed
emmenagogue; much used to flavour salads, soups, &c., especially in French
cookery. Mock-turtle soup derives its peculiar flavour from this herb; as
also did the original Fetter-lane sausages, once so highly esteemed by
cockney gourmands. In India it is commonly employed as an anodyne in
childbirth.
=Bas'il= (b[)a]z'-). _Syn._ BAS'AN; BASANE, Fr. A sheep-skin, tanned;
particularly one dressed on the grain side, for book-binding.
=BASIL'ICON.= See CERATES and OINTMENTS.
=BAS'KET= (b[)a]s'-). _Syn._ COPH'INUS (k[)o]f'-), L.; PANIER, CORBEILLE,
&c., Fr.; KORB, Ger. BASKETS are generally STAINED or COLOURED with the
simple liquid dyes used for straw or wood; and that, for variegated work,
the twigs, after being carefully peeled, washed, and wiped dry or slightly
air-dried, are stained before being woven. See OSIERS, &c.
=BASS[double-dagger].= [Provin.] The linden-tree; also a hassock or mat
made of its inner bark. See BAST.
=Bassia butyracea.= A tree growing in the sub-tropical Himalayas. The
seeds yield by expression a concrete oil, known by the name of _Fulwa
Butter_, which does not become rancid by keeping. It is held in high
esteem in India as an external application in rheumatic and other painful
maladies.
=BAS'SORIN= (-r[)i]n). _Syn._ BASSORI'NA, L. A substance first noticed, by
Vauquelin, in _Bas'sora-gum_. See GUM, INSOLUBLE, TRAGACANTHINE, &c.
=BAST= (b[)a]st). _Syn._ BASS (which _see_). The inner bark of the linden
tree or tiel tree; also matting, &c., made of it.
=BAS'TARDS= (-t[)a]rdz). _Syn._ BAS'TARD SUG'AR (sh[)o][)o]g'-), PIECES,
&c. In _sugar-refining_, impure or damaged sugar resulting from the heat
and chemicals used in the process of manufacture, and which will not pay
for purifying.
=BA''SYL= (b[=a]se'[)i]l). In _chemistry_, any simple or compound body,
acting as a basic radical.
=BATATA= [_Convolvulus batatas_, or SWEET POTATO]. This is a native of the
East Indies, but is now cultivated in all tropical and sub-tropical
countries for the sake of its tubers, which are highly esteemed as an
article of food. They are eaten either roasted or boiled, and are sweet,
wholesome, and nutritious, although somewhat laxative.
In some parts of America the Batata, next to maize, forms the principal
diet of the poorer classes. The plant was introduced into England by Sir
Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins; but they do not bear the cold of our
winters, and if grown here are raised in hot-houses, where they may be
obtained without difficulty varying from 1 lb. to 2 lbs. in weight. They
thrive better in the south of Europe. The tubers contain about 32 per
cent. of solid matter, 16 of which is starch, 10 sugar, 1·5 albumen, 1·1
gum, 0·3 fat, 2·9 mineral matter. The leaves are used as a boiled
vegetable.
=BATH= (bahth). _Syn._ BAL'NEUM, L.; BAIN, Fr.; BAD, Ger., Sax. A place
for bathing; a vessel or receptacle, natural or artificial, containing or
adapted to contain water, and used to bathe in. In _architecture_ and
_hygiene_, a building fitted up for and appropriated to bathing.
_Constr., &c._ Here one of the first subjects which must engage our
attention is the selection of the material of which the bath is to be
formed. For FIXED BATHS polished white marble has always been in favour,
owing to its cleanliness and beauty. For this purpose, slabs of sufficient
thickness and free from flaws or cracks should be chosen; and they should
be securely and properly bedded in good water-tight cement, in a
well-seasoned wooden case. The objections to marble, independent of its
costliness, are, that it is apt to get yellow or discoloured, and to lose
its polish, by frequent and careless use; and that the restoration of its
surface to its original purity, is a matter of considerable expense and
difficulty. It is also only fitted to contain water with, at the most,
soap, weak alkalies or alkaline carbonates, aromatics, or neutral organic
principles; and cannot be employed with water medicated, however slightly,
with acids, sulphurets, iodine, chlorine, salines (others than those just
named), or calorific substances. As a cheaper material thick slabs of
Welsh slate are often substituted for marble; but even this substance is
attacked by chemicals, though much more slowly. A lining of large Dutch
tiles is sometimes used: but here the joints are very apt to leak. For
baths adapted to all the requirements of health and disease, and which are
at the same time durable and comparatively inexpensive, we must,
therefore, seek further. Porcelain, glass, and hard glazed stone-ware have
been proposed, and are even sometimes used for baths; but they possess the
disadvantages of being fragile, and very liable to crack when filled with
hot water in cold weather. Wedgewood-ware is very beautiful and durable;
but is expensive, and baths formed of it can only be obtained on special
order. Stourbridge-ware, as produced of late years, is the only product of
the potter's art that appears entirely to meet the case; but even this
yields in durability to enamelled iron as a material for baths adapted to
all liquids and temperatures, and to rough or careless usage. (See _engr._
1.) The better qualities of PORT'ABLE BATHS (see _engr._ 2) are generally
made of copper. Stout tinned or galvanised iron, and even stout block-tin
thickly covered with waterproof paint or japan, are also employed; but
though less expensive than copper, they have the disadvantage of being
much less durable. All these substances are, however, readily acted on by
chemicals. A durable and cheap portable bath, adapted to all purposes,
must, therefore, like a fixed one, be made of one or other of the
materials already noticed. For MED'ICATED BATHS large wooden troughs are
frequently employed, particularly for acidulated, ioduretted, and
sulphuretted baths.
[Illustration: 1.]
[Illustration: 2.]
The arrangements for supplying cold and hot water must necessarily greatly
depend on circumstances, and the quantity required. For a single fixed
bath, or even for two or three of them, the common circulating
water-heater or boiler, placed in some apartment on a rather lower level
than the bath, is, perhaps, the most convenient; but where this is not
attainable the water may be run, by means of a pipe, from a boiler
situated on a somewhat higher level. In either case a supply of cold water
must also be at hand, and conveyed in a like manner, to enable the bath to
be reduced to any required temperature. On the large scale, as in our
public baths, where numerous baths are in constant use during the day, the
hot water is best supplied from a large cistern somewhere above the level
of the bath-rooms, and which is heated by a coil of pipe supplied with
high-pressure steam from a boiler situated on a lower level, as the ground
floor or basement. The hot and the cold water, conveyed by separate pipes
of about 1-1/2 inch diameter, unite in a two-way cock close to the bath,
so as to enter it together, by which only _one_ aperture in the end of the
bath is required for the purpose. The bath is emptied, and excess of water
removed, by a grated aperture in the bottom, also stopped by a cock which,
like the former, has handles or keys so placed as to be accessible to the
attendant outside the bath-room, as well as to the bather, whilst the
danger of overflowing is obviated by a two-inch waste-pipe, opening into
the bath at about two inches from the top.
For heating portable baths, so many plans are in use, and have been
suggested, and even patented, that the reader cannot possibly be at a loss
for one to suit his particular case. A small grate for burning charcoal is
the one most commonly adopted; but where attainable, a ring or cross of
small inflamed gas-jets, is more cleanly and manageable.
When the bath consists of a wooden tub, or any other deep vessel, a simple
and inexpensive apparatus brought out in America, under the title of the
'ITAL'IAN BATH'-WARMER' (see _engr._ 3), and made of thin sheet-iron, will
occasionally be found useful.[111]
[Footnote 111: A small cast-iron 'horse' with three legs (not shown in the
engr.) to support the 'warmer' about 2 inches above the bottom of the
bath-tub, and to keep it steady and upright, is usually sold with it.]
[Illustration: 3.
_a_, Bath-tub.
_b_, The larger arm of the warming-tube by which the charcoal is
introduced, and by which the fumes fly off.
_c_, The smaller arm to admit air to support the combustion.
_d_, The fire grate, to support the burning charcoal.]
This situation and the minor details connected with the comfort and
convenience of the bath, must greatly depend on the character of the
building, and the sum to be devoted to the purpose. When possible, the
bath-room should always be on the same floor as the bedrooms, of easy
access to them, and so situated and arranged, that a plentiful and
constant supply of pure water can be ensured, and the waste water removed
without trouble or inconvenience. The basement story should always be
avoided; for, as observed by Dr Ure, there is a coldness and dampness
belonging to it, in almost all weathers, which is neither agreeable nor
salubrious.
The ranges of the temperature of water appropriate to the respective
baths, according to the common nomenclature, are shown in the following
Table:--
------------------------------------
Name. | Temperature. Fahr.
------------------------------------
Cold bath | 33° to 75°
Temperate bath | 75 " 82
Tepid bath | 82 " 90
Warm bath | 90 " 98
Hot bath | 98 " 112
------------------------------------
_Concluding Remarks._ The importance, and indeed the absolute necessity of
frequent personal ablution, has been already insisted on and explained.
But however important and beneficial the use of water in this way may be,
the effects arising from the immersion of the body in that liquid, as in
the practice of bathing, are far more extensive and complete. What the one
does usefully but not completely, the other accomplishes readily,
satisfactorily, and perfectly. There is no absolute succedaneum for the
entire bath. Its physiological effects are peculiar to itself, and of the
utmost importance in pathology and hygiene. The practice of wearing
flannel, the daily use of clean linen, the mere washing of the more
exposed parts of the body, are but poor attempts at cleanliness, without
the occasional, if not frequent, entire submersion of the body in water.
Nor should the action of judicious bathing in the promotion of personal
comfort and personal beauty be forgotten. Intellectual and moral vigour
are also gradually, but materially, influenced and promoted by the
beneficial action of bathing on the system; for mind and conscience being
linked to matter in the 'house we live in,' become perturbed, or
lethargic, in almost exact accordance with the fluctuations of our
physical health. The neglect of bathing in this country is, to us, an
absolute enigma. We are always talking about health, and continually
professing to be seeking it; but the practical applications of the
principles which we advocate, and the doctrines which we teach, are,
unfortunately, the exceptions and not the rule.
Our recommendation of bathing applies chiefly to the warm bath and the
tepid bath, which are alike adapted to the delicate and the robust, and to
every condition of climate and season. Cold bathing, in this climate, is
only suited to the most healthy and vigorous, and can only be safely
practised during the warmer months of the year, and in a mass of water
sufficient to permit of the heat of the body being maintained by swimming
or other active exercise. The plunge and shower baths are partial
exceptions to these remarks; whilst sea-bathing, for the reasons given
elsewhere, comes under another category. This last, "on account of its
stimulative and penetrating power, may be placed at the head of those
means which regard the care of the skin; and it certainly supplies one of
the first wants of the present generation, by opening the pores, and
thereby re-invigorating the whole nervous system." "Besides its great
power in cases of disease, it may be employed by those who are perfectly
well, as the means most agreeable to nature for strengthening the body and
preserving the health." Another important advantage which sea-bathing has
over bathing in fresh water is, that persons seldom take cold from
indulging in it.
For old people, or those of middle age, the cold bath is not to be
recommended, or if taken, considerable caution is required in using it. By
such persons, also, bathing in very hot weather, or in the sea, should
likewise be prudently practised. For these, the warm or tepid sponge-bath
will be found the much safer method.
It sometimes happens that, both with the old and young, the cold bath
gives rise to headache, palpitation, shortness of breath, loss of
appetite, or great languor. Whenever any of these effects are produced,
the bath should be at once given up.
The best time for taking a cold hath or for swimming is in the morning,
not too early, but when the sun is well up. Immersion is best practised
after a light meal, but not immediately following one. After breakfast,
from 10 a.m. to noon, are the preferable hours. Should the bather be
unable to swim, when going into the sea or into a river, he should keep
briskly moving all the time his body is immersed in the water. If in a
room bodily friction must be substituted for exercise. A desirable glow
may often be produced by rubbing the body with either a rough towel, a
flesh-brush, or a pair of horsehair gloves.
The above remarks are meant to apply only to persons in average health.
Weakly and delicate persons, even without any disease about them, would
always do well to consult their medical adviser before taking to cold
bathing.
We may add, that for bathing to produce its best effects the water should
be soft and pure, and good soap sparingly, but regularly, employed
whenever the skin requires it. See ABLUTION and WASH-HOUSES.
The medical and hygienic properties of baths are noticed below, under
their respective names:--
=Bath.= In _chemistry_, &c., a vessel or apparatus containing some medium
in which the vessel holding the substance to be heated is immersed,
instead of being exposed to the direct action of the fire; by which means
a limited and uniform temperature may be ensured.
The highest temperature that can be given to any substance contained in a
vessel placed in another of boiling water, is about 205° or 206° Fahr.;
but by adding 1/5th part of common salt to the bath, a heat of fully 212°
may be obtained. Baths of fusible metal, saturated solutions of salt,
sand, and (on the large scale) steam, are also used for the same purpose.
A bath of oil may be safely heated to about 500° Fahr. without suffering
decomposition, and will be found an exceedingly appropriate and convenient
source of heat in many processes. The simplest and most convenient form of
water bath is that afforded by raising water to the boiling point in a
copper basin placed over a gas lamp, and supporting the vessel to be
heated over the basin, by means of a circular hoop of copper resting on
the top of the basin. By this means the lower surface of the dish or
vessel to be heated is brought in contact with the steam. Copper basins,
fitted with a series of concentric copper rings, so as to render the basin
capable of supporting dishes of different sizes, are made for this
purpose.
[Illustration]
For drying many substances an air bath is required. The accompanying cut
represents a convenient form of air bath. It consists of a cylindrical
copper vessel (_A_), the cover of which is moveable, and has two
apertures, the middle one (_E_) serving for the escape of vapour, and the
lateral one (_C_) for the insertion of a thermometer. The vessel holding
the substance to be heated rests on a ring within the box, supported on a
tripod.
A larger air bath, by means of which several small vessels can be heated
at once, is seen below.
Air-baths are sometimes surrounded with a jacket, and may be converted
into water or oil baths, according as the jacket is filled with either of
the fluids. For a Table of Boiling-points, see EBULLITION.
An air-bath of constant temperature between 100° and 200° C. has been
contrived by Sprengel. It consists of an ordinary hot-water oven made of
sheet-lead autogenously soldered, and filled with dilute sulphuric acid
boiling at the required temperature.
In order that the temperature may remain constant, the water which distils
from the dilute sulphuric acid is condensed and allowed to flow back again
into the bath by means of a worm of lead cooled by the atmosphere, or a
long vertical metal or glass tube.
[Illustration]
=Bath.= In _medicine_, the medium in which the body, or a part of it, is
bathed or immersed, for some object beyond that of mere personal
cleanliness or enjoyment; the composition, use, or temperature of the
medium being generally indicated by some epithet, as in the instances
below. When only the last is pointed out, pure water is, of course,
intended to be used.
Baths are divided by medical writers into classes, and even minor
subdivisions, in a manner which is more ingenious than useful. They are
said to be SIMPLE when water or its vapour forms the bath; and COMPOUND
when the water or vapour is medicated by the addition of other substances
(COM'POUND BATHS; BAL'NEA COMPOS'ITA, L.). The latter class is also
subdivided into THERAPEU'TIC BATHS (MED'ICATED BATHS; BAL'NEA MEDICA'TA,
B. THERAPEU'TICA, L.); and NUTRIT'IVE BATHS (B. NUTRIEN'TIA, B.
NUTRI''TIA*, B. NUTRITO''RIA*, L.). Thus, besides the ordinary water and
vapour baths, the medical uses of which are hereafter noticed, we have
WINE'-BATHS, MILK'-BATHS, SOUP'-BATHS, &c. (used to convey nourishment, or
to sustain the body, as in occlusion of the [oe]sophagus, certain diseases
of the stomach, &c.); CHLO''RINE BATHS, SUL'PHUROUS B., MERCU''RIAL B.,
&c. (used in skin diseases, syphilis, &c.); AROMAT'IC and CHALYB'EATE
BATHS (employed as tonics); and ACID BATHS (sometimes used to remove the
effects of mercury).
On the Continent a variety of substances are employed to medicate baths,
which are seldom or never so used in this country.
The quantity of any medicinal substance used to medicate a bath, for an
adult, may be, in general, for each gallon of water employed, about the
same as that which is used to form a half-pint lotion of medium or rather
weak strength. Thus; taking the quantity of bichloride of mercury to form
the lotion at 5 _gr._, and that of sulphurated potash at 1/2 _dr._, the
quantity required for a bath of 30 to 40 _galls._ will be about 2-1/2
_dr._ of the first, and about 1-3/4 _oz._ of the second of these
substances. Much, however, depends on the nature of the case, the length
of the immersion, the periods of recurrence, and the intended number of
repetitions. In the case of very active remedies it will be safest and
best to begin with less than (say 1/4 to 1/3) the quantity thus indicated.
Medicated baths are, in nearly all cases, taken warm or fully tepid.
[asterism] In the following baths the quantity of the ingredients ordered,
when not otherwise indicated, is that proper for an ordinary full-sized
bath for an adult; viz., from 40 to 60 _galls._ Those which do not contain
volatile substances may be used more than once; and many of them several
times by adding a small quantity of fresh ingredients to keep up their
strength.
=Bath, Acid= ([)a]s'-). _Syn._ BAL'NEUM AC'IDUM ([)a]s'-), L. See
HYDROCHLORIC, NITRIC, NITRO-HYDROCHLORIC, and SULPHURIC ACID BATHS
(_below_). Enamelled, hard-glazed, or wooden vessels must be used with all
of them.
=Bath, Air.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM PNEUMAT'ICUM, L.:--_a._ (Cold.) Simple
exposure of the body, in a state of nudity, for a short time to the
atmosphere. Tonic, anodyne, and sedative; in febrile excitement, nervous
irritability, and restlessness accompanied by a quick or full pulse, &c.
Safe and often very effective. It will frequently induce sleep when all
other means fail.
_b._ (Hot:--ASSA, A. SUDA'TIO, L.) An apartment to which dry heated air is
admitted. Sometimes the arrangement is such that the air is _not_ inhaled.
Stimulant; sudorific; more so than even the vapour bath; produces copious
perspiration, being, indeed, the most powerful and certain diaphoretic
known. It has been advantageously employed in cholera (for which its
advocates state that it is almost a specific), congestive fevers, chronic
rheumatism, contractions, stiff joints, paralysis, scaly skin-diseases,
dropsical swellings, and most of the cases in which the vapour bath is
usually employed. The temperatures are--as a sudorific, 85° to 105° Fahr.;
as a stimulant, 100° to 130°. When not inhaled it may be often raised,
with advantage, 15° to 25° higher. See BATH, TURKISH.
_c._ (Compressed.) Recommended, by M. Tarberie, in aphonia, &c. It has
recently been employed in asthma, phthisis, and some other like diseases,
with extraordinary success, at Ben Rhydding.
_d._ (Rarefied.) Applied locally. Revulsive; resembles CUPPING, DRY (which
_see_).
=Bath, Al'kaline.= _Syn._ AL'KALISED BATH; BAL'NEUM ALKALI'NUM, B.
ALKALIZA'TUM, L. Carbonate of potash (salt of tartar), 3/4 _lb._ In itch,
prurigo and chronic skin diseases accompanied with dryness and irritation,
acute gout, lithic gravel, scurvy, diarrh[oe]a, &c. Scotch soda, 1 _lb._,
is sometimes substituted for the 'potash'; but is less effective, and is
theoretically objectionable.
=Bath, Al'um.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM ALU'MINIS, L. Alum (in powder, or
previously dissolved in hot water), 3/4 _lb._ to 1-1/2 _lb._, or even 2
_lbs._ In troublesome excoriations, extensive burns, obstinate vesicular
eruptions, diarrh[oe]a, &c.; also in obstinate piles and prolapsus ani.
See BATH, ASTRINGENT.
=Bath, Ammoni'acal.= See HYDROCHLORATE OF AMMONIA BATH (_below_).
=Bath, Animal.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM ANIMA'LE, L. The skin or any part of an
animal just killed, wrapped round the body or a limb. Once much esteemed;
now, happily, disused in this country.
=Bath, Antimo''nial.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM ANTIMONIA'LE, L. Tartar-emetic, 1 to
2 _oz._ (Soubeiran.) In lumbago and certain skin diseases; also as a
counter-irritant.
=Bath, Antipso''ric.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM ANTIPSO''RICUM, L. See BATH,
SULPHURETTED (also others).
=Bath, Aromat'ic.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM AROMAT'ICUM, L. Balm, chamomile,
lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, with any other like aromatic herbs
(at will), of each a handful, mixed together and steeped in a (covered)
pail of boiling or very hot water, for an hour, and then strained, with
pressure, into the bath. Sometimes 2 or 3 _oz._ of sal-ammonia, a 1/4
_lb._ of alum, or 1 _lb._ of common salt, is also added. Occasionally used
in cutaneous affections, chronic rheumatism, diarrh[oe]a, dyspepsia,
stiff-joints, &c.; also in debility arising from loss of blood,
spermatorrh[oe]a, suppressions, hysteria, hypochondriasis, &c.
The AROMATIC VAPOUR BATH is made by causing the vapour to pass through the
herbs.
=Baths, Aromatic Malt= (J. Hoff, Berlin). Wittstein says these consist of
coarsely crushed barley malt at six times its selling value.
=Bath, Astrin'gent.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM ASTRIN'GENS, L. _Prep._ (Most.) Alum
(2 to) 4 _lbs._; dissolve in boiling water; and add, whey, 6 or 8
pailfuls, or q. s. In extensive burns, piles, prolapsus ani, &c. See BATH,
ALUM, BATH, OAKBARK, &c.
=Bath, Balsamic.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM BALSAM'INUM, L. Bordeaux turpentine and
tar, of each 2 _lbs._ (or of tar alone, 3 to 4 _lbs._); hot water, 6 or 7
_galls._; stir continuously until nearly cold, then add the clear portion
to water q. s. to form a bath. In mumps, pruriginous diseases of the skin,
eczema, impetigo, &c.
=Bath, Barèges= (Factitious). _Syn._ BAL'NEUM BARETGINEN'SE (Factitium),
L. _Prep._ 1. Crystallised sulphide of sodium, 3-1/2 _oz._; chloride of
sodium, 1-1/2 _oz._; gelatine (dissolved), 4 _oz._
2. (Trousseau & Reveil.) Dry sulphide of potassium, 4 _oz._; water, 16
_oz._; dissolve, and add the solution to the bath; then further add, of
sulphuric or hydrochloric acid, 1/2 _oz._, previously diluted with water,
8 _oz._ In itch, moist skin diseases, chronic diarrh[oe]a, chronic
rheumatism, lead colic, &c. See BALLS, WATERS, &c.
=Bath, Benzo'ic.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM BENZO'ICUM, L. 1. Benzoin (in powder),
1/2 _lb._; water (at 90°) q. s. In irritations, hysteria, hypochondriasis,
&c. It is also reputed to be feebly aphrodisiac. 2. A common warm bath,
with a little powdered benzoin laid on a heated plate near the bather, so
that the fumes may be inhaled. Slightly soothing or anodyne; in chronic
laryngitis, relaxed uvula, &c.
=Bath, Bichlo''ride of Mer'cury.= See BATH, MERCURIAL.
=Bath, Bran.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM FUR'FURIS, L. Bran, 5 to 7 _lbs._; boiling
waters, 2 or 3 galls.; digested together for an hour, or boiled for 15
minutes; the strained liquid being added to the bath. Emollient; in dry
and scaly skin disease, and to allay itching and surfacial irritation;
also to promote suppuration, &c.
=Bath, Bromine.= The saline waters of Kreuznach contain bromides. The
salts derived from the evaporation of these waters are imported into this
country, and are employed in baths. Or the following substitute may be
used:--Artificial sea-salt, 11 _lbs._; bromide of potassium, 4 _oz._; mix,
and let the above be added to a bath containing sufficient water for
immersion. The bromine bath is more especially used for tumours of every
kind. It requires to be continued in for a long time. When the patient
does not possess the conveniences for taking the bath, flannels dipped in
a strong solution of the salt and wrung out may be applied wet to the
abdomen for some hours daily.
=Bath, Cam'phor.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM CAM'PHORÆ, B. CAMPHORATUM, L. Camphor, 3
or 4 dr., coarsely powdered, and placed on a plate heated by boiling
water, in the bathroom. Anodyne, anaphrodisiac, and diaphoretic; in
spasmodic asthma, chronic cough, relaxation of the uvula, ardor urinæ,
nervous irritability, &c.
=Bath, Carbon'ic.= _Syn._ CARBON'IC ACID BATH; BAL'NEUM CARBON'ICUM, B.
AC'IDUM CARBONICUM, L.
1. Carbonic acid gas applied, by means of a suitable apparatus, to prevent
its being respired. Antiseptic, diaphoretic, and excitant to the vascular
system; in amenorrh[oe]a, chlorosis, hysteria, scrofula, cancerous and
other ulcers (particularly foul ones), &c.
2. Water, at 50° Fahr., charged with the gas. Powerfully antiseptic and
sedative; in foul ulcers, gangrene, &c.
=Bath, Chlo''ride of Ammo''nium.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM AMMO''NII CHLORI'DI, B.
AMMO''NIÆ HYDROCHLORA'TIS, L. Sal-ammoniac, 2 to 3 _lbs._, or even 4
_lbs._ In chronic inflammations, glandular enlargements and indurations,
chronic rheumatism and affections of the joints, leucorrh[oe]a,
chilblains, frost-bites, &c.
=Bath, Chlo''ride of Soda.= Solution of chlorinated soda, 1-1/2 _lb._;
water, 30 _galls._
=Bath, Chlo''rine.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM CHLORIN'II, B. CHLORINA'TUM, L. Tepid
water to which a little chlorine has been added. Antiseptic, stimulant,
and subsequently sedative and antiphlogistic; in itch, foul and gangrenous
ulcers, chronic liver affections, &c. Chloride of lime is commonly
substituted for chlorine.
2. (Magendie; Wallace.) Chlorine gas (obtained from salt, 1-1/2 _oz._; oil
of vitriol and water, of each 1 _oz._; and black oxide of manganese, 1/2
_oz._ to 1 _oz._) diluted with air, at a temperature of 104° to 150°
Fahr., and applied, by means of a suitable apparatus, for 10 minutes to
1/2 an hour; every possible precaution being taken to prevent it being
inhaled. In chronic liver affections, gradually and cautiously increasing
the ingredients to three times the above quantity, and decreasing the
dilution with air until the gas is used nearly pure.[112]
[Footnote 112: A dangerous remedy in careless or unskilful hands; and even
with the experienced not always free from danger. The writer of this
article once nearly lost his life from a single inspiration of the gas
which accidentally escaped its proper limits. Terrific spasms of the
glottis and a convulsive cough immediately came on, and lasted, with more
or less severity, for nearly 14 hours.]
=Bath, Cold.= _Syn._ BALNEUM FRIG'IDUM (-fr[)i]j'-), FRIGIDA''RIUM, L.;
BAIN FROID, Fr. Water, fresh, saline, or mineral, at a temperature varying
from 33° to about 75°; but usually understood to apply to water between
50° and 70° Fahr. When below 50° it is considered very cold. At a
temperature ranging from 60° to about 75° it is commonly used by the
healthy and vigorous as a luxury, and for cleanliness.
"The immediate effects of the cold bath are a sensation of cold (speedily
followed by one of warmth), contraction of the cutaneous vessels, paleness
of the skin, diminution of perspiration, and reduction of the volume of
the body. Shivering, and, as the water rises to the chest, a kind of
convulsive sobbing, are also experienced. Continued immersion renders the
pulse small, and ultimately imperceptible, and the respiration difficult
and irregular. A feeling of inactivity succeeds; the joints become rigid
and inflexible; pain in the head, drowsiness, and cramps, come on; the
temperature of the body falls rapidly; and faintness, followed by death,
ensues." "Its primary effects constitute the SHOCK--its secondary effects,
the REACTION or GLOW."[113] Hence it is that immersion of the body in
water below about 65° Fahr. cannot be tolerated for any length of time
without such a loss of animal heat as frequently to induce highly sedative
and depressing effects, from which the constitution does not readily
recover. Water at a temperature of below about 50° Fahr. can only be
safely used as a plunge-bath. The sedative effects of sea and mineral
waters is much than that of pure water, or of spring or river water.
[Footnote 113: Pereira, 'Mat. Med. and Therap.,' 4th ed., i, 29.]
The cold bath, medically considered, is tonic, stimulant, and restorative,
when judiciously taken, and when not too long continued or too often
repeated. When beneficial, the patient feels a pleasant glow on the
surface of the body immediately following it. If a sensation of coldness
or shivering ensues, it acts injuriously, and should not be repeated. The
duration of the immersion may vary from 2 to 15 minutes, the precise time
depending upon the temperature of the water and the feelings of the
bather; the longer period being only proper in fine weather, and when
accompanied by swimming or violent exercise.
As a remedial agent, the cold bath is principally recommended to increase
the tone and vigour of the system; and is contra-indicated when there is a
tendency to apoplexy, or to chronic affections, functional or organic, of
the heart, lungs, or kidneys. It should never be taken when the person
feels chilly, languid, or depressed; or if drowsiness and shivering follow
it.
The temperature of the water of the rivers and the coasts of England
ranges, in summer, from 55° to 70 or 72° Fahr.
=Bath, Creosote.= Creosote, 2 _dr._; glycerin, 2 _oz._; boiling water, one
_gall._ To be added to 29 _galls._ of water.
=Bath, Douche.= See BATH, SHOWER, DOUCHE, &c.
=Bath, Dry.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM SICCUM, L. The immersion of the body in any
dry material, as ashes, salt, sand, &c. EARTH-BATHING, as administered by
the once notorious quack, Dr Graham, was of this kind. In the sudatorium
or sweating room of the ancients the body was immersed in heated sand.
=Bath, Elec'tric.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM ELEC'TRICUM, L. The patient, placed on
an insulated stool, is put in contact, by means of a metallic wire, with
the prime conductor of an electrical machine in action. The surface of the
body is thus rendered electro-positive, and the surrounding air, by
induction, electro-negative. It has been recommended in chronic
rheumatism, scirrhous tumours, &c.
=Bath, Electro-chemical= (of Dr Caplin). This is founded on the
supposition that all diseases arise from the presence of mineral, or other
extraneous morbific matter, in some organ, or the whole organism, and
which is capable of removal by electrolysis. The patient is placed in an
appropriately arranged voltaic bath, and there "saturated with the
electric fluid." This "decomposes everything which is foreign to the
organism, the vital parts being protected by the law of conservation
belonging to every organic production." These foreign substances are said
to be thus carried out of the system by the electric current, and to be
"fixed and plated on the copper in the same way, and according
to the same law and principle (only reversed), as in the process of
electro-plating."[114]
[Footnote 114: 'Hist. Records of the Electro-chem. Bath,' by Mons. J. F.
J. Caplin, M.D. Baillière, 1860.]
=Bath, Fec'ula.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM AM'YLI, B. FÆC'ULÆ, L. Potato-starch or
wheat-starch, 1 to 4 _lbs._; boiling water q. s. to dissolve. Resembles
the BRAN-BATH.
=Bath, Ferru'ginous.= _Syn._ CHALYB'EATE BATH; BAL'NEUM FERRUGIN'EUM, B.
CHALYBEATUM, L. 1. Green sulphate of iron, 1 to 2 _lbs._ A well-tinned
copper, wooden, or japanned bath may be used. In general debility when
chalybeates are indicated, and the stomach will not bear iron; also in
piles and prolapsus. The stains on the towels used to wipe the patient may
be removed by at once soaking them in water acidulated with hydrochloric
acid.