BATHS AND BATHING.
The skin plays an important part in eliminating waste products from
the system. It does this by means of the sweat-glands, which are found
scattered all over the body. These glands have small ducts, ending in
minute apertures on the surface of the skin. If these apertures are
allowed to become blocked up, either by dirt or by the natural grease
of the body, the skin cannot carry out its duties. The result is that
a certain amount of this waste matter is kept back, and the health
suffers in consequence sooner or later.
[Sidenote: Hot baths.]
Neither cold baths nor outdoor bathing can get rid of this grease, so
that a hot bath occasionally is essential, even in the case of people
who bathe regularly every morning, either at home or out of doors.
The usual objection to hot baths is that people take cold unless they
go straight to bed as soon as they have dried themselves. Otherwise,
so they say, they go on perspiring and take a chill. Now this is due,
not to their having had a hot bath, but because the water was not hot
enough when they got out of it. Hot water has the same effect as cold
in bracing up the sweat pores, and preventing them from continuing to
pour out unnecessary perspiration. Lukewarm water, on the other hand,
leaves the skin lax and moist, and it is then that people are liable to
chills. Hence the popular idea of running in some cold water before the
bath is finished is a mistake, as it brings about the very conditions
we are anxious to avoid.
An indispensable adjunct to every bathroom is a thermometer, by which
the temperature of the water can be accurately gauged. The common plan
of testing it by the hand is fallacious, as the result depends largely
on the state of the hand at the time. If the fingers are cold when
dipped in, the water feels warmer than it usually is, and _vice versa_.
The best temperature at which to take a hot bath is 100°F. or just
below that. If more water is added afterwards it should be hot, not
cold, so as to maintain the temperature at the same level. With the
aid of these precautions it will be found that drying is a simple
process, and the skin is left in a delightful state without any undue
perspiration to follow. So far from causing a liability to chills, it
is perfectly safe to emerge from a bath of this sort and take a walk
immediately after dressing, even on a winter’s day, without suffering
from any ill-effects. People sometimes complain that a hot bath makes
them feel faint. This is due to the steam, not to the water itself. If
the windows are kept open this discomfort may be entirely avoided.
There is nothing more refreshing than a bath of this sort, not only in
winter, but in hot weather also, as many athletes are beginning to find
out. After a hard walk or game it effectually relieves the aching of
the limbs, and helps to prevent the stiffness which is apt to follow.
The good effect of the bath may be increased by massaging the limbs
while they are under water. The proper way to do this is to grip the
muscles between the two hands, and squeeze them with a sort of sliding
movement towards the extremities, afterwards kneading them a bit at a
time.
Hot baths are an excellent remedy for nausea or biliousness. A quarter
of an hour in a bath at a temperature of 100°F. will often be found to
remove all unpleasant symptoms and restore the appetite and digestion.
They are also a boon to rheumatic persons, helping to banish the
muscular pains and general feeling of malaise.
All this they do by causing the blood to circulate more freely, and
dilating the vessels on the surface, and in so doing relieving the
congestion in the muscles and internal organs. In this way they promote
the elimination of the waste products which cause tiredness, fatigue
and most of the other aches and pains from which tired humanity is
liable to suffer. It is not necessary to wait until bedtime before
having a hot bath. Its most beneficial effects can be obtained by
taking it in the evening on returning from work. It is then that it is
most refreshing, and if made use of at this time of day, will enable
many a man who has come home fagged out to spend an enjoyable evening,
when otherwise he would be sitting down too tired to read or take part
in any amusement.
[Sidenote: Cold Baths.]
Cold baths do not suit everyone. In fact, there are comparatively few
people who derive any benefit from them. Many persons find that if they
have one in the morning before breakfast it leaves them tired, and
with no appetite for the meal. They only take them because they are
popularly supposed to be invigorating. The proof of the pudding is in
the eating. If a man feels well, in a comfortable glow, and ready for
his breakfast after them, they are good for him. If he feels otherwise,
and does not enjoy the bath while he is in it, they are bad for him.
There are some people who dread cold baths, and yet go on having them
from a mistaken sense of duty. The only explanation is that they must
think they do them good just because they are so unpleasant, in the
same way that some people have more faith in medicine if it tastes
nasty.
Of one thing there is no doubt. Rheumatic persons and those liable to
bronchial affections should never take them under any circumstances.
Nor should delicate or elderly people make use of them.
[Sidenote: The cold shower.]
The disadvantage of a cold bath at home is that the feet are chilled
before the head. And wetting the hair with cold water does not get
over this inconvenience. A shower bath, however, does away with this
objection altogether, and on this account there is no form of cold bath
equal to it. The head can be held under the water first, and after
that the bather steps in and the body and limbs receive the shock at
the same time, so that the lower extremities are not chilled before the
rest. The unfortunate part of it is that so few houses are fitted up
with shower baths.
Whatever form of cold tub is used, it is advisable to stay in for a
very short time only. Even robust people can rarely stand more than a
few minutes of it.
It is generally supposed that a cold bath should be taken when the
stomach is empty. Such is not the case, however. While no one would be
so foolish as to take it immediately after a meal, yet a drink of hot
tea or water just before going in will enable many persons to enjoy and
get benefit from them, who could not do so otherwise.
[Sidenote: Outdoor bathing.]
Outdoor bathing, either in sea or river, does not agree with everyone,
although some people can enjoy a bathe who are unable to take a cold
bath at home. The common mistake is in bathing before breakfast, when
the system is at a low ebb, owing to the long abstention from food. It
may be all right for strong young people, but for many others it is
unsuitable and even dangerous. The best time, as a rule, is about two
hours after breakfast, when the body has been fortified by the morning
meal, and has had time to digest it.
The great point is to get thoroughly warm before entering the water. A
brisk walk is the best way of accomplishing this, or if that does not
produce the wished-for result, take a hot drink. The body heat falls
rapidly whilst in the water, and hence it is advisable to be in a glow
before going in.
For the same reason do not waste time over your undressing, and always
remove the upper part of the clothing first, leaving the stockings to
the last. It is the feet which are specially liable to be attacked by
the cold, and it is therefore necessary to keep them warm as long as
possible.
Before taking the plunge, pour cold water over the head; simply dabbing
the hair with it is not sufficient. After that, get the whole body
under water without any delay, and keep it under all the time you are
in. It is the evaporation from the surface of the skin which lowers the
temperature, rather than the contact of the body with the water.
Do not stay in too long. If you remain until you feel you have had
enough, it generally means that you have had too much. Then dry
yourself rapidly, using two towels, the first to take off the greater
part of the moisture, reserving the second to dry yourself with
thoroughly. Just as you began undressing from the upper part of the
body downwards, so dry and dress in the inverse order, rubbing the feet
and legs and putting on the stockings and nether garments first. After
that, if you are feeling chilly, have a hot drink and some biscuits or
other light food.
[Sidenote: Turkish Baths.]
Of all forms of baths there is none so refreshing as Turkish baths.
The hot air which produces the perspiration also causes it to
evaporate. The sweat-ducts are cleansed from within as well as from
without by means of the profuse perspiration, and the relief to the
system is very great.
The patients who benefit most are those suffering from kidney trouble
or rheumatism. In the latter case the complaint is due to the presence
of excessive waste matter in the tissues; in the former to the fact
that one of the outlets is more or less deranged. Free sweating is of
untold advantage in both, as it enables the skin to do double duty and
help to eliminate the poisonous material.
Of late there has been a tendency to treat common colds and influenza
by means of these baths, but in many cases they only increase the
catarrh, instead of relieving it. Considering the infectious nature
of colds of all sorts too, it is hardly fair to other people to
contaminate the air in the bathing-rooms.
People with weak hearts, and full-blooded persons with any tendency
to apoplexy, should avoid Turkish baths, as they are not suitable in
either of these conditions.
The proper way to take them is to devote plenty of time to the process.
On entering, stay in the first room, the moderately hot one, until all
feeling of oppression has passed off. Then move on into the second, the
hot room as it is called. The third one, called the oven, should never
be used, as the heat is too intense to be safe.
It is best to be content with a mild perspiration at first, and to stay
in too short a time rather than too long. People are apt to think that
the more they perspire the better they will be. But that is not the
case, and, what is more, there is an element of danger in prolonging
the process. So much liquid may be abstracted from the system that
the impure matter circulating in the blood becomes too concentrated,
and instead of being thrown off may be deposited in some muscle or
joint, giving rise to an attack of rheumatism. In this way the very
mischief is precipitated that we are anxious to avoid. Taken quietly
and with discrimination, Turkish baths are one of the greatest boons to
suffering humanity.
One of the most important details is the rest afterwards. This should
never be less than half an hour, and an hour or more is preferable when
it can be managed. The whole system needs this period of rest in order
to get back to its ordinary routine, and without it much of the benefit
of the bath is lost.
Once a week is quite enough, and in many cases once every two or three
weeks is sufficient to keep the system active and healthy.
One other point should be kept in mind. Seeing that so much liquid is
lost in the form of perspiration during the process, it is advisable to
sip water freely, both during the process and after it.
If these precautions are observed these baths will prove beneficial to
mind and body alike, eliminating the impurities, improving appetite
and digestion, and restoring the sense of vigour and well-being.
In these ways both Turkish and plain hot water baths are of the
greatest service in preventing the onset of neurasthenia and its
successor, breakdowns. The time spent in taking them will be repaid a
hundred times in an increased enjoyment of life and powers of work.