cold water must be substituted.
The more water drunk the better.
This treatment is to be continued until the coat looks smooth and
healthy, and the appetite is regulated.
The first cold bath if carefully applied for two or three hours, will
check the disease.
Two cases of cure came under notice, whilst these pages were in the
press. One that of a bull of a spinal affection, and a horse with a
large swelling under the belly. The bull was well rubbed all over with
wet whisps, and afterwards had wet bandages, dry ones were then applied.
The horse was simply bandaged, which bandages were changed when dry. He
laid down the second day, which he had not done for some days before,
and was well in three days.
_Fits in Dogs._--Immerse the body in cold water, and let it be well
rubbed until the dog recovers.
Cold water, tepid water and friction, packing sheets, the sweating
process, entire baths, hip baths, foot baths, the douche, clysters and
bandages, are all brought into requisition in the treatment of beasts:
therefore reference should be made to the foregoing pages, in "order to
understand when any one or more may be necessary." Experience proves
that their effect upon man or beast is the same.
In order to give the practitioner an idea of how he might treat a horse,
I subjoin the mode of treatment I adopted upon three horses belonging to
a nobleman, whilst these pages were going through the press.
Monday, 19th June, 1849.--Three horses ill, two with sore throat and
coughs, and one with pleurisy. Veterinary surgeon on Sunday, bled and
applied mustard poultices to the latter. Monday morning, at ten o'clock,
horse no better, a doubtful case. Proceeded as follows.
Took him out of the stable, drenched his whole body with many pails of
cold water, then had him rubbed for several minutes with wet
whisps--more water and whisps again, and finally whisped dry. Then wet
sheets, wrung out, were wound round neck and body, and covered with dry
ones. Before twenty minutes elapsed he was in a glow--in this state he
remained for an hour and an half, when the water and friction was again
repeated. When nearly rubbed dry, a sheet was doubled, wrung out in cold
water, and placed round his loins, a dry one over it, and rugs put to
produce a re-action. A change for the better was so evident, that the
stud groom (who at first was inimical to the process being tried),
declared his conviction it would cure the horse. The whole process was
repeated in the evening and next morning, when the horse's appetite
returned, and he was declared better. The same evening he was subjected
to the packing-sheet and ablution, wore the bandage round the loins, and
was cured. As the medicine, administered the day before, had acted on
the bowels, I did not resort to clysters, which I otherwise should have
done.
For the sore throat, one horse the first day was treated exactly as
above described, but it was found unnecessary to resort to the cold
ablution, previous to the packing-sheet process. A wet bandage covered
with a dry one was worn round his waist and throat continually.
The third horse, having a sore throat and slight cough, only had a wet
bandage with a dry one over it applied to the throat, and changed when
dry.
Thus, these three horses, without a grain of physic, were cured in three
or four days. The great advantages of being thus cured, are, that the
cold water created an appetite, whilst drugs would have deprived the
animals of it. It gave them strength, hardened the skin, and rendered
them less susceptible to atmospheric influence than they were before,
and produced effects the very opposite to those of drugs.
It must be obvious that this treatment had the effect of equalising the
circulation.
Several years ago I treated a horse in a similar way, twice a day, for
farcy, that is to say, I subjected him to the washing, rubbing,
wet-sheet, and bandages, as before described: in ten days he was
perfectly well. A friend of mine seeing a cow belonging to a relation of
his in the last stage, had her well wetted and rubbed for an hour, put
round her waist a wet blanket, and covered her up warm; in a few hours
she was better. The treatment repeated a few times twice a day effected
a cure.
_Bandages._--The application of wet bandages, covered with dry ones
round the loins, and to parts affected, after every application of the
Water-cure, is most important.
These bandages must be worn day and night; during the day they should be
changed whenever they become dry--it is not necessary during the night,
except where there is great inflammation, the oftener they are changed
the better.
Animals under treatment for fever, inflammations of any kind, should be
allowed to drink as much _cold water_ as they like, and eat green food.
To give a horse a hip-bath, which we call a sitz-bath, must be left to
the ingenuity of the practitioner; it is of equal advantage in the
treatment of horses as men, particularly in attacks of cholic
inflammation, etc.
The following extract from the _Weekly Dispatch_, of July 23, 1847,
confirms what is advanced in favour of water; and excites surprise that
it did not lead scientific members of the medical profession to more
extensive inquiry:--
"EFFECT OF PRUSSIC ACID ON A RABBIT.--Yesterday se'nnight, Dr. Robinson,
of London, delivered the third of a series of dissertations on poisons,
before the Faculty, at the Maidstone Infirmary. The subject of the
evening was principally corrosive sublimate--on the mode of detecting
which, the learned lecturer imparted some valuable hints. At the
conclusion of the dissertation, the effect of prussic acid was tried
upon a rabbit. Three drops were administered from a glass (the surface
of which, most probably, abstracted half of the quantity), and the
animal immediately exhibited the usual symptoms--increased action of the
lungs, dilatation of the pupils, and the peculiar shrill cry, which in
such cases is usually indicative of immediately approaching dissolution.
In order to give it a chance of recovery, however, a few drops of
ammonia were administered, without apparent benefit. A constant stream
of cold water was then poured upon the base of the skull and along the
spine, when the animal very shortly exhibited symptoms of resuscitation.
It was then wrapped in warm flannel. In a quarter of an hour, it was
sufficiently recovered to walk. Dr. Robinson had, in a former lecture,
mentioned that this mode of treatment had been discovered by accident. A
cat which had annoyed the apprentices of a chemist was poisoned by them
with prussic acid, and thrown away for dead. By mere accident, however,
it fell under a stream of water, which was pouring from a pump; the
effect of which was its gradual resuscitation. Benefiting by this hint,
the same means have been since successfully applied to more than one
human subject who had taken prussic acid. No instance, however, had come
within Dr. Robinson's knowledge where an animal had been restored after
the symptoms which this rabbit exhibited; and the singularity of the
case struck the faculty as being one, a knowledge of which it was
desirable should be promulgated. The rabbit is now in full health and
vigour.["]
EXPENSES AT GRÄFENBERG.
The expense of the table, viz., breakfast, dinner, }
and supper, per week } 0 8 6
Apartment for week 0 4 0
Servant " 0 4 0
Fees paid to Mr. Priessnitz, per week 0 4 0
-----
£1 0 6
-----
Persons not residing in the establishment are at liberty to take their
meals at the public table at the following charge:--
Breakfast or supper, comprising bread, butter, and }
milk, at discretion } 0 0 2-1/2
Dinner 0 1 2
The small town of Freiwaldau, near Gräfenberg, being chiefly devoted to
the accommodation of visitors, affords a desirable place of residence,
at remarkably low prices: a single man may have an apartment at from
3_s_. to 5_s_. a-week; a family, at from 10_s_. to 20_s_. a-week.
All articles of consumption are remarkably cheap; for instance, beef and
mutton, 3_d_. per pound; veal, 2-1/2_d_.; pork, 3-1/2_d_.; bread and
vegetables in proportion.
ROUTES TO GRÄFENBERG.
Gräfenberg, since the opening of the railways may now be reached in four
or five days, at an expense of from 8_l_. to 10_l_. Although this outlay
is incurred in carriage, the patient will soon save it in his daily
expenses when there, besides having the advantage of Priessnitz's own
superintendance.
1st Route.--London, Ostend, Cologne, Prague, and from Prague to
Hollensdorf, which is twenty miles from Gräfenberg.
2nd Route.--Hull to Hamburg; from thence by railway to Berlin, Breslau
and Niepè; whence a carriage can be procured to Gräfenberg, the distance
being only twenty miles.
INDEX.
Abdomen, wound in, 134;
inflammation of, 160
Abgeschrecte Bath, see Tepid, 58
Ablutions of cold water, their value, 40
Abreibung, or rubbing-sheet, and its objects described, 50
Accidents, 128;
to the head, 131
Accouchement, value of Hydropathy in, 156
Ague and fever, how treated, 116, 146
Air-baths recommended and described, 70
Amputation, needless if the Cold-water cure be applied, 128
Ankle, sprained, 134;
weak, how treated, 169
Apoplexy, treatment of, 130
Appetite, in horses, how produced, 207
Archduke Franz Carl, address to, from the patients at Gräfenberg, 14
Assimilation described, 77
Asthma, cases of, how treated, 127
Authorities in support of water as a curative agent, 32
Bandages, their effects and methods of application described, 59;
ditto for horses, 210
Bilious fever, treatment of, and cases, 113
Blood spitting, the remedy, 135;
case of, 178
Bowels, pains in, how treated, 121
Brain, inflammation of, how treated, 120
Breast, pains in, assuaged, 155
Breath, shortness of, how treated, 146
Broken knees, cure for, 205
Bronchitis, doubtful, 186
Bunnions, how treated, 169
Burns, how to treat, 130
Cancer, cases and remedy, 187
Catarrh and fever, treatment of, 116
Cattle, murrain amongst, 207
Chancre, case of, cure of, 173
Chest, pain in, how treated, 107;
weakness of, 146;
cases of pains in, 165
Chilblains, how removed, 160, 177
Cholera, English, treatment of, 124;
Asiatic, observations on, and treatment of, 179
Cholic, how treated, 121;
in horses, remedy for, 206
Clothing, the proper kind of, 69
Cold baths, their value and importance, 43
Cold feet and hands, 160, 177
Cold water, observations upon its utility, 84
Colds and coughs, cases and remedies, 143
Complaints curable by Hydropathy, 24
Congestions of the lungs, treatment and cases, 118
Constipations and fevers, how treated, 117, 166
Consumption, observations upon, 125;
cases of, 177;
of the nerves, 178
Cows, treated hydropathically, 201
Cramps, remedy for, 126;
in the stomach, 126
Cramp-cough, a case and its treatment, 126
Crisis of the Hydropathic treatment described, 79
Croup, treatment and cases, 140
Cuts and wounds, remedy for, 132
Deafness, how relieved, 148;
cases of, 161
Deformity, how remedied, 163
Depression of spirits, how removed, 161
Diarrhœa, how treated, 123;
chronic, 123
Diet, simplicity of recommended, 62
Diseases cured by Hydropathy, 36
Dizziness, how removed, 158
Douche-bath and its uses described, 52
Dropsy, how promoted, 82
Drowsiness, how remedied, 146
Drugs, the evils arising from the use of, 75
Dysentery, how treated, 123
Ear-ach, relief of, 149
Elbow-bath, how applied, 56
Epilepsy, how cured, 170
Erysipelas, remedy for, 186
Expenses at Gräfenberg, 212
Eye, accident to, how remedied, 133;
sore and inflamed, how treated, 148;
weak, 169
Eye-bath, how applied, 55
Fainting-fit, directions for treating, 128
Falls, cases of, 129
Feet, fœtid perspiration of, remedied, 171;
horses tender feet, how treated, 206
Fevers, hydropathy applicable to, 108;
treatment of, 109;
of horses, how treated, 206
Finger-bath, how applied, 56
Finger crushed, treatment of a case, 128
Fingers, itching of, how treated, 146
Fistula, case and remedy, 151
Fits in dogs, remedy for, 208
Food of horses, 203
Foot-bath, its mode of application and effects, 56
Foundering of horses, remedy for, 204
Frost-bitten, remedy for, 151;
case of, 169
Gastric fever, treatment of, and cases, 112
Giddiness, how removed, 158
Glass, instance of swallowing, cured by hydropathy, 190
Gonnorrhœa, cases of, effectually cured, 174
Gout, how treated, with illustrative cases, 92;
hereditary, 96;
in head and feet, 97;
with contractions of limbs and calcareous deposits, 98;
acute attack of, 98;
in foot and ankle, 99
Gräfenberg, routes to, and expenses at, 212
Graham, Dr., his attack on the Water-cure refuted, 11
Gripes, how treated, 121
Gums, inflamed, how treated, 120
Hæmorrhage, in women, how combated, 152;
cases of, 154
Head, accidents to, how treated, 131
Head-ache, remedies for, 158
Head-bath, how applied, 55
Heart, palpitation of, case and remedy, 186
Heart-burn, how treated, 167
Heaviness after dinner, 186
Hernia, how cured, 161
Hooping-cough, cure for, 139
Horses, instances of Hydropathic treatment of, 198, 199
Hydrocephalus, case of, cured, 172
Hydropathic treatment, its results described, 17;
of horses, 204, 209
Hydropathy, the science explained, 17;
its effects, 17;
is it new? 26;
authorities in its support, 32;
for animals, essay on, 197
Hydrophobia curable by Hydropathy, 179
Hypochondria, how treated, 170
Hysteria, cure for, 146, 170
Indigestion, how remedied, 166
Infants, treatment of, 169
Inflammations, treatment of;
of the lungs, 118;
the windpipe, 120;
the brain, 120;
the gums, 120;
(external) of horses, 205
Influenza, treatment of, 185
Insanity, curable or otherwise, 179
Intermittent fever, 114
Invigoration, recipe for, 186;
of horses, how produced, 207
Itch, how cured, 142, 149
Jenison, Countess of, her case, 195
Lancet, the, its dangers and abuses, 30
Languid circulations, how stimulated, 168
Leg, case of lacerated calf, 132
Leprosy, how removable, 151
Limbs, pain in, removed, 155;
loss of use of, the Countess of Jenison's case, 195;
of horses, weakness how treated, 205
Liver complaint, case of, how cured, 162
Lock-jaw, see Apoplexy, 130;
in horses, how cured, 206
Lumbago, 104
Lungs, congestion of, how treated, 118;
diseased, Mr. Wright's case, 191
Measles, treatment of, 138
Menstruation, its irregularity and frequency checked, 153;
cases of, 154
Mouth, sore, how treated, 146
Mumps, cure for, 139
Murrain, in cattle, how removed, 207
Nervous fever, treatment of, 114
Neuralgic pains, how treated, 100
Op[h]thalmia, remedy and cases in illustration, 141
Packing-sheets, the system of packing described, 46
Palpitation of the heart, how relieved, 168
Paralysis, how remedied, 130
Piles, remedy for, 176
Priessnitz, Memoirs of 1;
his Hydropathic treatment, 6;
testimony to his system of cure, 8;
the Emperor of Austria decrees him a medal, 15;
his sentiments on smoking, 84;
his replies to enquiries as to the treatment of various
affections, 90
Psoriasis, singular case, how treated, 149
Quinsy, remedy for, 185
Rabbit, Hydropathic treatment of, under the influence of
prussic acid, 210
Rheumatism, how treated, 100;
chronic, 101;
in back, neck, and shoulders, 102;
fever and gout, 103
Ringworm, how removed, 142, 149;
case of, 169
Rubbing-sheet and its objects described, 50
Rupture, case of double, effectually treated, 176
Scalds, treatment of, 130
Scarlatina, how treated, 138
Sciatica, how treated, 104
Scrofula, how eradicated, 175
Sea sickness, remedy for, 130, 168
Shin, bruised, how treated and results, 129
Shivering, cure and case, 146
Shower-baths objected to, 54
Sitz or sitting-bath described, 54
Skin, a practical tr[e]atise upon, 21
Sleep, how procured, 168
Small-pox, Hydropathic treatment of, and detail of cases, 136
Smoking, Priessnitz's observations upon, 84
Sore throat, remedies, 143, 144
Spinal complaints, cases of, and how treated, 164
Sprained shoulder, 132
Sprains, treatment of, 134
Staggers, how removed, 204
Stays, the evils of wearing, 70
Sterility, how conquered, 158
Stomach complaints, cure of, 167
Strangles, how cured, 204
Stricture, how curable, 172
Sweating process described, 50;
of horses, 203
Syphilis, treatment of, 172
Tape worm, treatment of, 129
Teeth, how preserved, 147
Teething fever, treatment of, 111
Tendon Achilles, treatment of a rupture, 131
Tepid bath, its composition and application described, 58
Throat, affections of, how treated, 107;
sore and swollen, 145
Tic-doloureux, treatment of, 106
Tooth-ache, remedy for, 147
Typhus fever, how treated, 111
Umschlags, see Bandages, 59
Urine, passage of, how accelerated, 158
Vaccination, how promoted, 175
Vein, swelling of, various, how treated, 133
Ventilation of stables, importance of, 202
Water, its great uses, 37;
for ablutions, 40;
for drinking purposes, 41;
observations upon its value when cold, 84
White swelling, case of, and treatment, 187
Whites, certain cure of, 155
Windpipe, inflammation of, 120
Womb, pains in, how alleviated, 154
Wounds, of horses, how treated, 205
End of Project Gutenberg's Every Man his own Doctor, by R. T. Claridge