Homoeopathy and hydropathy impartially appreciated : with notes illustrative of the influence of the mind on the body / by Edwin Lee.

  • Edwin Lee
Date:
1866
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Homoeopathy and hydropathy impartially appreciated : with notes illustrative of the influence of the mind on the body / by Edwin Lee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

    100/248 (page 84)
    S-1 IIYDKOPATHY. froDi going into a cold bath, than one whose skin is cool or when its vital powers are de- pressed. The advantage of cold affusions in fevers, tvhen the heat of the surface is steadily above the natural temperature^ was clearly shown long ago by the practice of Dr. Ciirrie ; and the application of the wet sheet or of compresses to particular parts con- stitutes an essential part of the hydropathic treat- ment of febrile and many inflammatory complaints. A coarse sheet dijoped in cold water and wrung out is applied, and over it other coverings are bound round the body. The application of the wet sheet causes a momentary sensation of cold and shivering; but the body soon becomes warm, and evaporation being prevented by the additional coverings, the wet cloth acts as a fomentation; the pers]3iration induced, being however much less profuse than when wrapping in blankets is prac= tised. Where, however, the object is to reduce the heat of the surface, as in cases of fever or acute disease, the wet sheet requires to be fre- quently renewed before the requisite degree of reaction takes place. In these instances, the first impression is agreeable ; the application generally allays irritation, reduces the frequency of the pulse, producing a tendency to sleep, and is thus a powerful antiphlogistic. As long as the skin is hot and dry, the a^DplIcatlon may be repeated, at first at intervals of a quarter of an hour, and afterwards at longer intervals, till a tendency to moisture appears. The cold water application has