Cautions concerning cold bathing, and drinking the mineral waters / by William Buchan, M. D. Being an additional chapter to the ninth edition of his Domestic Medicine.

  • William Buchan
Date:
1786
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cautions concerning cold bathing, and drinking the mineral waters / by William Buchan, M. D. Being an additional chapter to the ninth edition of his Domestic Medicine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    circumftance, there is reafon to believe, that violent headachs, and other complaints, which frequently proceed from cold bathing, might be often pre- vented. The cold bath, when continued too long, not only occafions an exceflive flux of humours towards the head, but chills the blood, cramps the mufcles, relaxes the nerves, and wholly defeats the inten- tion of bathing. Hence, by not adverting to this circumftance, expert fwimmers are often injured, and even fometimes lole their lives. All the be- neficial purpofes of cold bathing are anfwered by one Angle immerfion; and the patient ought to be rubbed dry the moment hecomes out of the water, and ihould continue to take exercife for fome time after. When cold bathing occafions chilnefs, lofs of appetite, liftleflhefs, pain of the breaft or bowels, a proftration of ftrength, or violent head-achs, it ought to be difcontinued. Though thefe hints are by no means intended to point out all the cafes where cold bathing may be hurtful; nor to illuftrate its extenfive utility as a medicine j yet, it is hoped, they may ferve to guard people againft fome of thpfe errors into which from mere inattention they are apt to fall j and thereby not only endanger their own lives, but bring an excellent medicine into difrepute *. The / * Since the preceding Obfervations have been fent to the Prefs, a circumftance has occurred, which affords the ftrongeft proof that could be given, of the danger of plunging at ran- a dom
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