BUXTON, a place in the peak of Derbyshire, celebrated for medicinal waters, the hottest in England, next to Bath, lying in W. Long. 0. 20. N. Lat. 53. 20.
It has been always believed by our antiquaries, that the Romans were acquainted with these wells, and had frequented them much, as there is a military way still visible, called the Bath-gate, from Burgh to this place. This was verified about 50 years ago, when Sir Thomas Delves, of Cheshire, in memory of a cure he received here, caused an arch to be erected; in digging the foundations for which, they came to the remains of a solid and magnificent structure of Roman workmanship; and in other places of the neighbourhood, very capacious leaden vessels, and other utensils, of Roman workmanship, have been discovered. These waters have always been reckoned inferior to those in Somersetshire; but seem never to have been totally disused. They are mentioned by Leland, as well known 200 years ago; but it is certain they were brought into greater credit by Dr Jones in 1572, and by George earl of Shrewsbury, who erected a building over the bath, then composed of nine springs. This building was afterwards pulled down, and a more commodious one erected at the expence of the earl of Devonshire. In doing this, however, the ancient register of cures drawn up by the bath-warden, or physician attending the baths, and subscribed by the hands of the parties, was lost.
The warm waters of Buxton are, the bath, consisting of nine springs, as already mentioned, St Ann's well, and St Peter's or Bingham well. St Ann's well rises at the distance of somewhat more than 32 yards north-east from the bath. It is chiefly supplied from a spring on the north side, out of a rock of black limestone or bastard marble. It formerly rose into a stone basin, shut up within an ancient Roman brick wall, a yard square within, a yard high on three sides, and open on the fourth. But, in 1709, Sir Thomas Delves, as already mentioned, erected an arch over it which still continues. It is 12 feet long, and as many broad, set round with stone steps on the inside. In the midst of this dome the water now springs up into a stone basin two feet square. St Peter's or Bingham well rises about 20 yards south-east of St Ann's. It is also called Leigh's well, from a memorable cure received from it by a gentleman of that name. It rises out of a black limestone, in a very dry ground; and is not so warm as St Anne's well.
This water is alterant and not evacuant. The use of it is to be begun by taking a pint in the forenoon; after which, the quantity is to be gradually enlarged. This water increases the vital heat; and is useful in the gout, rheumatism, dry asthma, convulsive disorders, indigestion, loss of appetite, contractions of the tendons,
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&c. Mr Percival informs us†, that the water of St Anne's well contains calcareous earth, fossile alkali, and sea-salt, though in a very small proportion, a gallon of the water yielding only 23 or 24 grains of sediment. It strikes a slight green with syrup of violets, suffers no change from infusion of galls, from the fixed vegetable alkali, or from the mineral acids; it becomes milky with the volatile alkali, and with faeccharum saturni; and lets fall a precipitate on the addition of a few drops of a solution of silver in the nitrous acid. The specific gravity of this water is precisely equal to that of rain-water when their temperatures are the same; but it weighs four grains in a pint lighter when first taken from the spring, owing to the superior degree of warmth it has at that time. The temperature of the bath is about 82° of Fahrenheit; that of St Ann's well, as it is a smaller body of water, and exposed to the open air, is somewhat less. The water is transparent, sparkling, and highly grateful to the palate. From some experiments which he made upon himself, the Doctor concludes, that the Buxton waters are of a very heating quality, and suggests the following cautions with regard to the use of them. Small quantities only should be drunk at once, and frequently repeated; the belly should be kept soluble with lenitive electuary, or any other mild purgative; and, at the beginning of the course, the patient may be directed to suffer the water to remain a few seconds in the glass before he swallows it; for this spring abounds with mephitic air, in which its stimulus, and indeed its efficacy, resides, and which is quickly dissipated by exposure to the air. From this property the Doctor supposed that this water might be easily converted into an useful chalybeate*; and, at his desire, Mr Buxton an apothecary near the wells made the following experiment. "A quart bottle containing two drachms of iron filings was filled, by immersion, with the water of St Ann's well, corked and agitated briskly under the surface of the water. It was then suffered to remain in the well till the filings had subsided, when the water was carefully decanted into a half-pint glass. To this were added three drops of the tincture of galls, which immediately occasioned a deep purple colour; and the transparency was quickly restored by a few drops of the acid of vitriol, evident proofs that a solution of the iron was effected in a few minutes. The water also, without the galls, had a chalybeate taste, and left an agreeable astringency upon the palate."
This method of impregnating the Buxton water with iron, must increase its tonic powers, and in many cases improve its virtues. It is a common practice to join the use of a chalybeate spring in the neighbourhood of St Ann's well, with that of the Buxton water. But the superiority of this artificial mineral water must be apparent, if we consider its agreeable warmth, volatility, levity, and gratefulness to the palate. Buxton-bath is frequently employed as a temperate cold bath. For, as the heat of the water is 16 or 18 degrees below that of the human body, a gentle shock is produced on the first immersion, the heart and arteries are made to contract more powerfully, and the whole system is braced and invigorated. But this salutary operation must be greatly diminished, often, indeed, more than counterbalanced, by the relaxing vapours which copiously exhale from the bath to which the patients are exposed during the time of dressing and undressing. June 12th 1772,
the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer stood, in the shade, at 65°; but in the vault of the bath, quickly rose to 78°.