BATH, Balneum, a convenient receptacle of water for persons to wash or plunge in, either for health or pleasure.—Baths are distinguished into hot and cold; and these again are either natural or artificial. The natural hot baths are formed of the water of hot springs, of which there are many in different parts of the world; especially in those countries where there are or have evidently been volcanoes. The artificial hot baths consist either of water or of some other fluid made hot by art. The cold bath consists of water, either fresh or salt, in its natural degree of heat; or it may be made colder by art, as by a mixture of nitre, sal-ammoniac, &c. The chief hot baths in our country are those of Bath and Bristol, in Somersetshire; and those others of Buxton and Matlock, in Derbyshire; which latter, however, are rather warm or tepid than hot. The use of these baths is found beneficial in diseases of the head, as palfies, &c. in cuticular diseases, as leprosy, &c. obstructions and constipations of the bowels, the scurvy and stone, and in most diseases of women and children. The baths have performed many cures, and are commonly used as a last remedy in obstinate chronic diseases; where they succeed well, if they agree with the constitution of the patient; but whether they will agree or not, cannot be known without trial.
As to the origin of those hot waters, of which the natural hot baths are formed, we are very much in the dark. All that can be affirmed with certainty is, that where there are volcanoes, there also there are hot springs in great abundance; but how the heat of the volcano should be constantly communicated to the waters of a spring for many ages, during a great part of which the volcano itself has lain in a dormant state, seems almost beyond the reach of investigation. Another thing that creates a great difficulty is, that the fire of a volcano must certainly lie very deep in the earth, and most probably shifts from place to place; but the waters of a spring must always issue from a place situated lower than the origin of the spring itself. Besides, though we should suppose the water to come from the top of a volcano itself, and consequently boiling hot, it could not be supposed to percolate far through cold earth, without losing all the heat it acquired from the volcano. From some observations, however, it certainly does appear, that there are some spots on the earth which have a power of producing heat within themselves, independent of any thing foreign; and that water is so far from being able to destroy this power, that it seems rather to promote and continue it. We know that water hath this effect upon a mixture of iron filings and sulphur; but whatever quantities of similar sub-
Bath. flances we may suppose to be contained in the earth, we must also suppose to be destroyed by one great conflagration soon after they have begun to act upon each other, so that by their means no lasting heat in waters could be produced. Dr Stukely indeed would solve this, and several other phenomena, by making the fire and smoke of volcanoes the effects of electricity: but here sufficient proof is wanting; for electricity, even in its most powerful state, is not very apt to set bodies on fire. The thought, however, deserves attention; for if electricity is capable of setting a volcano on fire, it is undoubtedly capable of producing solfataras where it meets with proper materials, and from them springs of any degree of heat.
The cold bath is found one of the most universal and innocent remedies yet discovered, though still its use is not to be adopted without precautions.
Baths in vapour, the fume or steam of some decoction is received upon the body to promote a perspiration.—These are also by some called Balnea Laponica.
Vapour baths are, when the patient is not plunged into what is prepared for the bath, but only receives its steam upon those parts of his body which require it: as in some distempers of the fundament and womb, where the patient sits and receives the fumes of some proper fomentation, &c. To these may be added the bagnio; where people are made to sweat by the heat of a room, and pouring on of hot water; after which they generally go into a hot bath or bagnio.
A peculiar sort of vapour-bath was much used by the ancient Mexicans, and is still in use among the present Indians their descendants. According to the Abbe Clavigero, these baths are built of raw bricks, and their form is similar to that of ovens for baking bread: but with this difference, that the pavement of the bath is a little convex, and lower than the surface of the earth; whereas that of most ovens is plain, and a little elevated for the accommodation of the baker. The greatest diameter of a bath is about eight feet, and its greatest height six. The entrance, like the mouth of an oven, is wide enough to allow a man to creep easily in. In the place opposite to the entrance there is a furnace of stone or raw bricks, with its mouth outwards to receive the fire, and a hole above it to carry off the smoke. The part which unites the furnace to the bath, and which is about two feet and a half square, is shut with a certain dry stone of a porous texture. In the upper part of the vault there is an air-hole, like that to the furnace. This is the usual structure of the temazcalli; but there are others that are without vault or furnace, mere little square chambers, yet well covered and defended from the air.—When any person goes to bathe, he first lays a mat within the temazcalli, a pitcher of water, and a bunch of herbs or leaves of maize. He then causes a fire to be made in the furnace, which is kept burning until the stones which join the bath and furnace are quite hot. The person who is to use the bath enters commonly naked, and generally accompanied for the sake of convenience, or on account of infirmity, by one of his domestics. As soon as he enters, he shuts the entrance close, but leaves the air-hole at top for a little time open, to let out any smoke which may have been introduced thro' the chinks of the stone; when it is all out he likewise
stops up the air-hole. He then throws water upon the hot stones, from which immediately arises a thick steam to the top of the temazcalli. While the sick person lies upon the mat, the domestic drives the vapour downwards, and gently beats the sick person, particularly on the ailing part, with the bunch of herbs, which are dipped for a little while in the water of the pitcher, which has then become a little warm. The sick person falls immediately into a soft and copious sweat, which is increased or diminished at pleasure, according as the case requires. When the evacuation desired is obtained, the vapour is let off, the entrance is cleared, and the sick person clothes himself, or is transported on the mat to his chamber; as the entrance to the bath is usually within some chamber of his habitation.—This sort of bath, called temazcalli by the natives, has been regularly used in several disorders, particularly in fevers occasioned by costiveness. The Indian women use it commonly after childbirth, and also those persons who have been stung or wounded by any poisonous animal. It is undoubtedly a powerful remedy for all those who have occasion to carry off gross humours; and certainly it would be most useful in Italy, where the rheumatism is so frequent and afflicting. When a very copious sweat is desired, the sick person is raised up and held in the vapour; as he sweats the more the nearer he is to it. The temazcalli is so common, that in every place inhabited by the Indians there are many of them.
Baths (Dry), are those made of ashes, salt, sand, shreds of leather, and the like.—The ancients had diverse ways of sweating by a dry heat; as by the means of a hot sand, stove-rooms, or artificial bagnios, and certain natural hot steams of the earth, received under a proper arch, or hot-house, as we learn from Celsus. They also had another kind of bath by infolation, where the body was exposed to the sun for some time, in order to draw forth the superfluous moisture from the inward parts; and to this day it is a practice in some nations to cover the body over with horse-dung, especially in chronic diseases, to digest and breathe out the humour that causes the distemper. In New England they make a kind of stoves of turf, wherein the sick are shut up to bathe or sweat.
The same name is sometimes also given to another kind of bath, made of kindled coals, or burning spirit of wine; the patient being placed in a convenient close chair for the reception of the fume, which rises and provokes sweat in a plentiful manner: care is here taken to keep the head out, and to secure respiration. This bath has been found very effectual in removing old obstinate pains in the limbs, and venereal complaints; and will often complete a cure left unperformed by salivation.
Some authors speak of bloody baths, balnea sanguinolenta, prepared especially of the blood of infants, anciently supposed to be a kind of specific for the leprosy.
Baths (Metalline), those made of water impregnated with the scoria of metals. The most common and useful of this kind are those prepared with the scoria of iron, which abound with the earthy, saline, and sulphureous substance of the metal; and these are of excellent service for strengthening and bracing up the part to which they are applied, and recovering weak and decayed
cayed limbs; stopping various kinds of bleeding; and restoring the menstrual and hemorrhoidal flux where obstructed; inasmuch, that they may well be substituted for the natural iron baths.
Adjacent to the smelting huts where metals are run from their ore, are to be found large quantities of the slag of copper, antimony, and cobalt, which abounding with sulphur, vitriolic salt, and an earthy principle, make serviceable baths for strengthening the lost tone of the fibres, and relaxing them when they are too stiff. These baths have likewise a deterfiv and cleansing virtue; so that with prudence, and due regard to circumstances, they may be used on many occasions. The way of making these artificial baths is, either to take the slags as they come hot from the furnace, or else to heat them afresh, and throw them into hot water; which is afterwards to be used either in the way of bath, or fomentation, occasionally. There are other artificial baths, prepared of alum and quicklime, by boiling them together in fine rain-water. Such baths are highly serviceable in paralytic disorders and weaknesses of the limbs.
The pepper bath, or pepper wasser, on the Alps, is one of the most celebrated in Europe, and has been the subject of treatises express, besides what has been said of it occasionally by Scheuchzer and others. It was first discovered in the year 1240, and is of the periodical kind. The water breaks forth in a dreadful place, scarce accessible to the sun-beams, or indeed to men, unless of the greatest boldness, and such as are not in the least subject to dizziness. These baths have this singularity above all others, that they commonly break forth in May, and that with a sort of impetuosity, bringing with them beech-leaves, crabs, or other wood-fruit; and that their course desists in September or October. Scheuchzer professes himself of opinion, that these waters are not impregnated with any minerals, or if they do contain any, that their virtues in curing distempers and preserving health do not proceed from them. They are exceeding clear, destitute of colour, taste, or smell.