Domestic Encyclopædia (1802)/Baths, Dry

BATHS (Dry) were formerly made of ashes, salt, sand, shreds of leather, and similar substances.—Celsus informs us, that the ancients had a variety of sweating-baths by a dry heat, and especially by certain steams naturally emitted from the earth, and received under a proper arch or hot-house; or sometimes by means of hot sand, stove-rooms, or artificial bagnios. Of the last mentioned establishment we have already given a short account, under the head of Bagnio; and we shall here only caution the reader against their improper use, on the authority of Dr. Arbuthnot, who says, in his excellent work "On the Effects of Air on Human Bodies," (8vo. 3s. 6d.) that he has seen two instances of malignant fevers produced by the hot air of a bagnio.

Although many cases are recorded by medical and other authors, from which it appears that dry-baths have often been found beneficial in removing obstinate pains in the limbs, and even curing that odious disorder which salivation cannot always remove, yet we have reason to doubt their efficacy, when unassisted by internal medicines. In such cases as rheumatism, gout, palsy, &c. where profuse perspiration is necessary, as it were, to expel the malignant morbid humours, there is no occasion for resorting to the precarious use of dry-baths; we would, therefore, preferably recommend the Prussian Vapour Bath, which was lately used in the army of that kingdom, with almost general success. It simply consists of a close wooden box, the lower part of which resembles a common night-chair, in which is placed a large vessel with boiling water: the upper compartment has only one aperture on the top, opening with two horizontal doors, having in the centre an excision large enough to admit a person's neck with ease. In such a box the patient is placed for one, two, or three hours, according to the nature of his case, and the degree of perspiration deemed necessary.—There can be no reasonable objection against this simple contrivance, which, with a few improvement, deserves to be adopted in the British army, and especially in the navy, where want of room, and other circumstances, might render it, on many occasions, extremely useful.