The benison of mankind
upon the man who first invented bathing! Luxury, however, has so overlaid
his simple idea of a cool plunge in a neighboring stream that he would
scarcely recognize his invention in the intricacies and elegant details
of a modern Turkish or Roman bath. Civilization is not an unmixed
evil, and many of these luxurious details are useful and hygienic
as well as elegant.
Bathing, like other
hygienic measures, must be regulated by the condition of the bather
and the season of the year, and in this matter many people have idiosyncrasies
which it is not prudent to disregard. A bath too hot or too cold will
make some individuals miserable for a day, and such people will do
well to familiarize themselves with the temperatures of simple baths.
A cold bath has a
temperature of from 33 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperate bath
from 75 to 85 degrees ; a tepid bath rises to 85 or 92 while a warm
one reaches from 92 to 98. At 98 a bath is hot, but it may sometimes
be raised as high as 112, under direction. Each of these temperatures
has its useful function, but, as already intimated, cannot be used
with the same impunity by all.
There is little fear
but that my readers are in the habit of bathing often enough. I believe,
indeed, that occasionally we meet with some delicate woman who bathes
too often.
The amount of reaction
that follows a bath is the general test of its healthfulness. The
cold tub bath or plunge cannot be recommended to many women. Water
below 65 degrees Fahrenheit is a considerable shock to most people,
from which reaction is difficult. It is true that sea-bathing is generally
much colder than the average cool bath at home, but there is the additional
stimulation to the skin.