898

Appendix.

very serviceable in promoting the cure of herpetic eruptions ; in slight cases oflepra the use of it with friction is all that is required; and in all cutaneous foul-nesses it is a most important auxiliary. It has also been found very beneficial incases of insanity. In general the period of immersion should not be less thantwenty minutes, nor exceed one hour. •

The partial application of warm water as a remedy is made by means of

1. a. The foot bath (pedttuvivm);

b. The hip bath (coxceluvium); and

c. The hand bath (■numtduviuni).

2, d. Fomentations of vegetable decoctions; and

e. Flannel cloths wrung out of boiling water, by which themoisture is applied in a state of vapour.

These partial baths are useful in the same diseases for which the general bathsar» employed; but are better adapted for relieving the rigidity of single joints,and topical inflammation; and the hip bath has lately been found to be verybeneficial in suppressed menstruation, and for relieving the pains of cancer inutero.

For fomentations it is the practice to employ vegetable decoctions; but the bestof these can be regarded only as vehicles for retaining the heat and moisture.At all times, flannel cloths wrung out of boiling water are superior; bothbecause the water is applied in the form of vapour, and also, while they continueas long warm, they do aot wet the bed and linen of the patient. The flannel clothsshould be each about two yards long, with the ends sewed together, so that bymeans of two sticks, one being at each end, turned in opposite directions, theymay be wrung much dryer, when taken out of the boiling water, than could bee6fected by the hands. The principal circumstance to be attended to in the appli-cation of fomentations is the frequent renewal of them, in order that a steady andconstant heat may be applied to the fomented part.

No. II. MINERAL WATERS.'

It has been already noticed, that although no natural, water is found in a stateof absolute purity, yet t\\at Va general the quantity of foreign matters is notsufficient to give it any very sensible taste or odour. In some instances, however,these are so considerable, and of such a nature, as to prevent the water fromforming a part of the nourishment of animals ; in which case it is denominated amineral water, and can be useful to mankind only in a medicinal point of view.

The substances found in mineral waters may be arranged under four heads.

I. Air and Gases :

1. Atmospheric Air, [very common). It is generally in the proportionof -Jj. of the bulk of the water.^ 2. Oxygen Gas, (rare.) 3

3. Azotic Gas, (Buxton 4 , Harrowgate 5 , Lymington Priors.) 0

4. Sulphurated Hydrogen Gas, (Harrowgate, Moffat.)

II. Acids, in a free state:

1. Carbonic Acid, (very common.) 1

2. Sulphureous Acid, (some hot springs in Italy.)

3. Boracic Acid, (some lakes in Italy.)

III. Alkalies and Earths :

1. Soda, (Geyxer, Rykum, hot springs in Iceland.) s

1 The Arabian physicians used the vapour bath in a singular mode, in scro-phulous affections, which they denominated Bother, " ponatur sub puero ollaplena aqua calida, in principio apparitionis pustularum, ut attrahat ab interioribussuperfluum humorem ad corporis superficiem." Iihas.es de Morbis Infant, cap. 19.by Willan, p. 31.

2 The greater part of the chemical observations on mineral waters has been takenfrom Thomson's System of Chemistry.

' First detected by Scheele. * Dr. Pearson. 5 Dr. Garnet, s Dr. Lambe.7 Dr, Brownrigg, 8 Dr, Black,