My water-cure : tested for more than 35 years and published for the cure of diseases and the preservation of health / by Sebastian Kneipp ; translated from his 36th German edition.

  • Kneipp, Sebastian, 1821-1897.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: My water-cure : tested for more than 35 years and published for the cure of diseases and the preservation of health / by Sebastian Kneipp ; translated from his 36th German edition. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    1 got a terrible headache and some weeks later, after a hot bath, I lost my voice and was therefore obliged to converse with others by writing. My parents consulted the most celebrated physicians. I had to inhale, to take divers mineral remedies, I was electrified every dayfox several weeks; leeches were applied to my neck which often caused me to faint: I can only think with terror of the details and will not even attempt to mention all the medicines I took. Thus I continued for more than 2 years and finally the doctors declared that I should die of consumption. On this they all agreed that I should never recover my voice. The whole year through my hands, my feet, and my head are ice-cold. I cannot eat nor does any food do me good; I am often tempted to despair. I am only 15 years old, but there can be no more unfortunate being than I am. The girl is suffering from extreme poverty of the blood; this is proved by the sensation of chill; only in tha chest she still feels a certain warmth. She must be swathed in order that formation of blood may take place and the circulation may be regulated. The patient should live on a simple fare and take twice or 3 times daily a cold arm-bath reaching to the elbows and a foot-bath reaching over the ankles or better still she should walk barefoot in wet grass or on wet stones. This may seem contrary to reason, but these are excellent means to pro- duce vital heat in the system, especially in the blood- less extremities. To effect the same in other parts of the body, back, chest and abdomen should be vigorously washed with cold water twice daily. The first attempts cost a great effort on the part of the patient but the awakening vital heat gave her new courage. Duration and height of the 2 baths could be increased. These practices were continued for 8 or 10 days. Then followed light knee-gushes and upper showers; they were taken every second or fourth day, one in the morning, the other in the afternoon. After a fortnight these applications were replaced by a half-bath reaching to the pit of the stomach, taken for 1 minute, and an upper shower, daily. The diet should be of such a kind as to promote tru 25*