HEALTH COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2387, 30 November 1899, Page 60

HEALTH COLUMN.

The Spa Treatment of Disease.

Any observer who has the curiosity io pass in review the modern methods of medical treatment cannot fail to be struck by the increasing amount of attention which is being paid at the present time, both by the laity and the profession, to the spa treatment of disease. The fact that many thousands of patients Hock, annually to the different health resorts to seek relief from their ills, and the idea which prevails among a/ large section of the educated public, chiefly the well-to-do classes, that their exjpten.ee is not complete without a yearly visit to one or other of the many spas, either at home or abroad, and that fov their b'edily well-being an annual "cure" is nccessaiy, are .phenomena which call for comnunt and demand explanation. The practice;, is by no means of recent growth, foxit /finds its origin in the almost universal belief, prevalent in ancient times, in the efficacy of natural mineral waters and baths ii the cure of disease. Many instances of this might be quoted. The waters of Spa, in Belgium, were celebrated in the time of Livy; the Eomans built Bath, in England, and fully recognised the value of its springs ; and they in turn derived their fondness for bathing from the Greeks. There is not wanting evidence to show that more ancient civilisations appreciated in a rude way the benefits to be obtained in this direction from the resources of nature. Throughout the Middle Ages the same belief was held, and many were the pilgrimages to the various springs then known. In the present day the same idea, shorn of much of the superstition that formerly clung to it, still prevails, and each watering place claims annually its numerous devotees. Not only among the laity is the a&surance of the therapeutic value of natural mineral waters and baths firmly rooted? though there still remains a substratum of lingering superstition as a part foundation of that assurance, but also by the medical fraternity their utility is accepted, as is witnessed by the freedom with which their patifents are sent to take the waters of this or that spring. In the ri-inds of the latter, however, superstition has been replaced by knowledge, and they are well assured that such treatment has a definite and real value. It becomes, then, a matter of interest to seek answers to the following questions : Whether, in the light of modern knowledge and research there is a solid foundation in fact for the faith that is placed by patients and their doctors in the utility of bathing and water-drinking; whether such measures possess any advantages over treatment by ordinary medicinal means;' whether the lines of treatment followed at spas cannot be carried out equally well at the patient's home, and the necessity for a - perhaps inconvenient visit to a watering place thereby obviated ; and, lastly, whether equal facilities for such treatment, and results equally good, are not obtainable in this country as at similar, places on the Continent? Up to comparatively recent times the use of waters and baths in the cure of disease was purely empirical. Through long experience and repeated trial it came gradually to be ascertained that certain waters were beneficial in certain cases, and certain kinds ot baths produced certain effects ; wherefiom was elaborated a system of spa treatment on more or less rule- of thnmb principles. The exact nature of the action of these agents, the physiological effects they produced and the pathological conditions they influenced, were ill-understood; the rationale, in short, of the treatment was wanting. Of late years, however, a large amount of sound scientific work has been done in this department of medicine. The action of mineral waters and baths has been made the subject of definite experiment, and the results obtained applied to the perfection and extension of the methods ; and thereby this branch of therapeutics, which formerly afforded tempting opportunities for Fcomful criticism on the part of the more advanced members of the profession, h?s now been placed on a firm scientific basis, and the ancient faith in it fully justified. — Nature.

Nervous Headaches and Sore Eyes. — A nervous headache affects the eyes so that is is with difficulty they are kept open. Great relief will be fouiid if the temples and forehead be bathed in very hot water I j which some vinegar lias been added.

i Use a sponge, or a large soft flannel, and J after wringing it slightly out of the water hold it for a minute over the part where the oppression is felt. If the eyes are red, ,puo %little boracic afcid'in the water. When in danger of headaches of this kind avoid reading or sewing by artificial light. If is is not convenient to have a shaded lamp, wear a green shade over the eyes at night.

For Aching Eyes,. — Vision that is dim now and then, if not continuously, eyelids' that swell and look red, and a general feeling of weariness, all call for special treatment. 'Happily, when there is no markeddevelopment of .any .of these .symptoms; it is easily met by constant applications of boracic acid with -water. The- decoction is best made with boiling water, and a "jorum of it may .well be prepared, every now and then, using one. teaspoonful of the powder to about ten tablespoonfuis of boiling water. It is recommended b-/ those who have tried it to steep an old piece of handkerchief in the boracic * acid lotion, and go^.to sleep with it lying on'the lids.- A"" restless sleeper" could not' carry out this plan-, for the handkerchief must not be fastened on the head. She would-be; benefited if she constantly bathed her eyes with the lotion, and let a little get right, into them each time she used the mixture. . Weary Feet. — Tired feet that swell and throb are not so common in the autumn as in the summer, but if. people would, train their, feet all through -the months that ar3 not hot, they would not suffer so much with them when the summer is at its height. There are several ways of effecting a cui'e, but all entail daily ablution. Soap in itself is an excellent easer of the weary foot. When the feet bum from long, standing soak them in a basin of warm "water in which is dissolved two tablespoonfuls of carbonate of soda. The warm alkaline fluid softens and relaxes the tissues and opens the pores, allowing the undue quantity of bjood which is present in the feet to disperse. To , render the .cuticle sufficiently hard to withstand blisters and tenderness, use common methylated spirits every day, and twice a day if necessary, after bathing the feet in soap and water. Not only does the spirit harden the skin, but it cools and soothes it most appreciably. Fuller's earth is found by people whose feet perspire unduly to be excellent, and a very frequent change both of hosiery and shoe leather. '