The principles and practice of hydrotherapy : a guide to the application of water in disease for students and practitioners of medicine . ute as well as in chronic disease, inas-much as they furnish a clew to the reactive power of the patient. If,for instance, the skin remains cool and pale or becomes cyanotic after THE PRACTICE OF HYDROTHERAPY. 85 ablution and friction, we are warned to proceed cautiously to moreintense procedures. In such cases only small portions of the bodyshould be attacked each day, or twice a day, good friction being day the surface receiving ablution should
The principles and practice of hydrotherapy : a guide to the application of water in disease for students and practitioners of medicine . ute as well as in chronic disease, inas-much as they furnish a clew to the reactive power of the patient. If,for instance, the skin remains cool and pale or becomes cyanotic after THE PRACTICE OF HYDROTHERAPY. 85 ablution and friction, we are warned to proceed cautiously to moreintense procedures. In such cases only small portions of the bodyshould be attacked each day, or twice a day, good friction being day the surface receiving ablution should be enlarged. This cautious proceeding enables me to assert that I have neverseen a patient too feeble to accept some form of hydrotherapy. Thereactive condition of the patient is by this gradually advancing methoddisclosed in chronic diseases, the degree of heat retention is indicated,and the physician is enabled to adapt his subsequent hydriatric pro-cedures in accordance with observations thus made. The rationale of the action of ablutions may be found in the peri-pheral shock and subsequent stimulus, which are refreshing because. Fig. 21.—Fatigue Curve of Right Hand after a Cold Ablution. (See Normal Curve, Fig. 11.) they are conveyed to the nerve centres, and in the dilatation of thesuperficial vessels by the friction, which, according to Weyrich, in-creases the evaporation from the skin fifty per cent. The latter mustbe of great value in fever, because, according to Leyden and others,retention of water is one of the chief elements in the febrile process. Added to this effect, we have the dilatation of the superficial capil-laries, as evidenced by the rosy hue of the skin following ablutionwith friction. We also have the deepening of the inspiration producedby the impinging of cold water upon successive parts, which im-proves the circulation. If the hearts action is feeble, we may thusenhance the tone in the peripheral vessels and facilitate its work byremoving the impedi
Size: 2080px × 1202px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpub, booksubjecthydrotherapy
