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The bowels and stomach have now come to a tolerably healthy state and action, which is to be the more wondered at as they have been for so many years oppressed with various kinds of medicine.

"I may just add here, it was the private opinion of the medical gentleman who attended me that I was going off. This speaks volumes, but so it is; and, as I said, I am indeed thankful, for I can now eat and drink anything that comes to hand, in moderation, which was not the case until I followed your excellent instructions in your book; but I cautiously avoid taking any distilled or fermented liquors, which I know to be very pernicious. In July last, I cast off all flannel and night-caps, and began with foot baths for twenty-five minutes at a time, which have much strengthened my feet and ancles. By being compelled to travel, it took me most of my time from home, and then I could not have the benefit of many parts of the treatment; the douche bath I could not have in any way. For rheumatics I got a coarse linen shirt, two thicknesses all over, and down the back three thicknesses; this I dipped in cold water and put on, and a dry one of the same coarse linen over it, all tied down tightly. The shirts had sleeves, and reached nearly down to my knees. I slept three nights in these shirts, and never in my life felt so effectually relieved of an old affection. I felt sometimes as though I never had rheumatism in my life, or knew what it was. To describe the whole of the good effects I and mine, and likewise others, have derived by the water treatment, is almost endless; and to name them all to a person like yourself, who is conversant with the all-powerful treatment by water, I think useless; but this much I thought it my duty to acquaint you, sir, what good effects the system is affording in other parts of her majesty's dominions, as well as with you, and that you might be encouraged to go on with your God-like work of doing good to the bodies of men, and by your pen disarm, and assist in destroying prejudices..

"I have written thus largely that you may know who and what I am, and my reasons for asking the following questions; but I must say we in this quarter acting upon the water treatment have had a great deal of prejudice to contend against, and no one more so than myself, people saying on all hands I was killing myself by these foolish whims, schemes, and extravagant delusions, as you must know by your kind answers in the Reporter to the insulting and untrue statements put forth in the Advertiser under the head of "Popular Fallacies." I have this to say, sir, you gave him

such a lashing in your reply, that he never dare come up to the scratch since; and, sir, we thank you again and again for your manly and prompt defence of our beloved system, which, after all opposition, is gaining ground with people of sense who think and examine for themselves.

"Dr. Smethurst, the questions I humbly, yet earnestly, request information upon are the following:

"Do you think, from what I have stated, that I have worn the bandage round my waist long enough? Would the continued use of it any longer have a tendency to weaken the parts? It is the opinion of some it would, but I do not much respect their judg ment in these matters.

"How should we treat any of the inner organs of the body, such, for instance, as the heart, the lungs, the bowels, or the brain, should they be suddenly attacked by disease? say, for example, inflammation of those parts, as both I and my wife and one of the children have been in these circumstances, and the treatment we have pursued has been thus: the patient was put to bed, well wrapped up, and caused to perspire for some time, after which he was well washed in cold water and rubbed dry; these means always put us to rights. Have we acted properly?

"What means would you recommend for my head? I have cast off caps, as I said before, and I have not a tenth part of the suffering that I used to have.

"Mrs. Vokes is not monthly regular; she is often once or twice poorly in a fortnight; her age is 43 years. We wish for information upon these important points, and I once more beg you, sir, will forgive me for troubling you with my long letter, and to assure you your answers to the foregoing questions will confer an everlasting favour upon me and others.

"I herewith send you a small fee-five shillings. I doubt not, considering my circumstances, you will say I have done right.

"I beg to remain, sir, your humble servant,

"Dr. Smethurst."

"RICHARD VOKES.

(To be continued.)

Philosophy, wisdom, and liberty, support each other. He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave.-Sir W. Drummond.

THE WATER CURE FOR FEVER.

(From the Southern Reporter.)

The following letter from Captain Claridge-who may be said to have introduced the hydropathic system into Ireland, and whose able and interesting exposition of its theory and practice excited so much attention in Cork a few years since-cannot fail to receive due consideration at this calamitous period. Deeming every suggestion that may tend to mitigate the ravages of disease of value, when coming from a practical and intelligent quarter, we cannot hesitate to give a place to Captain Claridge's letter.

To the Editor of the Southern Reporter.

SIR,-As fever is now making such fearful inroads, not only upon those individuals who are destitute of food, but also on others engaged in acts of benevolence, I cannot refrain from the performance of what I consider an act of duty in addressing the following observations to you, being assured that their charitable object will insure them a place in your much-esteemed Journal.

I am astonished that, after so much has been written and said respecting the water cure, and so many living witnesses to attest its value in curing fever, over which it is omnipotent, nothing of a public nature has been done to stop the progress of the present epidemic. That hydropathy will effect this object is as certain as that the cravings of hunger are arrested by food. A host of medical men on the continent, and at least twenty in our own country, by their writings have attested this fact. May we not then inquire, how is it that such evidence is disregarded? Has it ever been im pugned? I answer, No! not a pen was ever raised to dispute its truth!

To those accustomed to witness the obstinacy and the ravages of fever, it will appear a bold and inconsiderate assertion to state, that by the judicious application of water every Fever Hospital in Europe might be cleared in a month; but this opinion will be supported by almost every individual who has witnessed the wonderful influence of water on disease at Græfenberg.

It must be evident to every reflecting mind, that in fever the desideratum is to relieve the body of superfluous heat. That extracted, fever ceases. Call fever by whatever name you please, it is no other than a superfluity of caloric, and that is to be elimi

nated with perfect safety and advantage to the system by cold water, which cannot be said of any other treatment.

It is applicable in all cases of fever, at all ages, where the invalid is not reduced by famine or old age beyond the power of reaction. I shall proceed to give some account of the hydropathic process, in the hope that it may become general in its application."

On the first appearance of feverish symptoms, the patients should be put into a bath, water 8 or 10 inches deep, with the chill off, (62 Fahrenheit,) and in it rubbed well over by two persons until the body is cool, which is ascertained by a cessation of heat under the arm-pits. This operation will endure from 20 minutes to an hour, or even much longer. Cold water should be thrown frequently over the head and shoulders of the patient while in the bath, and must be drunk most plentifully-no matter how much. On coming out of the bath, and after being dried, put a large wet bandage, with a dry one over it, round the waist from arm-pits to hips; wear it night and day, and change it when dry.

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For fever in a more advanced stage the following treatment must be resorted to: for the cold or shivering fit, a sheet must be put into cold water, wrung out and thrown on the patient whilst standing; upon this much friction must be used for three to five minutes, then a dry sheet must be thrown over the body for the purpose of drying it; if cold still continues, repeat the operation several times, drinking largely of water. The hot fit will now come on. To show how that ought to be treated I shall give you the case of General Serbetelli, a gentleman high in the confidence of the King of Naples, and whose name is well known in all the best circles in that city-whom I relieved by the water cure about a month ago.

For two days the General laboured under dysentery, with feverish symptoms at night. On the third morning about six o'clock, his servant called me up, saying the General was very ill and would be glad to see me. I found him suffering from relaxation and pain in the bowels, head-ach with fever; he had not slept all night.

Confident in the power of the agent Providence had placed at my disposal, I assured him and his family, if he had but confidence in the treatment, all the above sensations would disappear as by magic. The General consented, and I proceeded as follows:-At seven o'clock put a blanket on a bed, and on that a sheet previously put into a pail of water and wrung out; in this the patient was enveloped, and the blanket brought round it. Over these we put

several other coverings, so hermetically closed that he looked like an Egyptian mummy. In two minutes he felt as though he was boiling-heat intense; kept him enveloped fifteen minutes, then changed the sheet for another wet one; enveloped as before; already some heat had been extracted, as the second sheet did not heat as the former one had done, or I should have changed it again as often as it required, until no uncomfortable heat was felt. In cases of Typhus Fever I have known the sheet changed 40 times during the day.) As the second sheet, in acting as a poultice on the whole body, cured the headach, and did not heat too soon, at the expiration of twenty minutes I put the patient into a bath, the chill being taken off. In this he was rubbed well by two men for twenty minutes, when, finding his arm-pits as cold as the other parts of his body, he was allowed to come out, fever being completely and radically cured. I should state that, during the time, I occasionally threw cans of cold water over the head and shoulders of the patient. Of course he drank plentifully of cold water. A large wet bandage, with a dry one over it, was now applied round the body from arm-pits to the hips, and patient laid in bed-body lightly covered, feet to be kept very warm. Fever gone, the next thing was to cure the dysentery. At 11 o'clock a wet sheet was thrown over the body and then a dry one-repeated twice as before described; patient laid in bed until warm; then a hip bath (tepid water) twenty minutes; at five o'clock the same repeated; that night he slept soundly, and next day was perfectly well. Had fever returned, I should have repeated the entire operation of wet sheet and bath in the afternoon, and again the next time. The bath might have been continued for a much longer period if necessary, and should have been if the fever had been more obstinate. Medical men, when they resort to sponging and other applications of water, often lose their patients from timidity. In cases of inflammation of the lungs and severe attacks of gout, I have frequently seen persons rubbed by several men in the shallow bath for two or three hours, beginning with tepid water and replenishing it with cold. From such treatment I never knew any other than the most beneficial results. Hoping these few hints will be considered by the faculty, and appreciated and made useful to the public at large,

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

Bagni de Lucco, Italy, May 12, 1847.

R. T. CLARIDGE.

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