A treatise on the stomach and its trials / by J.C. Eno.

  • Eno, J. C.
Date:
[1870?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the stomach and its trials / by J.C. Eno. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    23/82 (page 21)
    elapse before taking the second. Take a little gentle exercise between. It should not be taken nearer breakfast time than three-quarters of an hour, and should be followed by a few minutes’ gentle exercise. Never drink coid water when the body is heated or fatigued from exercise, but take instead a cup of warm tea. Fifth.—Cold Sponging. It is best not to lie long after the time of rising has arrived, but as soon as you awake get out of bed, and lose xo time in using cold sponging, or a wet towel, to the whole sur¬ face of the body. If the system is weak, then it is better to use tepid water to begin with ; afterwards, when the body becomes accustomed to its use, and the system stronger cold water may be substituted with advantage. It is important to do this while the body retains the heat of the bed and the night’s rest, because the greater the amount of warmth you retain, the more rapid and efficient will be the reaction. It is this reaction which stimulates the circulating system, and gives that glow and comfort felt after cold sponging; without this reaction and feeling of vigour and warmth, it should be discontinued. The whole of the body should be rubbed briskly with a coarse towel; any weak part should have a larger portion of time than other stronger parts, the reason for this being, that the irritation is thereby drawn from the in¬ ternal parts to the surface. It is advisable to use soap once a week, especially in rheumatic conditions of the blood. The benefit derived is not limited to the skin, but the exercise that ought to be used is beneficial to the whole body. It increases that glow of warmth and feeling of strength which the cold sponging has induced. About a quarter of an hour, at least, should be devoted to friction of the skin. After the cold sponging has been used for some time, a hip bath may be employed, but always observe to wet the head first before getting into the bath. (For method of using the cold sponging, see p. 53.) Sixth.—Never sit down to a meal when fatigued, nor directly after taking exercise. Always allow from ten minutes to half an hour to elapse before commencing to eat; and after eating, it is better to rest for the same length of time. In a good number of cases of weak digestion, a glass of good wine or Burton ale,* taken with meals, will create a gentle stimulus to the stomach, and enable it more easily to convert food into rich blood, but in the intervals of meals is highly injurious to digestion. When diges¬ tion is good, wine or beer is quite unnecessary. Spirit-drinking as a beverage is a very bad habit, and should never be used but under the advice of a medical man. j&'SP No better preservative can be employed against colds than the daily practice of the rules given above. Some who have practised the sponging and rubbing for twenty years have never had a cold during that period. * I have found Bass’s bitter ale to answer best.