The first effect is a momentary one; the second effect, or reaction, continues a long time.
Timid girls exclaim:—
"Cold water! of course you don't mean cold water! What, cold water, right on me and all over me? Why, Doctor, I couldn't stand it! it would kill me!"
"Do you think you could take a hot bath?"
"Oh, certainly; I could take a hot bath easy enough." This conversation occurs in January.
My dear child, you are entirely mistaken. Everybody can take a cold bath, if properly managed, every day of the year; but, during the cold weather, it takes a strong constitution to bear a hot bath; for although the first, or momentary effect, is to make the skin warm and comfortable, the secondary effect, or reaction, which comes on very soon and lasts a long time, is to make the surface very cold.
During the warm weather, the hot bath is a great luxury. For the moment it makes you warm, but the secondary effect, or reaction, which will continue for a long time, leaves you in a cool, comfortable state.
Foot baths afford a happy illustration of this Homoeopathic law, "Similia Similibus Curantur,"—"like are cured by like."
You are troubled with cold feet. Dip the bottoms of your feet in cold water. Let the water be half an inch deep. Hold the feet there four or five minutes, and then give them a good rubbing. Perhaps stand on the carpet with your naked feet, and twist from side to side, until your feet are burning. Not only will your feet remain warm all night, but after practicing this two or three weeks, unless your digestion is very weak, your feet will become warm as a habit.
On the contrary, if you are troubled with burning feet, a frequent hot foot bath will cure you.