“The tenth transmitters of some foolish face,”
placing, apparently, more faith in the physical operation of the waters, baths, and gases of the spas, than in the intercession of saints or even the prayers which they had offered up at the shrine of the Madonna herself! How far and how often the gas-baths have wrought the happy revolution, I cannot say. The doctors have firmly asserted, and the patients have willingly believed the “flattering tale.” As the gas-baths are seldom trusted to alone, it is impossible to say with accuracy, what share they have in the general restoration of health, and the consequent invigoration of the constitution. Upon the whole, I left Marienbad with the strong conviction on my mind, that its waters and baths were among the most efficient in the list of the German spas.
The valley of Marienbad is well sheltered, and surrounded by pines in the immediate neighbourhood of the spa; but we have only to mount a couple of miles on the Carlsbad road, when we get into a high open country, with a bracing air and a boundless prospect. Some parts of this route are extremely picturesque—I would almost say romantic, especially a few miles from Marienbad, where the road winds down a precipice in numerous tourniquets, into a valley surrounded on all sides by steep acclivities, some bare and rugged, others crowned with woods. A rivulet roars through the valley, and a village, a convent, and some factories, give cheerfulness and animation to the scene.
P.S.—Before quitting the subject of the Marienbad waters, I must dedicate a few lines to a small brochure on these waters, published by my friend Dr. Herzig, in the Summer of 1840.
Die Heilung der Krankheiten, mit hulfe des Kreuzbrunnen zu Marienbad. Von Dr. L. Herzig.—The Cure of Diseases by the help of the Marienbad Waters.
The water of the Marienbad springs has a soothing effect on the nervous system, and checks vomiting and pain in the stomach and bowels, in consequence partly of the carbonic acid contained in the water, and partly of its property of increasing all the secretions.
In plethoric persons it often proves stimulating, and causes headache, redness of face, and feelings of cerebral congestion—owing probably to the carbonic acid and the iron contained in it.
Its most marked effect is to increase all the secretions, especially those of the bowels, liver, kidneys and skin—large quantities of mucus are discharged with the stools. The mucous secretions of the bladder, and also of the vagina, are usually much increased at first, but subsequently greatly diminished, when these organs are in a state of weakness. Various forms of cutaneous eruption often make their appearance, and rheumatic and gouty pains are usually increased at first, but subsequently disappear during the use of the waters.
The digestive and nutritive functions are quickened and invigorated, and the patients acquire strength and liveliness, in consequence of the improved state of the intestinal secretions. The Kreuzbrunn waters at Marienbad produce similar effects to those of the Carlsbad and the Kissengen waters; but the former are more purging and evacuant, and act less upon the vascular system, and more upon the digestive functions than they do.
The diseases in which the Marienbad waters are most useful, are—