LXV.—Depression of Spirits, Head-Ache, etc.
A patient derived immediate relief from the following treatment: morning, packing-sheet half an hour, then tepid bath two minutes, cold three or four minutes, and back to the tepid; noon, rubbing-sheet, sitz-bath fifteen minutes and head-bath ten minutes; afternoon, morning treatment repeated. When better, the packing-sheet in the afternoon was abandoned for a sitz-bath ten minutes. On dreary wet days the packing-sheet was to be resorted to again. After the sitz-bath, the feet were to be put into water for two or three minutes and well rubbed.
LXVI.—Deafness.
Away from Gräfenberg, persons are recommended to use the rubbing-sheet twice a-day, take a foot-bath ten minutes, and wear a bandage round the ears at night.
A young man from Hambro’, suffering from deafness, followed up the general treatment for three or four months, when a boil appeared on his abdomen and increased to the size of an egg; this burst whilst patient was taking the douche: from that time he heard as well as ever.
LXVII.—Hernia and Constipation.
Both these complaints, which are so completely out of the reach of drugs, are always cured by hydropathy.
Don——, late minister from a foreign court to England, through my interpretation, inquired of Priessnitz how long he should be before he was cured of constipation? A twelvemonth. How long of my hernia? Four months. His treatment was as follows:—
Morning, packing-sheet and tepid bath, afterwards changed to cold bath; noon, rubbing-sheet and sitz-bath; afternoon, as in the morning; bandage to the hernia and round the waist always.
In about four months hernia was perfectly cured and patient declared that as he eat, slept, and walked well, he considered himself in health, and consequently left Gräfenberg. I heard from him in Rome afterwards, when he continued perfectly satisfied.