miraculous springs.—the pool of bethesda.—herb-baths.

especially in germany mineral waters achieved great popularity in the treatment of diseases in the seventeenth century.

in ancient times, according to pliny, paulus ?gineta, and others, mineral waters were recognised as possessing curative effects, and the temples of health were frequently erected in contiguity to these powerful aids to treatment. savages are everywhere fully aware of the value of such medicinal waters, and avail themselves of their benefits. hot springs, wherever they occur, are highly esteemed by the natives. humboldt states that on christianity being introduced into iceland, the natives refused to be baptized in any but the waters of the geysers.928 hooker tells us that in the hot springs of yeuntong, which burst from the bank of the lachen, in the himalayas, the natives remain three days at a time, bathing in the saline and slightly sulphuretted waters. no better treatment for certain forms of skin diseases could be followed.929 such a course of treatment is carried out now at the baths of leuk, in switzerland, amongst other places. there the patients take their meals and play cards, chess, draughts, etc., while up to their necks in the warm medicinal waters. hooker tells us, again, of the use of hot baths amongst the sikkim bhoteeas. the bath consists of a hollowed prostrate tree trunk, the water of which is heated by throwing in hot stones with bamboo tongs. they can raise the temperature to 114°, the patient submitting to this at intervals for several days, never leaving till wholly exhausted.930

dr. mead931 thinks that the pool of bethesda, spoken of in the gospel of st. john, chap, v., was a medicinal bath, whose virtues principally resided in the mud which settled at the bottom. it was necessary, therefore, that the pool should be “troubled,” that is to say, stirred up, so that the person bathing therein might derive benefit from the401 metallic salts, “perhaps from sulphur, alum, or nitre,” which settled at the bottom. celsus and pliny recommend medicinal baths for nervous disorders. pliny particularly advises aluminous baths for paralytics, and adds that “they use the mud of those fountains with advantage, especially if, when it is rubbed on, it be suffered to dry in the sun.”932

many curious instances of the superstitious uses made of holy wells in the treatment of disease, in which customs the elements of magic ritual are not difficult to discover, are given in gomme’s ethnology in folklore, pp. 97-99.

eight miles from munich lies the village of heilbrunn (healing spring); tradition says it is the oldest medicinal spring in bavaria. near the spring was a monastery, said to have been destroyed and the well choked with the débris in 935 a.d. in 1509 the monks made some excavations, and the source of the spring was discovered; at the same time flames burst forth over it, the phenomena being of course attributed to a miracle. the reputation of the medicinal waters brought the elector’s wife to the spot in 1659; she derived such benefit from the visit that the spring was named after the princess—adelheid’s quelle. it became famous amongst the country people for the cure of scrofulous and other diseases. in 1825 dr. a. vogel, of munich, analysed the waters, and found them to contain iodine in important quantity. this led to the deepening and improvement of the spring, and in the course of the operations one of the workmen brought a lighted candle close to the surface of the water; the gas, escaping in bubbles, at once caught fire, and the miracle of 1509 was explained. the fact is that a considerable amount of carburetted hydrogen floats over the surface of the water, and will readily take fire when in contact with a light. recent analysis of the water shows that it contains bromine, iodine, and chloride of sodium, sulphate of soda, carbonates of soda, lime, magnesia, and iron. it is altogether one of the most remarkable of the medicinal springs, and its composition explains its value in calming and soothing the mucous membrance of the stomach and other organs. its curative effects have been proved in scrofula, glandular swellings, bronchial affections, mesenteric and female disorders.933

baths impregnated with vegetable extracts and odours have long been in use. pine-leaves are at present largely employed, and baths of conium, lavender, hyssop, etc., are still used as sedatives. anciently baths of this kind were as complicated in character as the medicines administered internally.

402

here is an ancient prescription for a medicinal bath:—

the makyng of a bathe medicinable.934

“holy hokke and yardehok peritory935 and the broun fenelle,936

walle wort937 herbe john938 sentory939 rybbewort940 and cammamelle,

hey hove941 heyriff942 herbe benet943 brese wort944 and small ache,945

broke lempk946 scabiose947 bilgres wild flax is good for ache;

wethy leves, grene otes boyld in fere fulle soft,

cast them hote in to a vesselle and sett your soverayn alloft,

and suffire that hete a while as hoot as he may a-bide;

se that place be couered welle over and close on every side;

and what dissese ye be vexed with, grevaunce outher peyn,

this medicyne shalle make yow hoole surely, as men seyn.”948

george herbert, in his priest to the temple, enumerates the duties of the parson’s wife, and extols the virtues of these homely remedies. “for salves, his wife seeks not the city, but prefers her gardens and fields before all out-landish gums; and surely hyssop, valerian, mercury, adder’s tongue, melilot, and st. john’s wort, made into a salve, and elder, comphrey, and smallage, made into a poultice, have done great and rare cures.”