DR. JAMES JOHNSON'S PILGRIMAGES TO THE SPAS.

Da. JAMES JOHNSON is well known as a man of medical acquire- ments and of something still more useful to a physician than even medical science, shrewd common sense. He has also a dry humour, and a quaint way with him, which, added to a lively imagination, a fluent style, great experience of men, and much knowledge of different countries, render him the most amusing and instructive professional writer of the day. These qualities are displayed in The Pilgrimages to the Spas; which is not a single tour, but, as its title implies, several tours, made to the watering-places of Belgium, Switzerland, and Ger- many; Germany embracing the various states and kingdoms into which the Holy Roman Empire is now divided, and the Spas visited being the obscure and old-fashioned as well as those which are just now the rage. Dr. Jonason's first object was to ascertain the chemical composition and medical character of the different waters, as well as the diseases in which they were likely to be beneficial or the reverse ; disappointment constantly occurring, and sometimes fatal terminations, from patients being sent to the wrong Spas. Subordinate to the waters was the vicinity of the Spa ; on which, and the early hours and regular diet, Dr. JOHNSON seems inclined to think that much of the efficacy of watering-places often depends. Bat there are many other matters in the volume than analyses of waters, lists of complaints, accounts of cases, and descriptions of Brannens,—although these are done as pleasantly as such things can be. Dr. JOHNSON gives a narrative of his journeys, seasoned with

sbrewd and caustic remarks on the people : he enlivens a voyage up the Rhine with a short account of the legends attached to the most remarkable spots, appending a moral to each story ; for he holds

that these Rhenish traditions were intended to inculcate a general lesson of wisdom, or else contain one. When the prospect is

barren, he indulges himself with a reminiscence—as the " lazy " and uninteresting Scheldt reminds him of the Walcheren Expedi- tion.

" While the steamer was ploughing her weary way between Flushing and Cadsand, memory, that mysterious power, quickly reproduced the drama on which the curtain had fallen for more than thirty years. The hundred pen- dants floating in the air—the masses of troops, whose polished arms gleamed in the sun—the frowning and hostile ramparts and batteries on each side of the pass covered with thousands of soldiers and citizens—the daring rush of three men-of-war (in one of which, the Valiant, of 74 guns, 1 then was) into the Scheldt, while shells were bursting over us and the heavy shot whist- ling through our rigging—the debarkation of the British troops—the bombard- ing and battering of Flushing—the conflagration of the town—the sorties of the garrison, repulsed, scattered, and driven back by British bayonets, as quickly and certainly as the ocean's surge is shivered into foam by the perpen- dicular rocks—the devastation of the ramparts by the showers of shot and shells for ever thundering against them—the awful preparation for storm—the capi- tulation of the garrison—all these and many other scenes rose on the intellec- tual mirror, and flitted round the mental diorama, as fresh as when they were first spread before the material eye.

" Then came the stilt darker side of the drama, on which memory even yet shudders to dwell."

Sometimes, when the scene has an interest in itself, Dr. JOHN- SON superadds the incident of which it has been the theatre—as the battle-fields of Culm and Lcipzic : occasionally he indulges his ingenuity in seeing how much can be said upon particular sub- jects,—a method of composition which, if it sometimes surprises, generally wearies in the long run. He also boasts, and truly, that his single and not stylish-looking volume contains as much matter as a fashionable bookmaker and bookseller would have expanded into two or three goodly octavos. To the practitioner whose patients are of a class to allow an excursion to a foreign Spa, this book will be of great utility, from the ample manner in which the more celebrated waters are treated ; Dr. JOHNSON frequently adding to his own observations, and the in- formation be received from resident medical men, an abridgment of the best book which has been written on a particular Spa. It is not the mere account of the waters, however, that in our opinion gives its chief value to the Pilgrimages, but the judging character of the description. The disposition of the author's mind is strongly opposed to humbug of all kinds, and his long experience in physic renders him Iess believing in the wonder-working powers of par- ticular remedies, which men of a more sanguine nature are prompt to believe and echo. We do not say that Dr. Jowtsort's judg-

ments of Spas are always right, for he is as liable to error as any other person ; but we think him a much safer guide than a resident practitioner, who always advocates his own spring—a fashionable physician, who is often tempted to echo the opinion of the day—or a credulous disposition, ready to vouch for miraculous cures, which even if true, are probably not owing to the waters. See an example of his matter-of-fact mode, in an account of the effects of the baths of Wildbad, compared with the highflown description of Dr.

GRANVILLE. A BATH AT WILDBAD.

I could not divest myself of the pleasing anticipations that Wildbad would realize the effects recorded by my friend Dr. Granville, and that I should retreat from this romantic valley at least ten years younger than when I entered it. I dispensed with the attendance of the bad- meister, locked the door, descended into the bath, and creeping to the identical spot where Dr. Granville expe- rienced the " ecstatic state of a devotee, blended with the repose of an opium- eater," I waited, not without some impatience, the advent of this foretaste of Paradise. But no such good fortune awaited me. I eyed the gas bubbles that rose around me, not indeed " in millions," nor even in dozens, but so sparingly that I could have easily numbered them, eager though they had been to "qui- ver through the lucid water" in their ascent to greet my friend and confrere a few years previously. With every wish to be pleased, and with the most mi- nute attention to my own sensations, I must confess that I experienced no effects from the waters of Wildbad other than I did from baths of similar tem- perature and composition, as those of Schlagenbad, Baden, and Pfeffers. They have the same advantage as the Pfeffers in maintaining the same temperature, however long we may remain in them, the stream running in and out of the baths. Whether this may not sometimes tempt the bad-meisters to save the trouble and time of emptying the baths after each bather, I do not profess to know. With respect to the bed of warm sand at the bottom, I think it is more pleasant to the feelings than to the imagination. It is impossible that it can be changed ; and the idea of lying down in a bed which a leper may have just left, is not the most pleasant in the world. For myself, I should prefer the clean marble, or even the wood, to this substratum of sand. It is but jus- tice to state, that there is a rule for all persons to go through the quarantine of a plain bath before commencing the medicinal. Such a rule, however, was not imposed upon me ; nor, I believe, on the generality of casual bathers. I stayed in the bath half an hour, and felt exceedingly refreshed by it. I have no hesi- tation, therefore, in giving it as my opinion that the waters of Wildbad are in- ferior to none, in their medicinal agency, as baths of a non-stimulant and sim- ple kind. Their improper use is not nearly so hazardous as those of Wisbaden, Kissengen, or Carlsbad, whose saline ingredients act powerfully on the sentient extremities of the nerves of the skin, and too often excite dangerous commo- tions in the animal economy.

Among the novel practice of the Germans, is the use of mud- baths ; a practice which Dr. JOHNSON seems to prefer to plain water bathing. The reader must not suppose that any earth is used for these compositions: on the contrary, they are prepared from bog, as peculiar in its way as the water of the Spa. The peat of Fran- zensbad contains, says Dr. JOHNSON, " the following materials, viz. the fibres of plants not decomposed, and whose organization is recognizable ; matters soluble in water, such as vegetable sub- stances rich in carbon, and of a yellow colour ; sulphate of lime, sulphate of magnesia, sulphate of iron, alum, bituminous extractive matter, oxide of iron, fine sand. Thus we see that the mere boggy material of the mud-bath contains many substances that may and do exercise a considerable physiological action on the body, and medicinal agency on the constitution."

This is Dr. JOHNSON'S account of the preparation of the mud- baths, and their effects upon himself and others. " The peat-bog is carried to the neighbourhood of the baths, and there allowed to dry to some extent. It is then sifted and separated from the woody fibres and coarser materials, when it is mixed with the mineral water of the Louisenquelle into the consistence of a very soft poultice. In this state it is heated by steam to a temperature varying from 80 degrees to 100 degrees of Fahrenheit, when it is ready for the bather, being worked up by wooden instru- ments and the hands into a complete black amalgam. I took the mud-bath here, at Marienbad, and Carlsbad, and do not regret the experiments. I confess that at first I felt some repugnance, not fear. in plunging into the black peat poultice ; but when up to the chin, (temperature 97 degrees,) I felt more comfortable than I had ever done, even in the baths of Schlangenbad, Wildbad, or Pfeffers. The material is so dense, that you are some time in sinking to the bottom of the bath ; and I could not help fancying myself in Mahomet's tomb, suspended between heaven and earth, but possessing consciousness which I fear the prophet did not enjoy. There was one drawback on the mud-bath or peat-poultice : we cannot roll about like a porpoise or whale, as in the water- bath, without considerable effort, so dense is the medium in which we lie; but I found I could use friction to all parts of the body with great ease, in conse- quence of the unctuous and lubricating quality of the bath. After twenty minutes' immersion, I felt an excitement of the surface, quite different from that of the common mineral warm baths—even of those of Wisbaden, Kis- sengen, or Schwalbach—attended, as I fancied, by elevation of spirits. • * * " Both on this and on subsequent occasions at Marienbad, Carlsbad, and Tenlitz, I experienced a degree of exhilaration, strength, and elasticity, from the mud-bath, which I had never done from any other. The iron in these baths, instead of corrugating the skin, as I expected, imparts to it a glossy or satiny feel and softness quite peculiar, and much more in degree than the waters of Schlangenbad. " The bog-earth is well picked, and in some places sifted, so as to remove all the fibrous and woody parts, leaving the fat unctuous substance to be mixed 4 with the mineral water of the place. In general these baths produce a pricking sensation, and sometimes an eruption on the skin ; an effect which I did not experience. They are therefore much used in old and obstinate cutaneous complaints, as well as in glandular swellings, sequences of gout, rheumatism, &c. They are very exciting to the nervous system, and should not be used where there are any local inflammations, or much general excitability of the constitution. They do not lose their heat so rapidly as the water-baths, and consequently they maintain the volatile and penetrating principles longer than the latter. They are much employed in paralysis, chronic ulcers, and cutaneous affections.

" Here and at other Spas where mud-bathe are employed, I met with several veteran warriors, whose aching wounds reminded them too often of battle-fields and bloody campaigns. They almost all agreed in attributing more efficacy to these than to the common baths; and I think, from what I have seen, heard, and felt, that there is much truth in these statements. The Salammbads have one advantage over the others, which is more prized on the Continent than in England—the facilities which they afford the bathers, both male and female, of receiving morning visits from their friends while in the mud, and that without any violation of delicacy, propriety, or decorum; for their persons are more

completely veiled than in any dress, even of the most dense and sable furs of Russia. An English lady of rank at Teplitz was visited by her physician and friends while immersed to the chin in peat-bog. They read to her, and con- versed with her till the signal was given for exchanging the black varnish for the limpid and purifying wave, when they retired."

Gas-baths is another novelty. The ground which furnishes the earth for the mud- bath exhales a gas (the celebrated Grotto del Cane, near Naples, is an example familiar to every one) : ".to have a reservoir of this gas, it is only necessary to build a house and pre- vent the carbonic acid from being dispersed in the air : it is then collected, and baths and douches are constructed for its ready ap- plication."

" The gas is conveyed into the bath through a cock at the bottom, and the patient, being either dressed or undressed, sits down on a little stool, while a wooden lid or cover, with a hole that fits tolerably close to the neck, is placed over the body, the bead being in the open air. They have small tubes through which they can apply the gas to the eyes, ears, or any part of the body, in a stream, the velocity of which can be augmented or diminished at pleasure. They can also diminish the intensity of the gas by applying a piece of muslin or taffeta over the pipe, or over the eyes or ears that are subjected to the stream. I did not try the gas-baths here; but at Marienbad I used them gene- rally and locally, accompanied by my kind friend Dr. Herzig of that place. Standing in the bath, the cock was turned without my being aware of it ; and in a few seconds I felt a sense of beat ascending quickly along my legs towards the body. Without thinking of the gas, 1 stooped and pot my head down to- wards the aperture of the tube, by which 1 inhaled as much of the carbonic acid as caused a sudden faintness. Dr. Herzig and the bath-man quickly ex- tricated me from my perilous situation ; and I went on with the bath, while my head was in the (Ten air. I found that the following representation of the sensible and physiological effects of the bath, as given by Baron Aimd, is suffi- ciently correct ; 1. The gas excites and even irritates the skin, producing a pricking, and soon afterwards a strong itching on the surface, accompanied by heat, and ultimately perspiration. 2. The gas stimulates the nerves of all parts to which it is applied. I had a stream directed on my eyes which caused a most profuse flow of tears, with strong reuse of heat. When it was applied to my ears, a sense of heat, and a considerable noise were the effects produced. 3. It is asserted by physicians of the Continent that this gas is extremely useful when applied to old, ill-conditioned, and irritable ulcers, as soothing and promotive of healthy discharge, and ultimately of cicatrization. 4. Al- though the breathing of this gas is as mortal as that of the Grotto del Cane, yet if diluted with plenty of atmospheric air, it is thought that it might prove seviceable in some states or stages of phthisis, asthma, &c. 5. The action of this gas on the eves and ears I have already mentioned. Its remedial agency is much extolled in certain disorders or diseases of those organs, attended with stony or morbid irritability of their nerves and structures. 6. These baths are chiefly employed in cases of paralysis attended with stiffness, feebleness, or spasmodic movements. 7. In chronic, inveterate affections of a gouty or rheumatic nature, chronic sores, glandular swellings, and various cutaneous complaints, the gas-baths are applied, and, as is affirmed, with success. 8. In uterine affections, irregularities, &c. attended with torpor, debility, and irritability.

" Upon the whole, I am disposed to think that the gas-baths are active agents, and that they may be made useful ones when carefully applied."

To the Spas of Belgium and Southern Germany access is easy enough by the steam-boats of the Rhine, or the railroads of Bel- gium. But remoter places are now brought near, by the Elbe, and a new railroad in the North of Germany ; so that parties who are tired of the Rhine, and its adjacent Brunnens, may vary their route by the Elbe, and reach the more distant Spas in a very little time. " I may as well state here, for the information of travellers, and especially of invalids, the ready means of communication that now exist, independent of the railroad above-mentioned.

From Teplitz to Tetchen 4 hours.

From Tetchen (through the heart of Saxon Switzerland, by steamer) to Dresden 12 „ From Dresden to Magdeburg (passing through Leipzig—railroad) 8 „ Magdeburg to Hamburg (steam) 14 „ Hamburg to London

48

n Total 86 hours.

"The whole run may be dohe in six days ; the traveller sleeping every night in his bed, and undergoing no fatigue whatever in the day. The opposite course will require an additional day, on account of the stream of the Elbe ; but may be performed with great ease by all to whom economy of time, money, and bodily exertion is of any moment. It is only an easy day's journey from Teplitz to Carlsbad, and twenty-four miles from thence to Marienbad. The route through Saxon Switzerland alone will well repay the journey, which is almost all by water, and the far greater part by river-steaming, where there is no chance of sea-sickness. In fine, the line of the Elbe offers, as it were, an invalid carriage, by which the most frail valetudinarian, or the most crippled victim of gout or rheumatism, may repair to the great fountains of health in Bohemia, with almost as much ease as if reposing in an arm-chair."