MINERAL WATERS 
o v 
AVOW, 
m8so®®»«>wrar, sr, t. 
BY S. SALISBURY, M. D. 
Modjcslxr, N- ¥♦: 
. PRINTED BY WILLIAM ALLING. 
1838. ANALYSIS 
OF THE 
MINERAL WATERS 
OF 
AVON, 
/ 
I 
BY SAMUEL SALISBURY, JR., M. D. 
^otljcster, N. T.: 
PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM ALLING. 
1S38. The design of this pamphlet is to afford the visiter of the Avon 
Springs, some of the most important information in regard to the 
nature and properties of these truly medicinal waters. Age, sex, the 
constitutional peculiarities of the patient, the degree and nature of 
his disease, and above all the peculiar condition of the organs of 
digestion, necessarily produce a great difference in the manner of 
using them. The same caution is requisite, to render them effica- 
cious, as is required in the administration of any other curative 
agent. AVON MINERAL WATERS. 
I. 
In forming an estimate of the virtues of a Mineral Water, there 
are many difficulties besides those which are common to the in- 
vestigation of the properties of all medicinal agents. Many of the 
individuals who resort to watering places, have formed the most 
extravagant expectations in regard to the rapidity of their recov- 
ery ; and it is not surprising that they are disappointed, and con- 
sequently underrate them : while others whom the combined 
influence of pure air, exercise, agreeable society, and the use of 
the waters have more favorably affected, in the enthusiasm of 
delight at their recovery, attribute to them qualities which they 
do not possess. With both of the above classes, the remedy is 
not usually administered by an intelligent physician ; and the 
consequence is, that both the observers and the public are decei- 
ved as to the true properties of the medicine. The author has 
known many persons who have made use of the Avon water in 
such a manner as was not adapted to the nature and circumstan- 
ces of their cases, for months, without receiving any benefit; and 
many others, who pursued a varying and vaccilating course, 
which is as little likely to effect a cure. 
The Avon water is not an universal panacea-a sovereign 
remedy for all the ills which human flesh is heir to; but it is a 
powerful mineral medicine-one of nature's most active mineral 
solutions ; and its effect upon the human system must be either 4 
prejudicial or beneficial. Viewing it in this light, its use should 
be cautiously regulated, and the nature of every case studiously 
investigated, in order to insure a good effect. 
Again : the fact that pure water, independent of any foreign 
substances, is a medicine of very considerable power, renders it 
very difficult to determine, with exactness, the efficacy of a mine- 
ral or medicinal water, and to estimate with impartiality, how 
much of its medicinal powers are to be attributed to its common 
watery ingredients, and how much to its foreign contents. The 
utility of water as a medicine, in a deranged condition of the 
stomach and bowels, was strenuously insisted on by Dr. Saun- 
ders, and his opinions received the concurrence of the physicians 
of his time. The treatise of Dr. Curry, on " The effects of wa- 
ter as a remedy in Fever," well deserved the attention it receiv- 
ed. It is not improbable, however, that the views of these 
eminent men have had the effect to prevent physicians from ac- 
cording to medicinal waters the confidence they deserve, and led 
them to doubt ihe efficacy of the comparatively small quantities 
of mineral substances, which some waters hold in solution. The 
effect of a mineral water, although it may be very efficacious, 
must often appear very uncertain and obscure to the eyes of en- 
lightened men ; since great experience has rendered every thing 
which concerns the relation of cause and effect, in the succession 
of many phenomena, very difficult. In order to know if they 
cure, and how they cure, it is necessary to know, first, (apart 
from their curative effect,) the Kind of action which they produce 
in the system ; and, again, the class and species of disease which 
is cured or modified by their use. This, however, has so seldom 
been stated explicitly by writers on this subject, that we are not 
surprised that physicians, when consulted upon their employment, 
are unwilling to recommend them. Having resided for seven 
years in the vicinity of the Avon Springs, 1 have endeavoured to 
make myself acquainted with their nature, and properties ; and 
it is my intention, if I receive sufficient encouragement, to pub- 5 
lish the next season the notes I have collected. As a preliminary 
step, however, it appears to me important to embody the infor- 
mation, which has already been published at different periods; 
and, in a general and concise manner, to present to the public my 
views of their mode of operation. 
The village of Avon is on the eastern bank of the Genesee 
River, and is one of the most beautiful, as well as productive, 
agricultural towns in the state of New York. As you approach 
it from the east, the valley of the Genesee is spread before you 
in all its richness. The immense forest trees with their exube- 
rant foliage, the fresh and verdant meadows, and the waving 
fields of grain, present to the eye an almost unequalled scene of 
luxuriance and opulence. The village is well planned, with a 
large public square, which a little improvement would render 
beautiful. The Springs are about a mile south-west, in the val- 
ley below. The axe of the husbandman has not yet doomed to 
destruction all the magnificent forest trees, and the invalid may 
still find here a cool retreat from the summer's sun. 
II. 
These mineral springs were long known to the Indians, who 
resorted to them for the cure of diseases of the skin. A portion 
of the Seneca tribe inhabited a village on the opposite bank of 
the River, (land which is now the property of T. II. Newbold, 
Esq.,) which they called Cana-wagus. Capt. Parish informed 
me, that this term signified lively-water ; and was applied to this 
settlement, in consequence of the great number of clear and lim- 
pid fountains of water in its vicinity. The far-famed chief, Red 
Jacket, as Dr. Francis informs us,* enumerated them among his 
remedial measures for the cure of disorders of the skin ; and 
wasting disorders, as they were termed, were supposed capable 
* United States Medical and Surgical Journal., 6 
of being removed by their use, even when applied externally. 
Doubtless this term included many physical infirmities, whose 
pathognomic features greatly differed, and many other different 
sorts of pulmonary disorganization. I have myself seen several 
cases of pulmonary consumption, among the Indians. One whom 
I visited in 1835, seemed perfectly aware of the inutility of rem- 
edies in his case ; and, when I asked him if he did not use the 
mineral waters, pointing to the purulent sputa, which he had pre- 
served, with a melancholy look, he said, " not now, it is too late !" 
Great numbers of deer were in the habit of resorting to these 
springs, and drinking the water: this made them desirable hunt- 
ing grounds for the aborigines ; and their predilection for hunting 
and fishing, led them to select their neighbourhood for a residence. 
The outlet of the Conesus, a creek which empties into the Gene- 
see river, near the Lower Spring, is a spot distinguished for the 
abundance of excellent fish, which are caught there ; and, even 
to this day, we occasionally find some of these sons of the forest, 
the scattered remnants of a once large and powerful nation, en- 
camped along the bank of the river, and busily engaged in taking 
fish, for which they find a ready sale, to the inhabitants of the 
neighbouring villages. My esteemed friend, Wm. II. C. Hosmer, 
Esq., of Avon, has, with a truly poetic inspiration, described this 
unhappy race. I cannot forbear to quote a few lines from a lit- 
tle poem of his, in my possession, entitled : " The Quiet Arbour." 
" The dusky lord of knife and hatchet, roves 
Near these wild haunts of loveliness no more : 
He saw, amid his old ancestral groves, 
Throng pale invaders from a foreign shore ; 
Then heard the sylvan monarchs, one by one, 
With all their leafy diadems laid low ; 
And sought an undiscoverable lair, 
Toward the dim setting sun, 
With empty quiver, and a broken bow, 
And gloomy brow contorted by despair. 7 
The game he hunted craftily, is gone, 
And meadow-grass conceals his ancient trail ; 
The flock is feeding, where his camp fire shone, 
And rang his whoop of triumph, on the gale ; 
His implements of battle, and the chase, 
Arc often found near my romantic bower ; 
For the rich scene about it, is allied 
To legends of his race ; 
And mournful traces of his day of power, 
Make classic, grove, and glade, and river-side." 
In the year 1792, one of the inhabitants used the waters, with 
perfect success, in the cure of a disease of the skin, consequent 
upon Intermittent fever. In 1795, a case of Rheumatism of long 
standing, which had resisted the treatment qf a number of intel- 
ligent physicians, was speedily and entirely cured by their use. 
It was, at this time, generally believed by those who were ac- 
quainted with the springs, that any disease of the skin, would 
readily yield to the external, and internal, application of the wa- 
ters ; and that bathing two or three times, was sufficient in com- 
mon cases of scabies. In 1821, a small building was erected at 
the Lower Spring, with a showering box, as it was then very pro- 
perly called. This was the first improvement in the condition of 
these springs, made by their proprietor, Mr. Richard Wadsworth. 
This building was enlarged and a bathing-house erected in 1823, 
and some efforts made to supply visiters with the accommoda- 
tions requisite for the external use of the waters. In 1828, the 
building which now remains at the Upper Spring, was erected. 
During the last ten years, these springs have had numerous visi- 
ters ; and the public houses, which are five in number and of con- 
siderable size, have been, during the summer season, well filled. 
In 1828 and 9, three houses were erected in their immediate vi- 
cinity ; one by Mr. Nehemiah Houghton ; one by Dr. D. Knick- 
erbacker, and one by Mr. Cartwright. The two former of these 
have received additions, and are now in an improved state. 8 
About a mile south-westerly, from the Lower Spring, upon what 
is called the Black Creek, there is a spring at which Paul 
Knowles, Esq., its proprietor, in 1834, erected a very large house 
for boarding, with accommodations for bathing. In 1835, Mr. 
R. K. Hickox, in digging a well, struck a vein of sulphurous wa- 
ter, and has opened a boarding and bathing-house upon the spot. 
In 1836, the present proprietor A. Nowlen, Esq., purchased of 
Mr. Richard Wadsworth one hundred acres of land, which em- 
braces the two springs most highly prized by invalids, called for 
the purpose of distinction, "Upper" and "Lower." With a lauda- 
ble spirit of enterprize and zeal, for the accommodation of visiters, 
Mr. Nowlen has erected at the Lower Spring, a large, and ele- 
gant bathing establishment. The style of this building is chaste 
as well as elegant, and its accommodations are such as will, we 
think, satisfy the most fastidious. He has selected this spring for 
improvement, because, for general use it merits a decided prefer- 
ence, and by experience it has been shown to be sufficiently ac- 
tive, to cure the most obstinate diseases to which these waters are 
applicable. The large quantity of water discharged, affords an 
almost inexhaustible supply for external use. 
in. 
The soil in the vicinity of these springs, is of the richest and 
most productive quality, yielding the cultivator an abundant 
reward for his labor ; that of the river's bank, consist almost en- 
tirely of alluvial deposit, while the table-land presents all the va- 
rieties of calcareous and argillaceous mould. To the botanist, an 
almost inexhaustible field of amusement, and instruction, is here 
displayed, in the great variety of plants, with which this part of 
the Genesee valley abounds. 
The two springs which have been most used, are situated, the 
one an hundred and the other an hundred and fifty rods, from the 9 
river, in a rich alluvion of black loam, near which a considera- 
ble stream of water, formed by the union of two smaller streams, 
called the " Great'' and Little Conesus," empties itself into the 
river. The vallies of these united streams are narrow, with 
steep and precipitous banks, a short distance from the springs ; 
and present to the geologist, bituminous shale, superincumbent 
upon transition limestone. The mountain limestone is found in 
the bed of the smaller of these streams. Upon the higher ground, 
at a distance from the river, boulders of every variety of size are 
found strewed ; and vegetable remains have been found from 
fifty to an hundred feet below the surface, showing evident indi- 
cations of diluvial action. The banks of these two streams are, 
in many places, from one to two hundred feet in height. The 
" Great Conesus" is from eight to nine miles in length, and takes 
its rise from the Conesus lake, which is nine miles long and from 
a mile to a mile and a half wide. 
LOWER SPRING. 
This Spring, in its original state, formed a large pool of per- 
haps fifty feet in diameter ; in this the early inhabitants were in 
the habit of bathing. It was the one first made use of; and cither 
from its less disagreeable taste or less nauseating qualities, it has 
always been more resorted to than the rest, and has been gener- 
ally more effective. Dr. Francis, who has for many years re- 
commended these waters, gives a decided preference to this 
spring. It seems to me, however, better to use those which ap- 
pear best adapted to the disease which it is proposed to treat, 
and to the age, sex, constitution, and habits of the patient : in 
most cases, the lower spring is undoubtedly superior. In the 
other springs, the hydro-sulphuric acid is too abundant for most 
persons, and oftentimes Occasions a distressing nausea and vertigo. 
The water of this spring seldom produces any nausea or vertigo, 
nor is it common for any unpleasant sensation of the stomach, to 
follow its use even in large quantities. It rises from a fissure in a 10 
rock, thirty-six feet below the surface of the ground, about one 
hundred rods from the Genesee river, and about thirty rods from 
the Conesus creek. The volume of water discharged from this 
spring, is the same at all seasons of the year, and does not appear 
to depend in the least upon atmospheric influence ; as nearly as 
can be ascertained, under existing circumstances, it is fifty-four 
gallons in a minute. The temperature of the water is from 45 to 
47 degrees Far. Its specific gravity is 10,018. Its taste resem- 
bles that of a solution of hydro-sulphuric acid,but it is more bitter 
and saline : it has the strongodour of this acid. As it issues from the 
fountain, it is limpid, transparent, and somewhat sparkling. Ex- 
amined by the aid of reagents, it contains as foreign to pure wa- 
ter, hydro-sulphuric, carbonic and [sulphuric acids, chlorine, 
carbonate of lime, lime, magnesia and soda. By delicate exper- 
iments, the less obvious ingredients of mineral waters are not 
indicated. Dr. Francis observes, that an analysis of these waters, 
which he caused to be made in 1832, did not afford satisfactory 
evidence of their containing Iodine. Nevertheless, a strong pro- 
bability is, that both Iodine and Bromine enter into their compo- 
sition. It should, also, here be mentioned, that an analysis of the 
hydro-sulphurous waters of Caldas da Raynha, whose chemical 
constitution is similar to that of the Avon waters, was published 
in the London Philosophical Magazine, for Sept. 1830, and shows 
that both Iodine and Bromine enter into the composition of those 
waters. 
The water, when recently taken, acts upon Mercury, and ra- 
pidly forms the black sulphuret, while hydrogen gas is disenga- 
ged ; but with sulphate of iron, it occasions a precipitation of 
sulphuret of iron ; this effect is not due to the presence of a hy- 
dro-sulphate, but to the alkaline reaction of bicarbonate of lime. 
Litimus and turmeric papers are changed as by an alkaline solu- 
tion, the effect is greatest after they have been exposed to the 
air a moment after dipping. Wholly immersed, turmeric paper 
is scarcely altered. From this character, as supported by the 11 
analytical results, the solution of a portion of carbonate of lime 
in hydrosulphuric acid, is inferred. 
Operation First.-8000 parts of the water rapidly introduced 
into a flask, the interior of which was covered with wet hydrate 
of deutoxide of copper: the odour of the water was removed, 
and a part of the hydrate had become brown. A recurved tube 
being joined to the flask and connected with the mercurial trough, 
the contents of the flask were rapidly boiled, so long as gaseous 
matter escaped. After the usual corrections, 943 parts by wa- 
ter measure of gas remained. Caustic potash absorbed carbonic 
acid, leaving 208 ; about 20 parts of this residue combined with 
warm phosphorus and was oxygen, the remainder was nitrogen 
Gaseous constituents thus obtained were, 735 carbonic acid, 188 
nitrogen, 20 oxygen. 
Operation Second.-The sulphuret and oxide of copper, when 
separated and washed from the water, were treated with strong 
nitric acid and warmed ; the acidification of the sulphur was ef- 
fected and its conversion into sulphuric acid insured, by evapora- 
ting the fluid to dryness and slightly heating the residue. Wa- 
ter, with a few drops of nitric acid, dissolved the salts ; and the 
clear solution, on the addition of muriate of baryta, dropped sul- 
phate of baryta ; this was separated by a filter of two thicknesses 
from the same piece. After washing the sulphate of baryta, the 
edges of the filters were cut, the upper one separated and calcin- 
ed, till its contents and ashes were white. When cold these were 
weighed, the lower burned to white ashes; and the weights of 
these deducted from the former weight, left 3.37 parts of sulphate 
of baryta, equivalent to 347 parts by water measure of hydrosul- 
phuric acid. 
Operation Third.-After the water and washings from cupre- 
ous sulphuret of operation second had been mixed, muriatic acid 
and muriate of baryta were added, and the fluid reduced by evap- 
oration. The precipitated sulphate obtained as in operation se- 
cond, weighed 29.43 parts, being equal to 10.110 sulphuric acid 12 
The fluid and washings were mixed, and the excess of baryta re- 
moved by the excess of sulphuric acid. 
Operation Fourth.-8000 parts of the water were boiled in a 
clear flask, until the odour~was removed, the bulk being made up 
with pure boiling water. A precipitate had fallen, and solid 
matter incrusted the flask. When the water was removed and 
the grayish matter washed, muriatic acid dissolved it with effer- 
vescence, except a few filaments of vegetable matter. Ammonia, 
with carbonate of potash, separated the carbonate of lime, which 
after drying weighed 4.08, was white and free from silica. 
Operation Fifth.-The water from the deposit of operation 
fourth, mixed with nitric acid and nitrate of silver, was evapora- 
ted to a small quantity. The flakes of chloride of silver which 
fell during the concentration, were collected and half fused ; 
when cold 2.95, equivalent to .73 parts of chlorine resulted. 
The excess of silver was removed by muriatic acid. 
Operation Sixth.-When the baryta had separated from the 
water and washings of operation third, the clear fluid was evapo_ 
rated, and the saline mass obtained was dried, ignited and cooled 
in a desiccated atmosphere. When cold, it weighed 17.93 pints 
and consisted of the sulphates of lime, magnesia and soda A. 
Operation Seventh.-Salts A. were digested twelve bourse in 
water saturated with sulphate of lime at a known temperature. 
The vessels being kept in the same fluid bath, and the insoluble 
part washed in much fluid, was separated, ignited, and weighed ; 
9.26 parts, composed of 3,86 lime and 5.40 sulphuric acid, were 
obtained. 
This result was rendered doubtful by similar operations on the 
fluid of operation fifth; for, on removing the silver from' this, 
9.27 ignited sulphates wore obtained. The former operations 
were deemed the most correct. 
Operation Eighth.-The liquor, with the washings of Salts A 
of operation seventh, was boiled on hydrate of lime to separate 
magnesia, and reduced by evaporation to a pasty mass. Boiling 13 
pure water dissolved a part, which solution was withdrawn and 
filtered. The solution mixed with ammonia and oxalate of am- 
monia, deposited its lime in the state of oxalate, which was sepa- 
rated. By evaporating the filtered fluid and calcining the resi- 
due, 1.88 parts of sulphate of soda containing traces of magnesia, 
remained. 
Operation Ninth.-After separating the sulphates of lime and 
soda, the remainder of the weight of the mass of salts obtained by 
operation sixth, was 6.79 parts, which was set down as the 
weight of the sulphate of magnesia, consisting of 2.31 magnesia 
and 4.48 sulphuric acid. This result different from that obtained 
by precipitating the lime from the solution, (which had afforded 
9.27 parts of the sulphate of lime by operation seventh, the mag- 
nesia by carbonate of potash and phosphate of ammonia,) only so 
much as is due to the inaccuracy of the former method. 
The weights of the constituents of this water then are, in 
8000 parts, Hydrosulphuric acid, operation second, 493 ;-Car- 
bonic acid, operation first, 1-36;-Nitrogen and Oxygen, opera- 
tion first, .272 ;-Chlorine, operation fifth, .73 ;-Sulphuric acid, 
operation third, 10.116 ;-Carbonate of Lime, operation fourth, 
4.08 Lime, operation seventh, 3.86 ;-Soda, operation eighth, 
.84 ;-Magnesia, operation ninth, 2.31. 
Arranged so as to form the compounds existing in the water, 
and calculated for 10.000 parts by weight are 
Carbonate of Lime 5.02 
United to Carbonic Acid 1.70 
6.72 
Chloride of Calcium 1.44 
Sulphate of Lime 9.83 
do. Magnesia 8.49 
do. Soda 2 35 
28.83 14 
By volume 10.000 parts are 
Hydrosulphuric Acid 434 
Nitrogen 235 
Oxygen 25 
694 
Note.-The chlorine is assigned to calcium, as the chloride of 
calcium is oftener found in those waters which contain but little 
saline matter. There remains ,006 sulphuric acid apparently in 
excess, which is accounted for by the difficulty of separating ac- 
curately, magnesia from other earthy salts. The quantity of car- 
bonate of lime exceeds the equivalent quantity of carbonic acid 
necessary to render it soluble in pure water, considerably ; and 
this fact affords a probable explanation of the character this wa- 
ter exhibits, when tested by colored papers. 
UPPER SPRING. 
Tins Spring has been in use since 1827. It has been proved 
by the cures which it has effected, to possess similar medicinal 
qualities to the Lower ; and is, by some, even more highly pri- 
zed. In sensible properties, it bears a close resemblance to it; 
but there is a peculiar sweetness of taste which distingushes 
it. The deposit around it is mostly of a dark blue colour, while 
that of the Lower is white. It rises about sixty rods east of the 
other, and is at an elevation considerably above it. The bed of 
sand through which I am informed this water oozes, is about 
twenty feet, and the rock about thirty feet, below the surface of 
the ground. One gallon from this spring, according to Professor 
Hadley, of the Institution of Fairfield, Herkimer county, was 
found to contain the following substances, and nearly in the fol- 
lowing proportions, viz :- • 15 
Carbonic Acid Gas, . 5.6 cubic inches, 
Sulphuretted Hydrogen Gas, 12. do, 
, Sulphate of Lime, . 84 grs., 
Sulphate^of Magnesia, . 10 grs. 
Sulphate of Soda, . . 16 grs. 
Carbonate of Limey . . 8 grs. 
Muriate of Soda, . . 18.4 grs., 
and a small quantity of other matter. 
WELL OR NEW BATH SPRING. 
Tins Spring was, as I have before stated, first discovered by its 
proprietor, R. K. Hickox, in 1835 while digging for pure water. 
The soil through which the excavation was made, is hard blue 
clay, having a strong sulphurous odour. The excavation did 
not descend to any rock, so that we cannot determine, with cer- 
tainty, from what formation it rises. The temperature of this 
water is 46 degrees Far. In sensible qualities, it resembles the 
other springs. 
LONG'S SPRING, 
Which has been in use since 1833, is the property of Paul 
Knowles, Esq. It rises from the surface of an alluvial deposit, 
through the centre of which passes what is termed the Black 
Creek, a small stream, having its rise some miles to the south. It 
is about a mile, in a south-westerly direction, from the others. 
The temperature of this is 45 to 48 degrees Far.; and its sensible 
properties are similar to those of the others. 
Having submitted the waters of both the Well and Long's 
Spring to a qualitative examination, I have found them to be 
made up of the same general constituents as the others. The 
usual tests indicate the presence of iron in the water of the Well; 
and other observers report it in all our springs ; but the quantity 
of this substance is probably so very small, as not materially to 
change its remedial powers. 16 
A short distance from u Long's Spring," are several sulphur- 
ous springs, one of them having a strong taste of the muriate of 
soda, or sea salt. This may, at someffiuturc time, be an interest- 
ing subject of chemical investigation. 
All the waters are clear and transparent, until the temperature 
is raised, when decomposition takes place ; if not exposed to the 
air, however, and the water be restored to its original tempera- 
ture, the solution is again effected. If the waters, in a clear 
glass bottle tightly corked, and placed for a few hours in a warm 
place, become milky and deposit a sediment, place it in the 
spring until it acquires its former temperature, and it is restored 
to its original state. This is not only interesting, as a chemical 
fact, in relation to this water ; but, should it ever be an object of 
transportation, is of practical importance. 
IV.* 
Alibert has very truly observed 11 la science des eaux mine- 
rales est a refairefor however advanced their chemical histo- 
ry may be, their medical history has received very little atten- 
tion. It is true, analyses have been published of a few of their 
most celebrated mineral waters in the United States, and the 
chemical constitution has become generally known ; but very 
little has been said of their medicinal properties, and application 
to the cure of diseases. We are told, for instance, generally, that 
certain waters are useful in rheumatism of the inflammatory 
grade; we are not informed, however, in what particular stage of 
that disease they are useful, or what is the proper mode of using 
them. 
" To know the composition of a mineral water," says Bergman, 
" is to outrun, in some degree our experience." A medicinal 
compound is presented for our consideration ; if it be composed 
of substances, the medicinal efficacy of which is known and appre- 
ciated, a knowledge of the laws of the animal economy will 
* Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. 17 
serve to instruct us what its action on the human system will be. 
In regard to many mineral waters, there is, it is true, a great 
discrepancy between the deductions of experience and those of 
analysis. This may be accounted for, by considering the power- 
ful and high'y medicinal efficacy of pure water, apart from all 
the foreign ingredients which it contains ; and, again, it is not im- 
probable, that the action of some waters which contain but very 
minute proportions of certain medicinal agents, is proportionate, 
not to the quantity of these agents, but to a change produced by 
them in the other constituents of the waters. The activity of the 
Bath and Buxton watersis, as yet, wholly unexplained by analy- 
sis ; and many cures have undoubtedly been effected by waters 
remarkable for their purity. 
An intimate acquaintance with the effects of the constituent 
principles of any compound, separately considered, is of great 
importance, in order to enable us properly to appreciate the 
share of influence which each has in its general effect. Viewing, 
in this manner, the nature of the hydro-sulphurous waters of 
Avon, we find them distinguished for the large quantity of free 
hydro-sulphuric acid (sulphuretted hydrogen*) which they con- 
tain, a compound, as is well known, of sulphur and hydrogen. 
Sulphurf is laxative and diaphoretic ; its action on the mu- 
cous membranes, particularly those of the lungs, entitle it to 
some consideration as an expectorant: it increases the secre- 
tions from the alimentary canal, and solicits the excitement and 
the fluids towards the skin. In some diseases of the skin, it is 
* Xote -Hydro-sulphuric acid was discovered by Scheele in 1727 ; and being found 
to be a compou id of hydrogen and sulphur, received the name of sulphuretted hydro- 
gen. It being afterwards discovered that it possessed the properties of an acid, it, very 
properly, received the name of hy dro-sulphuric at i J. 
f It is not to sulphur, but its various combinations, that is due the char- 
acter of hydro-sulphurous waters. Suiphur is not soluble in water ; but the 
hydrogen, the oxygen, and the alka'.ies, combine with it readily, and form 
compounds which are soluble in water and mineralize it. 18 
considered one of the most essential remedies we possess. The 
change in its chemical constitution, which follows its union with 
hydrogen in mineral waters, appears to modify and increase its 
therapeutic action. 
Again: we find Avon water impregnated with an alkaline 
carbonate, (carbonate _pf lime,) which substance manifests a pe- 
culiar action upon the lymphatic system of vessels, producing 
the speedy resolution of glandular engorgements and indura- 
tions, both cellular and visceral ; its effects on the urinary or- 
gans arc manifested, both by exciting them to action, in the 
same manner as diuretics properly so called, and also by chan- 
ging their secretions ; hence it is used in scrofula, and some dis- 
eases of the bladder. The sulphates of lime, magnes'a, and soda, 
are other compounds found in this water. The last two are 
sali ic aperients or purgatives, according to the dose in which 
they are administered ; and the efficacy of this water in increa- 
sing the discharges from the alimentary canal, is, in a measure, 
to be attributed to this impregnation. 
The chloride of calcium is, in small doses, a tonic and deob- 
struent ; and has been successfully used in typhus fever, ill-con- 
ditioned ulcers, and in sone diseases of the skin. 
The medicinal effects of any substance, should, we think, be 
considered as of two kinds ; first, its immediate action upon the 
human system; and second, its curative effect in the removal of 
disease. 
In viewing the phenomena which very soon follow the inter- 
nal use of the Avon water, it is important that we designate the 
peculiar action which is the foundation of all its curative effects. 
This primitive or fundamental action is modified by a variety 
of circumstances, so that some degree of obscurity envelopes 
it ; other things being equal, however, it is more or less intense, 
according as the constitution and temperament of the patient, 
and the nature of his disease, render him more or less suscepti- 
ble. This effect is an increased action of the heart and arteries, 19 
as exhibited by a greater fulness, strength, and frequency of 
pu'se, a genera! sensation of warmth, a flushing of the face, and 
other evidences of increased action, which vary much in differ- 
ent individuals. Plethoric subjects, on using this water without 
due precautions, experience a heavy and dull sensa ion of the 
hea l, a propens ty to sleep, and other symptoms which indicate 
a determ nation of the fluids towards the head. Others, again, 
whose stomachs are preternaturally irritable, experience a dis- 
tre .sing nausea for some time aft r its use, or reject it altogether 
by vomiting. Particular local diseases determine the effect 
produced by this agent, and serve to explain the mode of its ope- 
ration. Where local inflammation has existed, and the part has 
not yet recovered its power of resisting morbid impressions, a 
return of the previous inflammation may be induced by its incau- 
tious usx Cases of this nature are frequent; one, however, 
will serve to illustrate my meaning. In the summer of 1833, I 
was cal'ed to visit a young gentleman from Middletown, Conn., 
18 years of age, suffering from a renewed attack of acute rheu- 
matism. He ha 1 resorted to these springs, by advice of a dis- 
tinguished physician, when but partially recovered from a long 
and painful course of this disease. Instead of using the quanti- 
ty prescribed by the physician, he drank, in three days, nearly 
four gallons of the water ; and the result was (as might be ex- 
pected) a renewal of this painful mal idy. In short, this'immedi- 
ate effect sometimes consists of a febrile excitement, not morbid, 
which restores the action of the weakened organs, and rouses 
them from their torpid and engorged state ; the skin, the cuta- 
neous and sub-cutaneous tissue, the urinary organs, the intestinal 
and pulmonary mucous membranes, become vividly excited, and 
the excitement is frequently prolonged for some time after the 
use of the waters ; sometimes, even for weeks. 
This primitive action of the Avon water produces, consecu- 
tively, secondary or curative effects, which are, a perceptible 
increase of the secretions from the alimentary canal, the aug- 20 
mentation of the cutaneous and pulmonary respiration, and of the 
secretion of urine ; in other words, they become cathartic, dia- 
phoretic, expectorant, and diuretic. 
In regard to the-cathartic operation of this water, we find 
some upon whose digestive organs it acts promptly and effectu- 
ally ; others, again, upon whom the largest doses produce not 
the slightest effect. In some cases, the water acts readily at 
first ; and, in a short time, perhaps after the first week, seems 
rather to produce constipation. This disparity of action we 
conceive to be owing to some peculiar state or condition of some 
of the different parts or organs of the body of the individual 
using the water, which renders them more or less susceptible to 
its influence ; what this state or condition is, in the present im- 
perfect state of our knowledge of hydro-sulphurous waters, it is 
impossible to determine : a long course of observation and nu- 
merous cases arc requisite to decide with any degree of exact- 
ness. In some cases which I have seen, the stimulant effect has 
been perceptible upon the skin solely ; and it would appear pro- 
bable, that the excretions from the cutaneous surface were so 
abundant as to deprive the system of all the products of intesti- 
nal action Generally, four or six half-pint glasses, drank during 
twenty-four hours, produce a mild cathartic effect ; and under 
its long continued use to this extent, no debility ensues, but, on' 
the contrary, the appetite and strength are very much increas- 
ed. 
It is, however, for its action upon the skin particularly, that 
this water is conspicuous. This increased activity which the 
functions of the skin receive, is manifested by an itching sensa- 
tion, or, as it has been described, a feeling similar to that of the 
stinging of small insects; and there is often a florid colour of the 
body, showing the high degree of capillary excitement produ- 
ced. There is also, in most cases, a sensible increase of perspi- 
ration ; and frequently, even gentle exercise produces profuse 
sweating. The oily, unctuous feeling of the surface of the body, 21 
on leaving the bath, also shows the capacity of this mineral wa- 
ter to cleanse the skin: the alkaline carbonate, which is one of 
its component parts, forming a species of soap with the oily mat- 
ter collected upon the epidermis. 
11 As a striking example of their alterative influence on the 
cutaneous surface," says Dr. Francis * " I may mention the 
case of an individual, now in the twenty-second year of his age. 
incommoded by congenital icthyosis; and whom I recommended 
to repair to these springs last season. The free use of these 
waters, internally and by bathing, for some ten weeks, so effec- 
tually removed this morbid alteration of the skin, as in divers 
parts to leave no trace of the previous existence of disfigura- 
tion." 
Other instances, equally remarkable, might annually be addu- 
ced, illustrative of the diaphoretic effect of this water. Cures of 
the most obstinate herpetic, psorous, and leprous eruptions, arc 
very numerous; and are matter of astonishment to those unac- 
quainted with the powers of this medicine. 
This water possesses, also, a peculiar property of stimulating 
the urinary organs. This property is manifested, not only by 
the discharges of urine being more copious, but also by the 
changes produced in the quality of the urine. Some hours af- 
ter its use, either internally or externally, the urine becomes 
more highly colored, depositing a sediment. 
I have stated that this water is an expectorant; and this pro- 
perty, from experience in very many cases, 1 accord to it most 
fully. It is not merely by a sympathetic effect, that the pulmo- 
nary organs are affected by it; but the simple respiration, in an 
atmosphere so highly charged with hydro-sulphuric acid gas as 
that around the spring, must have an immediate action upon 
the mucous membrane. In restoring the normal secretion from 
the skin and bladder, there can be no doubt but the pulmonary 
* Avon Mineral Waters, New York, 1833. 22 
functions are benefitted: and this action is direct; for, by a revul- 
sion or counter-excitation, we remove any local determination 
which may give rise to pulmonary irritation, and thus the 1 mgs 
are invigorated and enabled to expectorate any offensive matter. 
In the administration of this remedy in cases of pulmonary dis- 
ease, the utmost caution is requisite; as it will be rea lily percei- 
ved, that the misapplication of a medicine endowed with such a 
power of excitation, cannot but be attended with the most fatal 
consequences. 
V. 
The limits which have been assigned to this pamphlet, will not 
admit of many particular remarks upon the diseases to which this 
water is applicable. Space will only be afforded to introduce 
such observations as will be practically useful to the invalid and 
explain the mode of operation of Avon water in a few diseases. 
To arouse the attention of observers,-to establish in the minds 
of both the physician and his patient, the precise effects which 
this remedy produces, and to remove the indecision, which now 
very generally prevails, in regard to its use, is my present ob- 
ject. 
Rheumatism.-This water has, from the earliest period at 
which it was known, been used freely in cases of rheumatism. 
Perhaps there is no disease in which it is more genera'ly useful. 
Nevertheless, there have been some instances in which it has 
failed of success, and others, in which the cure has been very 
gradual. In such, we should inquire if the d sease be not neu- 
ralgic in its character, or if there is not some other disease exist- 
ing, with which the rheumatism is complicated, which operates 
as a continual cause, and which is aggravated by the use of tu 
water. 23 
The good effect of the Avon water seems to be in some mea- 
sure dependant upon its action on the capillary vessels: if free and 
healthy perspiration be produced and sustained, the resolution of 
the disease speedily follows. As a condition of its successful 
application, the disease should have lost its inflammatory char- 
acter ; and when this is not perfectly the case, resort should 
be had to vene-section, previous to the use of the water. As 
acute rheumatism is a disease in which both the sanguiferous and 
nervous systems are deeply implicated, it is important that the 
effects of this remedy be cautiously watched. The cures of 
persons afflicted with this painful disease have been annually 
numeious; and it is my opinion that seven-eighths of the cases 
in which this remedy has been made use of, have been either re- 
lieved or cured. At some future period it may be in my power 
to present the public withan accurate report of the whole num- 
ber of cases, during a season. 
Diseases of the Skin.-In the treatment of the various disea- 
ses to which this tissue is subject, the Avon water may be very 
successfully used, both externally and internally. It is not, how- 
ever, those cases which are the most recent, which are most 
susceptible to its influence. In the acute stage of eruptions of 
the skin, its exciting qualities often tend to aggravate the evil- 
and it would be better, previous to its use, to have recourse to 
such remedies as will lessen the excitability of the system. To 
illustrate this, I will relate a case which fell under my care 
in 1S34. 
J. A., aged 24 years, of a sanguine temperament, had been 
well until six weeks before his arrival here, when a diffuse 
psorous e uption made its appearance upon his arms, and extend- 
ed i self gradual'y to his neck and shoulders. The itching and 
smarting was very distressing, so much so as to deprive him of 
sleep, and threaten to injure his health. The use of the water 
produced a considerable aggravation of his sufferings and exten- 
sion of the eruption, when he called upon me for medical advice. 24 
Venesection to the extent of 12 ounces, mild purgatives and dia* 
phoretics, allayed the intensity of the cutaneous irritation, and 
he had recourse to the waters under more favorable auspices, 
which entirely cured him in three weeks. 
It not unfrequently becomes necessary, during a course of 
these waters, to suspend their use for a few days, and resort to 
emollient applications and demulcent drinks ; the eruption be- 
coming very much exaspcrati d and a temporary return of the ir- 
ritative stage taking place. This may be accounted for, by sup- 
posing that the latent internal cause has never been fullyremo- 
ved although the eruption had disappeared, and that some change 
unfavorable to the operation of the water, has taken place in 
this cause. 
R. A., aged 31 years, resorted to the Avon Springs for the 
cure of Impetigo figurata of the hands and wrists of two years 
standing. This disease had succeeded to a bilious fever which 
had been attended through its whole course with acute pain and 
tenderness of the right hepatic region. The use of the water 
for three weeks, removed entirely every vestige of the disease, 
and he was about returning home. The day before his antici- 
pated return, he drank twelve glasses of the water, which was 
nearly double the average daily quantity he had used. During 
the night he was seized with a return of pain in the side, and in 
the morning found the eruption had returned. A six weeks 
course of the wateragain cured him. 
It has been frequent subject of remark at these springs, that 
the good effects produced by the waters, are not always appa- 
rent until after their discontinuance. It is not uncommon to 
see diseases of the skin apparently resist the operation of the 
remedy, during the continuance of the treatment, but yield a 
short time afterwards in consequence of its curative effect being 
prolonged. Many cases have occurred, which would establish 
this beyond a doubt. 25 
Diseases of Vie Urinary Passages.-The curative or palliative 
effect of our alcaline-sulphurous waters, in the treatment of dis- 
eases of the urinary organs, may be readily understood, by a ref- 
erence to their diuretic properties and their chemical composi- 
tion. Among the number of diseases of this nature, in which 
they are manifestly useful, are, chronic catarrh of the bladder ; 
chronic influmations of the urinary organs, whetherthe discharge 
be muco-purulent or purulent; the lithic diathesis, or the dispo- 
sition of the urinary organs to the formation of calculi, in common 
language, the gravel. In these cases, however, the greatest cau- 
tion is requisite in the administration of this remedy, it should 
not be employed to the extentof producing active inflamatory 
reaction ; it should never be made use of, until these inflamations 
have passed to a chronic state ; and it is almost always necessa- 
ry, during the treatment, to resort to antiphlogistic remedies, and 
opiates, occasionally, in order to moderate the excitement pro- 
duced by the stimulant properties of the water. I have never, 
as yet, advised them in cases of chronic catarrh of the bladder 
and gleet, except in union with some mucilage ; though I have 
known a number of cases where, unaided, they have effected a 
cure. In two instances, the cures were rapid and complete 
Bordeu advances the opinion, that the waters of Bareges, 
which are alkaline-sulphurous, dissolve urinary calculi by a 
chemical action. Home and Mascagni have observed the effica- 
cy of the alkaline bicarbonates, in cases of gravel; and their 
opinions rather favor the theory of the chemical actions of the 
alkaline carbonates of hydro sulphurous waters. There is, how- 
ever, no necessity for resorting to any speculations of this nature, 
since their known efficacy in producing and facilitating healthy 
urinary secretions, either by removing from the urinary system 
the irritative causes of disease, or by correcting the morbid dis- 
position of that system, is sufficient to account for all the pheno- 
mena which follow their use. The alkaline carbonates have fre- 
quently quieted, in a few hours, the most severe nephritic 26 
pains; * a longer time would seem to be required, for the chemi-' 
cal decomposition of calculi. 
Diseases of the Digestive Organs.-In the various and com- 
plicated disorders of the primae vise, unattended with inflama- 
tory action, the Avon waler has proved to be eminently useful. 
Of these chronic affections of the stomach are the most common, 
in consequence of the nature of its functions, and its sympathies 
with other organs. The diseases of this part, are readily com- 
municated to other parts of the system, and it feels sensibly the 
diseases of all the rest. In obstinate dyspepsia attending a debil- 
itated or depraved state of the digestive functions, acidity, flatu- 
lence, and heartburn, in that which succeeds to acute diseases, 
and is accompanied by jaundice, frequent vomiting of mucus, pain 
in the right side or the region of the stomach, this remedy may 
be so administered as to afford prompt and effectual relief. The 
remarks of Dr. Francis coincide with my own experience. 
" Clinical observation has enabled us to affirm, that few disor- 
ders of a constitutional origin are more perplexing in their diag- 
nostic character than the maladies arising from long persistence 
in errors of diet : from this, among other sources, the digestive 
functions become enfeebled or broken up, and the irritations of 
impaired digestion, associated with the undue secretion of uric 
acid in various forms, lead to the production of gout, gravel, and 
other formidable and agonizing derangements of the kidney and 
urinary functions. 
" In cases of this sort, Dr. McLean and others of enlarged ex- 
perience have testified to the eminent usefuluess of the Saratoga 
waters ; and I believe it will be found that those of Avon possess 
merits of a similar quality, if not of a higher degree. It behooves 
us, however, previously to relieve the system, by unlocking the 
several emunctories, to abate inordinate action, and regulate the 
habits of the sufferer : for even of waters so comparatively feeble 
* Pi out Treatise on Gravel, &c., p. 195. 27 
as the Bath waters, England, it is said by Dr. Parry, that they 
are in no form whatever beneficial, during the paroxysm of gout, 
or in any inflamatory disposition which may exist in the inter- 
val. 
" After the preliminary management of the case by depletory 
means, and appropriate alvine aperients, the use of the water of 
Avon for a few days, or perhaps weeks, has wrought an altera- 
tion the most gratifying, evinced by improved appetite, increase of 
flesh, and invigorated health; and while the body receives the 
impress and partakes of all the advantages of increased physical 
energy, a corresponding improvement marks the capacity of the 
intellectual powers." 
Diseases of the Chest.-Bordeu has extolled sulphurous wa- 
ters in chronic diseases of the chest, but the indication which 
calls for the employment of this remedy, must be very manifest, 
and its application seasonable, or it will aggravate the evil which 
it is designed to cure. The stimulation produced by the Avon 
water is, so far as my experience extends, attended with fatal ef- 
fects, in the advanced stage of tubercular phthisis ; and speedy 
dissolution has in several instances, followed its misapplication. 
Its action, however, in promoting a healthy secretion of the mu- 
cous membranes, renders it beneficial in certain chronic pulmo- 
nary affections succeeding pleurisy or acute pneumonia; in as- 
thenic pulmonary catarrhs ; in mucous phthisis, even when these 
diseases are accompanied by marasmus, hectic fever, night sweat, 
and all the characteristics of consumption. " In the incipient and 
active stage of pulmonary irritation," says Dr. Francis, "it be- 
comes our duty to precede their employment by venesection, and 
the other customary means of depletion, analogous to the prac- 
tice we have recourse to with the Ballston or Congress waters 
The same observation applies to hemoptysis, to acute disorders 
of the digestive organs, liver, and other viscera. The direful 
consequents which inevitably occur in such cases, from the Sar- 28 
atoga waters, when these cautions are not heeded, are too pain- 
fully known to be dwelt upon in this place." 
Diseases of Females.-The indirectly tonic properties of Avon 
water, render it a valuable remedy ie many forms of menstrual 
derangement ; and these properties, resulting from its general 
action upon the organs of secretion, it may commonly be admin- 
istered without any apprehension of danger- The nature of this 
remedy, however, requires that, previous to commencing its use, 
in almost every case, a depletion, adapted to circumstances, 
should be adopted. It has been much used, and with benefit, in 
chlorosis, leucorrhea, amenorihea, and difficult and painful men- 
struation. The universally-acknowledged efficacy of bathing, in 
disorders of the menstrual function, render its use in this form, 
very common, and our experience somewhat enlarged. Great 
caution is requisite in the administration of either the hot or cold 
bat'i: for general use the tepid bath is to be preferred. In preg- 
nancy, Avon water is inadmissible ; it is, however, generally re- 
puted to possess peculiarly prolific qualities. 
VI. 
Internal Use.-There is one fact winch is of some importance, 
and should be borne in mind by the invalid visitor of these 
springs. Upon exposure to the atmospheric air, or if the tem- 
perature of the water be changed, a partial decomposition takes 
place ; and the same effects cannot be expected to follow its 
use, as will, if drank as it issues from the fountain or at its 
source. Its medicinal effect cannot but be very much altered by 
exposure orchanges of temperature. Suitable precautions should 
be taken, if the water be drank at a distance from the springs, 
that its original nature be preserved. Quo propius aqua bibitur 
a fonte, eo. cficacior; quo remotior eo fit languidiorf * was the 
assertion of Hoffman. 
* Hoffman Op. T. IV §15. The nearer to the fountain water is drank, the 
more efficacious ; the more remote, the weaker the action. 29 
The use of milk associated with sulphurous water, was recom- 
mended by Hoffman and Bordeu. The latter relates the case of 
a very delicate and feeble woman, who was cured of a he- 
morrage from the womb, by the waters of Bareges. When she 
drank them pure, they caused a very great heat and a high fever, 
(leases of a similar nature have occurred at the Avon Springs. 
The treatise of Hoffman, " De Connubio aquarum mineralium 
cumlacte, longe saluberrimo,,f is still extant. The disagreeable 
taste of the water is, in some measure concealed by this ad- 
mixture. 
" The operation of Avon water upon the human system, is 
modified by the quantity drank in a given time, and by the con- 
stitution, habit, and disease of the indiviudal. Generally speaking, 
four or six half pint tumblers of the water, drank during the day, 
produce a mild cathartic effect; and under its long continued 
exhibition to this extent, no debility ensues, but. on the contrary, 
the appetite and strength are very much increased. In very 
large doses, as from ten to fifteen tumblers a day, it operates 
powerfully upon the bowels, kidneys, and skin. A moderate use 
of this water, persevered in for a considerable length of time, 
will insure to it a powerfully alterative effect, in cases where 
there is no acute inflammation. 
" A judicious mode of commencing the use of the Avon wa 
ter," says Dr. Francis, " is to take six or seven half-pint tumblers 
during the twenty-four hours : a couple of tumblers may be ad- 
vantageously drunk before breakfast, and some two or three 
hours after that meal, the same quantity may again be taken, 
and an additional tumbler-full or two in the afternoon. To the 
sense of smell, they present the usual properties of sulphuretted 
hydrogen gas, but in a very small degree ; they are nowise op- 
pressive to the digestive organs. Some, however, take them in 
larger quantity, and oftener repeat the draught. Others, again, 
never use them until after the first meal. Like the Ballston and 
Saratoga waters, they are sometimes drunk to a most pernicious 30 
extent. It is expedient, therefore, in all cases, to regulate their 
administration by their immediate effects ; and every regard 
must be paid to age, sex, disease, constitution, and individual pe- 
culiarity. To guard against undue local determination, either 
cerebral, thoracic, or visceral, will always become a matter ofpro- 
fes>ional duty." 
No rules can be given which will apply to many of the com- 
plicated and intractable cases which annually present themselves 
at these mineral fountains. With some, from half a pint to a pint 
daily, is all that can be administered ; while there are others, 
upon whom six or eight half pint glasses make but a trifling im- 
pression. 
There is sometimes occasioned by the use of this water, a pain- 
ful tension of the epigastric or hypochondriac regions, a sensation 
of weight or constriction of the stomach, nausea, loss of appetite, 
or a suppression of some of the natural secretions. In these ca- 
ses, the exc tement which is produced, is not distributed in an 
equable manner. This difficulty may be obviated by lessening 
the dose, by using gentle exercise, in order to produce slight per- 
spiration, and by various means adapted to individual peculiarities^ 
External Use.-The stimulating properties of this water, ren- 
der it peculiarly medicinal, when used externally. General 
directions for the use of baths, cannot be adapted to the nature 
of different diseases, and to individual susceptibilities. One per- 
sen is but little affected by a hot bath, while to another it almost 
gives pain. As, however, many of those who visit these springs, 
do it rather to preserve health than to remove disease, 1 shall 
endeavor briefly to give some general rules. 
The time of bathing should be when the stomach is empty, 
and not engaged in performing its office of digestion. 
The duration of the hot bath should not be more then half an 
hour ; that of the shower bath, not more than five or ten minutes. 
Immediately on leaving the bath, the whole surface of the body 
should be rubbed briskly, until it is perfectly dry f and the bather 
should put on his clothes as expeditiously as possible. 31 
Instances of the injurious effects resulting from a neglect of 
these precautions, have been frequently witnessed at these 
springs : in one case, such neglect was fatal. 
A hot bath of Avon water is peculiarly stimulating. Under its 
influence, the pulse is increased in frequency and fulness, the 
animal heat is increased,* respiration becomes more rapid, a co- 
pious flow of both insensible and sensible perspiration is produ- 
ced, and all the secretions are temporarily encouraged. The 
degree at which the hot bath may be said to commence, may be 
reckoned at 92 degrees Far., and to rise as high as can be borne 
by the skin without pain ; this however, must vary according to 
the temperature of the individual. There are two opposite in- 
tentions in the use of the warm bath. It may be used for its 
stimulating or exciting, or for its sedative and relaxing effects. It 
is, primarily or immediately, a stimulant; secondarily, a seda- 
tive. The stimulating effects of warm water, or the increase in 
the force and activity of the circulation produced, are followed 
by a greater relaxation and perspirability of the skin and a dimi- 
nution of animal heat. When this primary effect is desired, the 
temperature required, is not as high as when used for its indirect 
or sedative effect. It should be borne in mind, that the use of the 
hot sulphurous bath, with a view to the diminution of animal 
heat, subsequent to the direct excitement which it produces, is 
not unattended with danger; and where there is any tendency to 
local determination, is manifestly inadmissible. In the case of a 
gentleman from Onondaga county, in this state, which occurred 
at these springs, in 1831, the use of a bath at 98 degrees, hy the 
advice of a person unacquainted with the laws which govern the 
animal economy, was followed by apoplexy and consequent 
death 
The warm bath is contra-indicated, and should not be had re- 
coun e to, without medical advice, where there are appearances 
* The hot bath at 92 deg. Far. prolonged for 25 minutes, increases the pulse 
12 beats in a minute; at 103 deg. it increases the pulse 38 beats in a minute, 
in 20 minutes. The animal heat is increased in a bath at 92 deg., two deg. ; 
and in one of 103 degrees, five minutes. 32 
of plethora, or where there exists a strong tendency to a deter- 
mination of blood to the head. 
The tepid bath may be said to commence at 80 degrees Far., 
and rise to 92 degrees Far., where the hot bathcommences. Its 
use is attended with very little danger, in ordinary cases. It is 
the safest and most valuable, particularly in autumn, winter, and 
spring, and for invalids. The immersion may continue from fif- 
teen minutes to an hour, according to circumstances. 
The cold shower bath, at the low temperature of 45 degrees 
to 48 degrees Far., (that of the Avon water,) is an agent capable 
of producing very powerful effects on the whole system ; and 
great injury may result from prolonging the immersion too long, 
or from resorting to it when, from a weak constitution, or unusual 
susceptibility, the vital powers are too languid to admit the ne- 
cessary reaction. The intention to be fulfilled in the use of this 
bath, is to produce a glow of warmth of the whole surface of the 
body ; or, what is termed reaction : this implies, not merely an 
increase of the production of animal heat, but a sudden effort, 
within the body, and of the whole arterial system, to overcome 
the sedative influence of cold suddenly applied ; and, also, an in- 
creased susceptibility of the body to the impression of its proper 
stimulus, heat. This bath is of essential use in the cure of many 
chronic diseases. It may prove injurious, and should not unad- 
visedly be resorted to, in painful disorders of the head ; hydro- 
cephalus ; diseases of the chest; in those diseases of the stom- 
ach which are attended with a defect in the digestive powers , in 
chronic pains in the stomach and bowels ; in all internal inflam- 
mations of the liver, spleen, kidneys, or intestines ; in gout, rheu- 
matism, diseases of the joints, scrofula, glandular swellings ; in 
every species of dropsy ; in all cutaneous and eruptive diseases ; 
in disorders of the menses ; in early infancy ; in every period of 
pregnancy; and in advanced life.