The Kneipp Cure. Sebastian Kneipp Kneipp

to the subject! My conviction is this: In the human body everything corresponds so wonderfully, the particle to the part, and every part to the whole, that one cannot help calling the organism of the body an incomparable work of art, the idea of which could only originate in the creative mind of God, and the execution of which was only possible to the creative power of God. The same order, the same measure, the same harmony exists between the raise and consumption of the ingredients necessary to the support of the body, provided man himself, reasonable and independent as he is, co-operates with the will of God by rightly using what is given to him, provided he does not overturn the order by misusing it, and so bringing dissonances into the harmony. As this is the state of the case, I cannot imagine how the formation of blood alone, this most important of all processes in the human body, should go on without order, without number and measure, unarranged and immoderately.

      Every child, so I imagine, receives as an inheritance from its mother, together with the life, a quantity of material for the format ion of blood, call it what you will, which is, as it were, the essence without which no blood can he prepared. If this essence is exhausted, the formation of blood, and with it life itself, ceases. Fading away, decaying, I do not call "living." By every loss of blood, however, whether it be caused by a fall, an accident, or by bleeding leeches, or scarifying, a particle or part of this; stock of blood, of this essence of life, is lost, and in the same measure the body's life is shortened. Every extraction of blood means nothing less than a shortening of life; for life lives in the blood.

      The objection to this will be: Nothing is more speedily accomplished than the formation of blood; losing blood and gaining blood is almost one and the same thing.

      Yes. the formation of blood takes place with an incredibly wonderful speed; I quite agree with this argument. Hut excuse me, if I give another one based on experience; it will interest my readers who are engaged in farming, and they will be obliged to confirm it. If a farmer wishes to fatten cattle quickly, he draws a good quantity of blood from them, and after having done so, he feeds them well.

      In a short time plenty of fresh new blood is formed, and the cattle progresses and fattens. After three or four weeks, the bleeding is repeated, then good and nourishing food, as well as many strengthening potions, are given. The progress is excellent, and even with old cattle, as much and as nice blood will be found when the animal is killed, as with young cattle. But let us look more closely at this blood. The blood produced artificially, is only watery, weak blood without vitality. The cattle has no longer any strength or power of endurance, and if not soon killed, will get dropsy.

      Should it be otherwise with man? Having lived more than 75 years and gained some experience and knowledge of human life, I know that precisely the immoderate bleeding of our ancestors has influenced the capacities, talents, and duration of life of their offsprings. The gentleman mentioned in the beginning of our treatise, who had lost so many ounces of blood, died in the best years of manhood, of dropsy. And if a man (I state facts only) had been bled 150, another 200 times, and had thereby become unspeakably weak and ill, must not the following generation be sickly and frail, inclined to cramps, and other sufferings?

      I willingly acknowledge that there can be cases, but only exceptional ones, where an immediate danger is removed by bleeding, other quickly operating remedies not being at hand.

      But otherwise I ask every reasonable, impartial person: Which is preferable, to have the thread of life extorted from you piece by piece, or to have the blood distributed by proper water-applications, in such a way that even the most full-blooded has not a too great quantity of blood? How, and by which applications, this distributing is to be done, I have discussed several times in the proper place.

      It is generally said that in cases of impending strokes, bleeding is the only means of escape. But I remember, just now, a case in which a stroke had taken place; the first physician quickly bled the patient; the second one, however, declared that precisely in consequence of this bleeding the patient would die, which indeed was verified. It is not fulness or profusion of blood which generally leads to a stroke, as people erroneously think, but poverty of blood. He died of a stroke generally means, that the blood being consumed, life was consumed also. The oil ceased its flowing and nourishing; therefore the glimmering wick was extinguished. Of what useful service the water is immediately after strokes, can be seen in the third part of this book. I will only state here that my predecessor in the office of curate, had a stroke three times, and after the third time, the physician declared that he could not live any longer; but the water has not only saved his life for the moment, but it has preserved him to his congregation for several years.

      B. Baths.

      I. Foot-baths.

      The foot-bath can be taken cold or warm.

       1. The cold foot-bath

      consists in standing in the cold water as far as the calves of the legs or higher, for 1 to 3 minutes.

      In diseases they serve principally for leading the blood down from head and chest; but they are generally taken in connection with other applications, sometimes in cases in which whole or half-baths cannot be endured by the patient for different reasons.

      When taken by healthy people, they aim at giving freshness, and strength; they are especially advisable for country-people in summer-time, if after a hard and fatiguing day's work, they are unable to sleep at night. These baths take away weariness, bring on rest and good sleep.

       2. The warm foot-bath

      can be taken in different ways.

      a) A handful of salt and twice as much wood-ashes are mixed with warm water of 25° to 26° R. Then the foot-bath is taken for about 12 to 15 minutes.

      Sometimes, but always by special order, I give such a foot-bath with a temperature as high as 30° R.; but then a cold foot-bath of half a minute's duration must always follow.

      The foot-baths are very useful in all cases where vigorous and cold remedies cannot well be used on account of weakness, fragility, want of vital warmth, etc.; as little or no reaction takes place, i.e. the cold water cannot produce sufficient warmth for want of blood.

      These foot-baths are suitable for weak, nervous people, for those who have poor blood, for very young, and very old people, mostly for women, and are efficacious against all disturbances in the circulation of the blood, against congestions, complaints of head or neck, cramps, etc.

      They lead the blood to the feet, and have an appeasing effect. But I do not recommend them to people who suffer from sweating feet.

      With our country-people these warm foot-baths are well noted, and their effect acknowledged by the general use of them.

      b) A sanative foot-bath is that made from hay-flowers.

      Take about 3 to 5 handfuls of hay-flowers, pour boiling water upon them, cover the vessel, and let the whole mixture cool to the warmth of 25° to 26° R., the most comfortable for a foot-bath.

      It is of no consequence, whether the hay-flowers remain in the foot-bath, or whether the decoction only is used. Poorer people use the whole to save time and trouble.

      These foot-baths operate by dissolving, evacuating, and strengthening; they are of good service for diseased feet, especially sweating feet, open wounds, contusions of every kind (whether arising from a blow, a fall, etc. or bleeding or black and blue with blood), for tumors, gout in the feet, gristle on the toes or putridity between them, for whitlows and hurts, caused by too narrow shoes, etc. In general, it may be said that these footbaths are of excellent service for all feet the juices of which are more morbid, and more inclined to putridity, than safe and sound.

      A gentleman suffering to a great extent from gout in his feet, was freed from pain in an hour by one of these foot-baths, together with a foot-bandage dipped in the decoction.

      c) The foot-bath with oat-straw is closely connected