<p>Of all English spas, Bath has enjoyed the greatest reputation as a medical centre for treating rheumatic diseases with its naturally hot mineral water having a healing tradition originating in the mist of antiquity with the legendary story of Bladud, the prince who cured himself of leprosy by bathing in the hot springs. For centuries, the inexhaustible flow of the bath waters turned the city into a haven for invalids and a magnet for doctors. The pursuit of health became Bath's most important industry. In 1738, Britain's first national specialist hospital was founded in the city, drawing patients from the far-flung corners of the kingdom with illnesses which would benefit from spa treatment. Known best as The Mineral Water Hospital, it is still thriving as the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases and is nowadays an internationally famous institution for the research and treatment of these crippling disorders.</p>

The hospital of the nation: The story of spa medicine and the Mineral Water Hospital at Bath

History

Rolls, Roger

Europe

Bird Publications

For centuries, many people have been convinced of the healing nature of hot mineral springs. The Romans constructed elaborate bathing facilities throughout their empire to utilise these waters. Immersion was reputed to cure a large variety of illnesses, including such diverse conditions as paralysis, forgetfulness, sciatica and leprosy. The profusion of infirm and disabled visitors seeking relief in the waters attracted an assortment of practitioners and spas became thriving medical marketplaces. By focusing on Britain's premier spa at Bath, this book examines how and why 'taking the waters' was regarded as an efficacious therapy by both patients and practitioners; and how and why Bath's Mineral Water Hospital, one of the earliest voluntary hospitals to be established in the UK, ultimately became a world-renowned centre for the study and treatment of rheumatic diseases. In recent decades, the medical profession has largely forsaken its interest in spas. So is there any scientific evidence that drinking or bathing in hot mineral waters has a therapeutic effect, or is it just a glorified placebo? Read this book and discover the answer, and a great deal more.

Diseased, Douched and Doctored: Thermal Springs, Spa Doctors and Rheumatic Diseases

Business & Money

Economics

London Publishing Partnership

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