Three Tracts on Bath Water

Three Tracts On Bath Water by Rice Charleton. This collection comprises three treatises on the Bath waters of Bath. The first tract provides a chemical analysis of Bath waters, surveying rival analyses and listing ingredients such as iron, earthy matter, common sea salt, a neutral salt, and a fulphureous substance, then debating whether a vitriolic acid exists in the waters. It includes experimental demonstrations, including artificial chalybeate waters and the role of air, heat, and evaporation in forming and altering the waters’ composition. The second tract investigates the efficacy of warm bathing for palsy, drawing on extensive hospital records from Bath (1751–1764). Charleton compiles hundreds of paralytic cases—hemiplegias, lower-limb palsies, and cases arising from injury or disease—and summarizes outcomes, noting many patients benefited or were cured when the waters were used in conjunction with bathing and drinking regimens. The third tract comprises hospital case histories overseen by Dr. Oliver, supplemented by editor notes, including skin diseases, rheumatism, cachexy, spina ventosa, stomach disorders, and jaundice. The preface explains the Bath hospital’s founding, purpose, and the physician’s obligation to publish observations, reflecting 18th?century experimental medicine and the faith in mineral waters for diverse ailments.