9780282925413 - Graefenberg, or a True Report of the Water Cure: with an Account of Its Antiquity Classic Reprint by Robert Hay Graham (3 results)

PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000.

PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000.

Paperback. Condition: New. Print on Demand. This book describes the history, therapeutic applications, and the mechanics of the so-called water cure, a system of health treatment based on the use of water that arose in 19th century Europe. The author, having suffered from gout and read the works of several proponents of the water cure, decided to seek treatment at Graefenberg, the most famous of the water cure resorts. The book is extremely critical of the practice and claims to reveal the harsh realities and dangers of the water cure. The author describes the unsanitary conditions at the Graefenberg clinic and provides examples of illnesses that worsened or were even caused by the treatment, including one patient that died as a direct result of the harsh treatment. The author also describes the extreme personality cult that had formed around the charismatic and eccentric founder of the water cure, Vincent Priessnitz, with patients hanging on his every word and doctors being made to feel inferior. The author alleges that Priessnitz was nothing more than an ignorant peasant who had stumbled upon the water cure by chance and was exploiting the gullibility of desperate patients in order to line his own pockets. The author concludes by recounting his own experience seeking treatment for gout, including the harsh treatments he was subjected to and the extreme pain he endured, without experiencing any relief from his gout. This book provides a fascinating look at a controversial medical treatment of the past, and serves as a cautionary tale against falling prey to the promises of miracle cures and charismatic medical personalities. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work, digitally reconstructed using state-of-the-art technology to preserve the original format. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in the book. print-on-demand item.