Baths were considered both a source of hygiene and beauty, and a factor in health care. Certain conditions were thought to be remedied by a cold bath; others might benefit from a hot bath. Nor did a bath always mean immersion in water; one might take a "mustard foot bath," a sweat-bath or a bath in whey or pine balsam. Articles also addressed the pros and cons of bathing in the sea; some thought it healthy, others raised concerns, particularly with respect to the time of year and weather conditions in which one "bathed." And regardless of which type of bath one prefers, one should recall that, for many, this bath would take place in a dwelling that had no indoor plumbing!

Cleanliness - Bathing - Ventilation (Chambers Miscellany, 1845)

Tips on maintaining both a healthy skin and a healthy home.

Home Baths and Bathing (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1875)

Beyond the tub: from the mustard foot bath to the do-it-yourself sweat-bath.

On the Use and Abuse of Sea-Bathing (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1879)

Baths at Home and Baths by the Sea, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1880)

About sponge baths, plunge baths, and shower baths; how to take a "soap bath" (a form of sponge bath); the merits of cold and not-so-cold water; and when and how to bathe in the sea.

Medicated Baths, and How to Use Them (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1881)

The Benefits of Turkish Bathing (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1882)

The Uses of Sea-Bathing (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1892)

The Poetry of Ablution, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1893)

There is more to the bath than soap and water -- how about a whey bath, or a pine balsam bath, or a Turkish bath?

A Holiday at Home, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

Chiefly about the benefits of bathing and a healthy diet!

When and How to Bathe, by Cyrus Edson, MD (Ladies Home Journal, 1896)

Baths and Bathing, by "The New Doctor" (Girl's Own Paper, 1898)

"What is more delightful than a cold bath on a hot morning in August?... What is more miserable than trying to bathe in freezing water filled with needles and sheets of ice on a dark morning in the middle of January?" A look at the pros and cons of the cold tub!

*"Medicus" was the pen-name of Gordon Stables, M.D., R.N., health columnist for The Girl's Own Paper. Read the complete collection of Medicus Columns from 1881-1902 in chronological order.