Hydropathy; Or, the Cold Water Cure, As Practised By Vincent Priessnitz, At Graefenberg, Silesia, Austria.

R T Claridge

Published by London, Madden, 1843

About this Item

8vo. 338 p. ill. frontis. Spine and corners bound in contemporary leather. Marbled boards. Missing part of title on spine. Minimal wear to extremities. Good binding and cover. Contemporary letter from author inside before preface as printed. Clean, unmarked pages. Please feel free to view our photographs. Claridge wrote a number of works, but his best known, and most widely cited publication was Hydropathy; or The Cold Water Cure, as practiced by Vincent Priessnitz. The work itself provides an indication of impact and popularity of hydropathy at the time. It was first published in 1842, with the preface to the first edition dated January 21, 1842. In his preface to the third edition, dated May 23, 1842, Claridge noted that the book had "excited considerable attention". It reached its third edition "in the short space of three months", and in that time, "several imperfect extracts in the form of Pamphlets" appeared, and the Hydropathic Society was formed, on 17 March 1842, "at the rooms of the Society of Arts, Adelphi." The fifth edition contains an advertisement (which remained in subsequent editions), stating "it is little more than nine months since the first announcement of the work appeared; and during that brief period of time, five editions, of one thousand copies each, and eight editions of an Abstract, have passed through the press; besides which, several unauthorised publications, in the form of pamphlets, extracted from the work, have been sold in great numbers". With growing popularity among the public, some favourable publications written by a few medical practitioners, and several hydropathic establishments fully operational, Claridge declared that "the year 1842 may be considered as a new era in the mode of curing disease in this country". Claridge reports that his attention was first seriously drawn to the subject of hydropathy by an officer of marines at Venice, who "Seeing me attacked by rheumatism and head-ache, to both of which complaints I have been subject for the greater part of my life, my friend strongly advised me, in the winter of 1840, to follow his example", and go to Priessnitz's establishment at Graefenberg. This he did, but not before being confined to his bed "for nearly two months", after arriving at Florence in Rome. He stayed at Graefenberg for three months, "during which time the health of that part of my family who were subjected to the treatment was perfectly established; we acquired the habit of living more moderately, of taking more exercise, of drinking more water, and of using it more freely in external ablutions than we were accustomed to; and, I may add, that we have learned how to allay pain". During his time at Graefenberg, Claridge made notes, which would form the foundation of his 1842 Hydropathy book, from his own experiences, his observations of other patients' experiences, and of the methods employed, from his discussions with Priessnitz and other patients. He also collected statistics on patient numbers and break-down by nationality, up to the beginning of September 1841.

Seller Inventory # 1203210004

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Hydropathy; Or, the Cold Water Cure, As Practised By Vincent Priessnitz, At Graefenberg, Silesia, Austria.
• Publisher: London, Madden
• Publication Date: 1843
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Medicine and Medical History