Guest Posted 11 December , 2004 Share Posted 11 December , 2004 We were talking about a relative who was wounded in the chest on the Somme in 1916. The wound took a very long time to heal and he always said that he spent a long time in this hospital. Presumably salt water bathing was a good treatment. Does anyone have any information about this hospital or sea bathing as a treatment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 11 December , 2004 Share Posted 11 December , 2004 I come from Hove ......... anyone staggering over the pebbles to bathe in the freezing cold sea at Brighton must have been either coerced or mad. Never heard of the hospital, might be a wind-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted 11 December , 2004 Share Posted 11 December , 2004 Hi I have searched Google but cannot find anything for you. I believe that Queen Victoria made sea-bathing fashionable however. Sue L. may be able to assist you re the hospital. Robbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 11 December , 2004 Share Posted 11 December , 2004 Angie I can't help with the hospital location however this may be of background interest. In the middle of the 18th century some doctors began to claim that diseases could be cured by bathing in sea-water. George III was the first monarch to believe this advice and he regularly visited Weymouth for a swim. His son, the future George IV, spent a great deal of time in Brighton and eventually built the Royal Pavilion in the town. By 1750, with the popularity of Dr Richard Russell's sea-cure, Brighton took over from Bath as the principal centre in England for health and culture. Margate had a special Sea-Bathing Hospital known as The Royal Sea Bathing Hospital which opened in 1791. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 11 December , 2004 Share Posted 11 December , 2004 Margate had a special Sea-Bathing Hospital known as The Royal Sea Bathing Hospital which opened in 1791. I can't find anything on Google either and I suspect he got his locations confused. This could be the one. I know that salt baths are sometimes used even today to assist post-operation recovery, so sea bathing is not far fetched. Yes, Brighton beach is certainly stony, but didn't they have those odd bathing "machines"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeppoSapone Posted 11 December , 2004 Share Posted 11 December , 2004 Not the seaside I know, but wounded soldiers were being given baths and water treatments at Buxton in WW1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 12 December , 2004 Share Posted 12 December , 2004 Yes, Brighton beach is certainly stony, but didn't they have those odd bathing "machines"? The machines were to keep your privates private, and did little or nothing for the feet. They had disappeared by the time I ventured in, about 1945 I guess. Before that there was a risk of being torpedoed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted 12 December , 2004 Share Posted 12 December , 2004 Yes, Brighton beach is certainly stony, but didn't they have those odd bathing "machines"? The machines were to keep your privates private, and did little or nothing for the feet. Didn't they wear something (e.g., sandshoes) on their feet? You Brits must be hardy souls with very hardy soles. Robbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now