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MINERAL SPRINGS 
 
 WESTERN VIRGINIA, 
 
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 / 
 
THE 
 
 MINERAL SPRINGS 
 
 OF 
 
 WESTERN VIRGINIA; 
 
 WITH 
 
 REMARKS ON THEIR USE. 
 
 AND THE 
 
 DISEASES TO WHICH THEY ARE APPLICABLE. 
 THE SECOND EDITION, 
 
 REVISED. CORRECTED, AND ENLARGED. 
 TO WHICH ARE ADDED A 
 
 NOTICE OP THE FAUQUIER WHITE SULPHUR SPRING. 
 
 AND A CHAPTER ON TAVERNS. 
 
 ALSO, 
 
 A REVIEW OF A PAMPHLET PUBLISHED BY DR. J. J. MOORMAN. 
 
 EY WILLIAM BURKE. 
 
 " Quern via ut hoc mallem de iis qui essent idonei suscipere quam me : 
 me quam neminem."— Cicero. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 WILEY AND PUTNAM, 161 BROADWAY. 
 
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 9218 
 
 Entered according to an Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by 
 
 WILEY AND PUTNAM, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District 
 of New- York. 
 
1010 
 
 , WASH IN 
 
 CONTENTS. QS 
 
 Introduction page 7 
 
 General Remarks 12 
 
 Dyspepsia 32 
 
 Aliment 37 
 
 Treatment 40 
 
 Mineral Waters 44 
 
 Warm Springs 51 
 
 Hot Springs 76 
 
 Sweet Springs 1 03 
 
 Red-Sweet Springs 109 
 
 TV Sk-r 112 
 
 sulphur Springs 128 
 
 ^.ed Sulphur Springs 184 
 
 Hayes' Analysis of the Red Sulphur 188 
 
 Phthisis 219 
 
 Is Consumption curable 7 227 
 
 Dr. Huntt on the Red Sulphur k 246 
 
 Laryngitis 295 
 
 Bronchitis 302 
 
 Hypertrophy of the Heart 308 
 
 Kidneys and Bladder 310 
 
 Uterus 313 
 
 Diseases of the Liver 315 
 
 Chronic Diarrhoea 318 
 
 Salt Sulphur Springs 325 
 
 Professor Rogers' Analysis of the Salt Sulphur 354 
 
 Blue Sulphur Springs 358 
 
 Daggers', or Dibrell's Springs 365 
 
 Alum Springs 368 
 
 Fauquier White Sulphur Springs 374 
 
 Taverns 386 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The writer sincerely wishes that some 
 more competent person had undertaken the 
 task which he proposes to himself in the fol- 
 lowing pages. As it is the opinion of many 
 of his friends, however, that his position has 
 given him advantages for observation of the 
 properties and correct application of the Vir- 
 ginia Springs, which few have possessed, and 
 those friends have urged him to lay those 
 views before the Public, he will essay to treat 
 the subject in as clear, impartial, and common 
 sense a manner, as his capacity will admit. 
 The writer will neither wilfully exaggerate, 
 nor aught set down in malice ; nor will h* 
 make any statement of facts, of the truth o v 
 which he is not personally assured, either e 
 his own knowledge, or on information derive * 
 from sources worthy of credit. His opinions 
 
8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 on many points may possibly be controverted, 
 and will, of course, receive just that amount 
 of attention to which the reader may deem 
 them entitled ; but they are honestly enter- 
 tained, and will be freely and candidly ex- 
 pressed, without prejudice or prepossession, 
 and with becoming diffidence. 
 
 There are detached accounts of several oi 
 the Virginia Springs, which have been ex- 
 tremely useful in directing public attention to 
 those valuable agents ; but there is no work 
 that treats of them as a group, except, perhaps, 
 the very valuable work of " Bell on Baths and 
 Mineral Waters," some facetious epistles in- 
 dited by " Peregrine Prolix," and a brief notice 
 of each Spring by Col. T. H. Perkins of Bos- 
 ton, in his Introduction to the pamphlet on 
 the Red Sulphur Springs by Dr. Huntt, of 
 which, with characteristic benevolence, he 
 caused two thousand copies to be printed at 
 his own expense, and circulated at the North. 
 On no subject is there, indeed^ greater igno- 
 rance, whether as regards the distinguishing 
 characteristic of each Spring, its properties 
 and proper use, or as regards the accommo 
 dations and other subjects of inquiry. In 
 
INTRODUCTION. \) 
 
 most cases, the visiter leaves a distant home 
 either for the "Virginia Springs."' or some 
 particular Spring ; but in either case with very 
 indefinite ideas about them. He very natu- 
 rally supposes that, when he gets into their 
 vicinity, he will be enabled to procure all the 
 information he desires : but here, alas ! he is 
 doomed to disappointment ; and he will be 
 fortunate if he be not made the dupe of some 
 designing knave, who is interested in mislead- 
 ing him. by exaggerated commendations of 
 some particular establishment, or by injurious 
 and false statements with regard to others. 
 Misrepresentation seems reduced to a system, 
 and reports are set afloat, which, though often 
 evidently absurd, gain credence for the time, 
 and answer all the purposes of the unprincipled 
 propagators. This partisan warfare is carried 
 on. not by the proprietors, who are too respect- 
 able and intelligent to pursue so impolitic and 
 unwarrantable a course, but by underlings and 
 loafers, who are irresponsible, and utterly re- 
 gardless of the consequences of their impos- 
 ture. 
 
 Xor can the stranger always rely on the 
 professional advice which is so freely obtruded 
 
10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 upon him. We have known invalids persuaded 
 to submit themselves to a course of medical 
 treatment by boasting promises of cure, and 
 who absolutely have not been permitted to 
 touch that for which they came hundreds of 
 miles ; but have been blistered and cupped, 
 and leeched, and depleted both of circulating 
 fluids and circulating medium. These re- 
 marks are made not with a view of affecting 
 the character of any individual, but as an act 
 of justice to the stranger, who may thereby be 
 induced to make a more strict inquiry before 
 he commits himself to the advice and direc- 
 tions of a man who may either be incompe- 
 tent or unprincipled. 
 
 There may be in other states and nations 
 mineral waters analogous to most of those in 
 Western Virginia ; but they are usually " few 
 and far between ; •' and it may be asserted, that 
 in no section of the civilized globe is there 
 such a variety in the same space. They may 
 and will be temporarily depressed by the uni- 
 versal declension of prosperity ; but should 
 that prosperity again revive, and the legisla- 
 ture prove alive to the true interests of the 
 State, and connect the different Springs with 
 
INTRODUCTION. 11 
 
 each other, and with the James River improve- 
 ment, by fine macadamized roads, and extend 
 those roads to the boundaries of Tennessee 
 and Southern Kentucky, and also to Guyan- 
 dotte and Parkersburg, those Springs will not 
 only become intrinsically of immense value, 
 but it is difficult to estimate the increase of 
 revenue and wealth which that portion of the 
 State, now comparatively unprofitable, will 
 produce. Many years will not have elapsed 
 before England and France will annually send 
 multitudes of invalids to those unrivalled foun- 
 tains, and we shall see those beautiful valleys 
 teeming with living beings from every quarter 
 of the globe. They only want to be known 
 to be appreciated, and it is scarcely possible 
 that some man of capability and reputation 
 will not illustrate their superiority, and attract 
 to them universal attention. The ambition 
 of the writer moves within a more circum- 
 scribed sphere. If a solitary individual, whose 
 eye may rest on these pages, shall chance to 
 bless his labours, they will be amply compen- 
 sated. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 Among the numerous advantages bestowed 
 on Virginia by a bountiful Providence, there 
 are perhaps none more important than the 
 salubrity of climate and rich profusion of 
 mineral waters of its transmontane territory. 
 The happy combinations of these blessings, 
 added to its central position, will not only 
 make Western Virginia the great Mecca of 
 invalid pilgrims, but its pellucid fountains, its 
 beautiful villas, its secluded glens and majes- 
 tic mountains, and the rich drapery of its 
 noble forests, will ever attract to it the ad- 
 mirers of Nature's own workmanship. 
 
 England has her Bath, France her Aix la 
 Chapelle, and New- York her Saratoga — places 
 of fashionable resort, that present varied at- 
 tractions to the fancies of those who live for 
 admiration and the excitements attendant on 
 dissipation ; but they want that calm repose, 
 that freedom from restraint, that omission of 
 conventional usages, which render the society 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. 13 
 
 of our Virginia Springs so delightful. Who 
 would not rather luxuriate in imagination 
 with the inimitable Scott round the copse- 
 grown precincts of St. Ronan's Well, and 
 contemplate at leisure the various phases and 
 eccentricities of human character, portrayed 
 in this, amongjst the most graphic of his crea- 
 tions : or even repose with Frank Tyrrel, for 
 a season, at the solitary manse of the Cleikum, 
 enjoying the comfortable housewifery of the 
 notable Mrs. Dods, than engage in the routine 
 of follies and absurd ceremonies which con- 
 stitute the pleasures of a fashionable water- 
 ing-place ? 
 
 Whensoever the whiz of the steam-engine 
 shall have invaded the solitary grandeur of 
 our mountain defiles, then will the charms of 
 our scenery and society deteriorate under the 
 ruthless hands of a utilitarian generation. 
 The luxuries and conveniences of the present 
 age have introduced among us diseases to 
 which former ages were strangers : and had 
 not the science of medicine fortunately kept 
 pace with our progress in degeneracy, the 
 havoc of the destroyer would have been fright- 
 ful. But there is a vast proportion of human 
 2 
 
14 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 maladies beyond the reach of medical skill, 
 and to which Nature alone, that kindest and 
 most beneficent physician, can administer 
 relief. 
 
 It is in this condition that Mineral Springs 
 are sought after, and in which it becomes 
 desirable to the invalid to know whither he 
 must direct his course to effect the object he 
 has in view. The Springs of Western Vir- 
 ginia form a group unrivalled in this, and 
 perhaps in any other country. Great and 
 acknowledged, however, as is their power 
 over disease, they would be shorn of much of 
 their virtue, had Nature placed them in less 
 favourable situations. Had they all been 
 congregated in the city of New- York, it is 
 doubtful whether they would sustain their 
 present reputation. There is much truth in 
 the following remarks of Sir Walter Scott : — 
 ■" The invalid often finds relief from his com- 
 plaints, less from the healing virtues of the 
 Spa itself, than because his system of ordinary 
 life undergoes an entire change ; in his being 
 removed from his leger and account books — 
 from his legal folios and progresses of title 
 leeds — from his counters and shelves, from 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. 15 
 
 whatever else forms the main course of his 
 constant anxiety at home, destroys his appe- 
 tite, mars the custom of his exercise, deranges 
 the digestive powers, and clogs the springs of 
 life." Who would look for a riddance from 
 his ailments in the murky atmosphere and 
 crowded streets of a city ? It is the sweet 
 country alone that can invigorate the ener- 
 vated constitution, raise the drooping spirits, 
 calm the agitated mind, inspire the finer emo- 
 tions of the heart, and impart elasticity and 
 strength to the moral and physical powers. 
 
 The citizen, like a boy let loose from school, 
 rambles over the fields, ascends the hills, culls 
 wild flowers, and is filled with admiration, 
 pleasure, and cheerfulness. The manner of 
 travelling, too, has much to do with the suc- 
 cess of his efforts to recover health. Steam- 
 boats and railroads have indeed greatly ex- 
 pedited locomotion ; but like all labour-saving 
 machinery, it is doubtful whether they have 
 added much to the sum of comfort, security, 
 or happiness. Suppose a dyspeptic to start 
 from Boston for Winchester in Virginia, what 
 possible advantage can he derive from these 
 seven hundred miles of travel ? He gains 
 
16 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 nothing by change of air, for he is all the time 
 inhaling the unwholesome atmosphere of a 
 crowded vehicle. The velocity of motion 
 precludes his enjoying the successions of 
 scenery, and he reaches the end of his journey 
 moody, selfish, and discontented ; but now 
 arrived in the garden spot of Virginia, he de- 
 sires to proceed to the Springs, he enters the 
 sociable stage-coach, rolls along the beautiful 
 valley of the Shenandoah, is jolted into an 
 appetite, and then the novelty of the scenery, 
 the raillery, fun, and anecdote of the passen- 
 gers, the landing at the taverns, the abusing 
 of coffee and biscuits, and long-legged chick- 
 ens — these, and a thousand other charms of a 
 stage-coach, make him forget his acid stomach, 
 and are worth all the pills of Peters, and Beck- 
 with, and Brandreth, and all other nostrums 
 of empiricism. Now he winds up the ascent 
 of the Warm Spring Mountain, amidst thou- 
 sands of clusters of the splendid Rhododen- 
 dron and the gay blossoms of the Laurestinus, 
 and ever-varying Azalia ; now he reaches the 
 summit and sees the world beneath him — 
 mountains, and valleys, and pastures, houses, 
 and men, and cattle — all in miniature ; he is 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. 17 
 
 delighted and wrapt in meditation, and he in- 
 wardly adores the majesty of that Being who 
 is enthroned in the heavens, and who looketh 
 dotvn on the high places of the earth. The 
 inward man is now changed ; the feverish, 
 melancholy invalid, weaned from his own 
 gloomy reflections and anticipations of evil, 
 is once more converted into a social being, 
 sympathizing in the feelings and pleasures of 
 others, and charmed out of fancied or real 
 sufferings. 
 
 If there is a scene on this earth calculated 
 to strike the mind with reverential awe, and 
 raise the soul from grovelling thoughts of 
 self to the contemplation of the God of Na- 
 ture, it is to stand on the highest top of the 
 highest mountain, and to look down on pig- 
 my man and his ant-hill habitations, and then 
 to reflect on his vanities and his follies, and 
 the end of all — his little resting-place. Never 
 shall we forget the emotions produced on us 
 by our visit to the summit of the Salt-Pond 
 Mountain, in Giles county, some years ago, 
 with a few friends. Our horizon was extend- 
 ed to 50 miles around, limited only by the 
 azure arch of heaven, and presenting to the 
 2* 
 
18 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 eye the most sublime spectacle which the 
 human mind can conceive — 
 
 " It was a hill 
 Of Paradise the highest; from whose top 
 The hemisphere of earth, in clearest view 
 Stretched out to the amplest reach of prospect lay. 
 Not higher that hill, nor wider looking round, 
 Whereon, for different cause, the tempter set 
 Our second Adam, in the wilderness; 
 To show him all Earth's kingdoms and their glory." 
 
 Having conducted our readers to the sum- 
 mit of the Warm Spring Mountain, where the 
 air is pure and invigorating, and whence the 
 comfortable hotel of Col. Fry may be seen 
 through the stinted and shattered chestnuts ; 
 his olfactories seem already to snuff the gale, 
 laden with the grateful perfume of the fragrant 
 coffee, and his mouth perhaps waters for hot 
 muffins and buckwheat cakes. Whilst thus 
 anticipating a more solid repast, it is like in- 
 flicting upon him the punishment of Tantalus, 
 to lay before him a chapter of Dietetics ; yet 
 the plan of our little work requires that we 
 should treat of this and various other prelimi- 
 nary matters, before we introduce him into 
 the sanctum of mine host. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Within the range of the Virginia Springs, 
 the climate is much more uniform than that 
 of the Atlantic region in the same latitudes. 
 The severe north-easterly winds which extend 
 over the tide-water districts, are arrested in 
 their westward career by the Blue Ridge 
 Mountains ; or if they partially affect the 
 Valley of Virginia, the Alleghanies oppose an 
 insuperable barrier. The air, though keen, 
 is always pure, bracing, and exhilarating ; 
 nor is there ever that alternation of a close, 
 suffocating atmosphere, with intense cold, 
 which is so well known on the Atlantic bor- 
 ders, and proves so depressing to the vital 
 powers. Extremes of cold or heat are seldom 
 felt, and may be considered exceptions to the 
 general character of the climate. 
 
 We have never seen, at our residence, the 
 thermometer lower than 6° below zero, and 
 we have been used to consider 6° above as 
 very cold weather. The greatest degree of 
 
20 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 heat we have observed has been 97°, but it 
 seldom exceeds 86°, and but for a few hours 
 at mid-day. The usual summer atmosphere 
 is from 57 to 78°. The nights and mornings 
 are almost always agreeably cool. It will be 
 readily seen, that where there is often a dif- 
 ference of 30° in the temperature of the morn- 
 ing and afternoon, it becomes necessary to 
 adapt the clothing to the different conditions 
 of the atmosphere ; it would therefore be im- 
 prudent to go abroad in the early morning 
 clothed in nankeen. Our fogs, always indices 
 of fair weather, though perfectly free from 
 miasma, are nevertheless humid, and render 
 woollen clothing perfectly comfortable. With 
 this precaution there is nothing to prevent 
 early rising and exercise. 
 
 The rainy season in the Virginia Moun- 
 tains sets in about the 15th of March, and 
 sometimes extends into the month of June. 
 The season for using the waters may be said 
 to commence on the 1st June, and terminate 
 on the 1st October. About the 15th Septem- 
 ber, it is not uncommon to see a heavy rain 
 succeeded by two or three cold nights and 
 white frosts. The visiters, alarmed by this 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. 21 
 
 little equinoctical demonstration, disperse 
 like migrating birds, and leave those beauti- 
 ful valleys, lately the abodes of gaiety, solita- 
 ry and silent as a deserted village. They 
 have scarcely crossed the Blue Ridge, how- 
 ever, ere they find that their apprehensions 
 of a permanent change in the weather were 
 premature, and now earnestly wish them- 
 selves back arain among 1 the scenes and 
 friends from which they have just departed. 
 In truth, the most delightful period of the year 
 in the Mountains, is that between the 20th 
 September and 1 st November. It is the sweet 
 season of Indian summer, when the woods are 
 clothed in their most gorgeous livery, — when 
 Nature seems to enjoy a calm repose, as if to 
 prepare herself for the buffeting storm of the 
 approaching winter. 
 
 " Attemper' d suns arise 
 Sweet beam'd, and shedding oft through lucid clouds 
 A pleasing calm ; while broad, and brown, below, 
 Extensive harvests hang the heavy head. 
 Rich, silent, deep, they stand ; for not a gale 
 Rolls its light billows o'er the bending plain ; 
 A calm of plenty ! " 
 
 The society which frequents the Virginia 
 Springs is for the most part the elite of the 
 
22 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 country. Saratoga and other northern wa- 
 tering-places being accessible by railroads 
 to persons in every condition of life, and at 
 a trifling expense, the mass of visiters is of 
 course composed of all sorts of people. The 
 knowledge of this fact makes men distrustful 
 of each other's standing, and shy and re- 
 served. At the Virginia Springs, on the con- 
 trary, there is an entire feeling of equality, a 
 relinquishment of formality, a republican 
 simplicity of manners, a reciprocity of kind, 
 courteous, but unpretending civility, and an 
 easy, unaffected, social intercourse, that ren- 
 ders those places peculiarly agreeable. No 
 one can have failed to observe the difference 
 between large and small communities, as re- 
 gards sociability ; the latter, being in some 
 degree individually dependent on each other, 
 cultivate kindly feelings, and form strong 
 attachments, whilst it is not uncommon for the 
 resident of a city to be ignorant of the name 
 of his next-door neighbour. So it is at the 
 Mineral Springs : the more populous they are, 
 the less sociable. 
 
 The great novelist from whom we have 
 already quoted, makes indeed the following 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. 23 
 
 correct observations on this subject : " The 
 society of such places is regulated by their 
 very nature, upon a scheme much more in- 
 dulgent than that which rules the world of 
 fashion, and the narrow circles of rank in the 
 metropolis. The titles of rank, birth, and 
 fortune are received at a watering-place with- 
 out any very strict investigation, as adequate 
 to the purpose for which they are preferred ; 
 and as the situation infers a certain degree 
 of intimacy and sociability for the time, so, to 
 whatever height it may have been carried, it 
 is not understood to imply any duration be- 
 yond the length of the season. No intima- 
 cy can be supposed more close for .the time, 
 and more transitory in its endurance, than 
 that which is attached to a watering-place 
 acquaintance." Yet there are numerous in- 
 stances of permanent and ardent friendship 
 originating among those rural retreats, and 
 even the wily Cupid not unfrequently speeds 
 his arrows from the shade of some majestic 
 oak. " Hither come also," says the same au- 
 thor, " the unprincipled gamester, the impos- 
 ter, the heartless fortune-hunter. But, be- 
 sides these characters, who are actually dan- 
 
24 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 gerous to society, a well-frequented watering- 
 place generally exhibits for the amusement 
 of the company, and the perplexity and 
 amusement of the more inexperienced, a 
 sprinkling of persons called by the news- 
 papers, eccentric characters — individuals, 
 namely, who either from some real derange- 
 ment of their understanding, or, much more 
 frequently, from an excess of vanity, are am- 
 bitious of distinguishing themselves by some 
 striking peculiarity in dress or address, con- 
 versation or manners, and perhaps in all. 
 " Hither too comes the saunterer, anxious to 
 get rid of that wearisome attendant, himself ; 
 and thither come both males and females, 
 who, upon a different principle, desire to 
 make themselves double." 
 
 Whatever may be the motive of the visit, 
 whether pleasure or health, it will readily be 
 conceded that a cheerful spirit, a disposition 
 to be pleased, sympathy with the feelings of 
 others, an entire suspension of care, and a 
 fondness for rural scenes and enjoyments, are 
 essential to the attainment of the object. 
 The moody, selfish man can have no real 
 enjoyment, his heart beats in unison with 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. 25 
 
 no human being, he measures mankind by 
 the standard of his own sullen disposition, he 
 is suspicious of motive when treated with 
 cordiality, and when not caressed, he deems his 
 merits overlooked, his pride is wounded, and 
 he takes revenge upon the world by shroud- 
 ing himself in his offended dignity and bury- 
 ing himself alive in his own melancholy 
 reflections. Whilst we shed a tear for a fel- 
 low-being afflicted with so direful a malady 
 of the mind, we should pray God to bless us 
 with a happy spirit of cheerfulness. 
 
 The invalid is especially prone to be low- 
 spirited and home-sick, and when the latter 
 feeling possesses the mind, farewell to im- 
 provement ! All the faculties of the mind 
 seem absorbed in that one thought, and it is 
 utterly useless to oppose it. So frequent is 
 it, indeed, especially in mothers who have 
 left young children, and so easily excited, 
 that we have for several years forbidden the 
 song called " Home,'' to be sung or played by 
 the band. 
 
 Let us therefore advise those who visit the 
 Springs for health, to do so with the firm re- 
 solution not to make themselves unhappy 
 3 
 
26 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 about home ; or if they distrust their own 
 firmness, let them take with them the objects 
 of so much interest ; otherwise their friends 
 and themselves will be disappointed of happy 
 results. The man who considers the vast 
 influence of the passions and the affections 
 over that wonderfully contrived machine, 
 the human body> will not think that we 
 have attached too much importance to this 
 matter. Would to God, it were more gene- 
 rally taken into view by medical men ! and 
 we should then see many of the maladies 
 that are now treated, and aggravated too, by 
 the villanous compounds of the apothecary, 
 readily yield to the more rational prescription 
 of pure air, free exercise, freedom from care, 
 and cheerful society. 
 
 Having thus far indulged in generalities, 
 it is now time we should be more specific. 
 Although we must reserve detail until we 
 come to treat of the different diseases for 
 which those Springs are visited, and the 
 water adapted to each case, yet there are ge- 
 neral principles which apply to all watering- 
 places, and to the mode of using them, and 
 thus far we shall treat this matter at present. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 When Meneiiius Agrippa quelled the tur- 
 bulent passions of the Roman populace by 
 repeating to them the beautiful fable of the 
 stomach and members of the human body, 
 he set forth, in bold relief, the advantages 
 derived througrh the agency of that great re- 
 servoir, from which proceeds the elements of 
 that vital current that swells the muscular 
 arm of the patriot, and tinges with a modest 
 blush the maiden's cheek ; but if it had 
 equally suited his purpose, he might have 
 depicted, with no less truthfulness, the wan 
 cheek, the tottering step, the sunken eye, the 
 palsied tongue, produced by pampering it to 
 repletion. The functions of this organ are 
 so important that we are tempted for the be- 
 nefit of our unprofessional readers, to give a 
 brief account of its normal and pathological 
 condition : 
 
 " The stomach [Pai^is] is immediately situ- 
 ated below the diaphragm ; the cardia being 
 
28 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 nearly opposite to the middle of the vertebrae ; 
 from thence it bulges out to the left side, the 
 great curvature coming forward and down- 
 ward ; it then passes on to the right side, 
 rising upwards so that the pylorus is not 
 much farther from the diaphragm than the 
 cardia ; when therefore a man is in an erect 
 posture, substances must ascend to pass 
 through the pylorus. In its flaccid state, it 
 occupies the epigastrium and part of the 
 left hypochondrium : whilst, when distended, 
 it exchanges its flattened for a rounded form, 
 and fills almost completely the hypochon- 
 drium ; the greater curvature descending 
 towards the umbilicus, particularly on 
 the left side ; on account of the resistance 
 opposed by the vertebral column, the pos- 
 terior surface of the stomach cannot dis- 
 tend itself in that direction ; this viscus is 
 therefore wholly carried forward. The dila- 
 tation of the stomach produces very impor- 
 tant changes in the abdomen ; the total 
 volume of the cavity augments ; the belly 
 juts out ; the abdominal viscera are compress- 
 ed with greater force. At the same time the 
 diaphragm is pressed towards the breast, and 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. 29 
 
 it descends with some difficulty ; whence the 
 respiratory motions are impeded. 
 
 The villous, or mucous membrane has a 
 whitish-red appearance, and presents a sin- 
 gular velvet-like appearance, from which it 
 has derived its name : not being elastic, it 
 has numerous folds, or ruga, which supply 
 this deficiency, and serve to accommodate 
 the capacity of the stomach to the bulk of its 
 contents, and. at the same time, to retain the 
 aliment until it is duly elaborated. 
 
 The stomach is abundantly vascular : in- 
 deed, it may be observed, that few structures 
 receive so much blood as this or^an ; four 
 arteries, three of which are considerable, are 
 exclusively devoted to its service, and their 
 several branches communicate most freely 
 with each other, in all directions, by innu- 
 merable anastomoses : and being tortuous. 
 they can then accommodate themselves to the 
 full and empty states of the cavity. Xor are 
 its nerves less numerous : they are composed 
 of the eighth pair and a great many filaments 
 proceeding from the solar plexus of the great 
 sympathetic. 
 3* 
 
30 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 The different secretions concerned in diges- 
 tion are thus enumerated by Dr. Paris : 
 
 1st. Saliva, which is formed by glands 
 whose excretory ducts open into the mouth. 
 2. Mucous matter, which results from the 
 action of numerous follicles situated in the 
 interior of the cheeks and palate, upon the 
 back of the tongue, on the anterior aspect of 
 velum, and on the uvula. 3. Gastric juice, 
 formed by the glands in the stomach, and the 
 mucus secreted by its membrane. 4. Mucus 
 intestinalis, or proper juice of the duodenum 
 and small intestines. 5. Bile, which being se- 
 creted in the liver and rendered more stimula- 
 ting in the gall bladder, is afterwards carried 
 into the duodenum. 6. Pancreatic juice, 
 which is secreted in the pancreas, and carried 
 into the duodenum along with the bile ; to 
 which perhaps may be added the watery 
 jluids thrown into the intestines by the ex- 
 halants. 
 
 If we may be allowed to conceive a con- 
 dition of the system in which all the organs 
 of digestion accurately perform their respec- 
 tive functions, and harmonize beautifully 
 with each other, like the well-oiled mechan- 
 
GENERAL REMARKS. 31 
 
 ism of the steam engine, we may well be- 
 lieve it a state of perfect health ; and indeed, 
 it were difficult to connect with such a con- 
 dition the idea of disease in any organ of the 
 human body. But as in the engine, besides 
 the wear and tear incident to matter, an un- 
 skilful and careless engineer, who piles on 
 fuel, raises the steam above the point of secu- 
 rity, and neglects the safety valve, hazards 
 a concussion awful to contemplate, or by de- 
 laying some repair which at first sight may 
 seem of minor importance, deranges first one 
 portion of the machinery, then another, until 
 all the parts become finally implicated and 
 obstructed. So it is with the human frame ; 
 if from any cause it receives a shock which 
 overpowers its vital energies, it succumbs to 
 the blow. If any of its organs become so 
 impaired as to produce diseased function, 
 a continuance of that condition will in the 
 end react upon the organ, involve other or- 
 gans and their functions in the derangement, 
 and finally undermine the constitution. 
 
 It would be foreign from our purpose to 
 treat of the various diseases that may affect 
 the digestive apparatus ; we shall, therefore, 
 
32 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 confine ourselves to the consideration of 
 Dyspepsia, which, as being the most general, 
 is also the most important. 
 
 Dyspepsia is most generally produced by 
 a series of errors in diet ; in which, of course, 
 we include improper potations. Every man 
 has a certain degree of vital energy allotted 
 to his organism, which constitutes health, 
 and an addition, or diminution therefrom, 
 elevates or depresses that power so as to con- 
 stitute an abnormal condition. Let us ap- 
 ply this principle to the stomach, and we can 
 very readily understand how it becomes dis- 
 eased. Let us suppose the vital energy 
 possessed by the stomach of A., who labours 
 on the canal, to be 20, and that of B., a mer- 
 chant, who is all day hanging over his desk, 
 to be 15 : now A. rises at dawn, works until 
 S a. m., in all probability has roused into 
 action all the organs of secretion and excretion, 
 and has a relish and appetite for his break- 
 fast. He needs no buckwheat cakes float- 
 ing in butter, to excite his salivary glands, 
 and he is contented with a plain but plentiful 
 meal. B., on the contrary, sleeps, or rather 
 lies in bed, until 7 a. m., and dresses in 
 
DYSPEPSIA. 33 
 
 time to meet his family at the breakfast-table 
 at 8 : his bowels are constipated, his liver is 
 torpid, his kidneys are sluggish, his skin is 
 dry, he has a morbid appetite, he eats hot 
 rolls and butter, beefsteak, or mutton-chops, 
 or likely enough, both. A .dish of stewed 
 oysters now makes its appearance, and he 
 cannot resist the temptation ; some three or 
 four varieties of hot cakes are served, and it 
 is necessary to decide which is the best ; so 
 he must have a nibble at all. Two large 
 cups of coffee accompany his meal, and he is 
 literally crammed to repletion. A. returns to 
 his work, whistles or sings all the while, or 
 cracks a joke with his fellow-labourer ; at 
 noon he eats his allowance of bread and fat 
 bacon, at night he again takes his homely 
 meal, and at a proper hour retires to his hard 
 couch and enjoys a depth of slumber that 
 kings may envy. B. after the meal through 
 which we have already accompanied him, 
 walks to his counting-room, pores over his 
 books, has a note to pay in bank for which he 
 is not prepared, is fretted or perhaps alarmed, 
 leaves his business at 3 p. m., takes a glass 
 of toddy to stimulate his appetite, eats turtle 
 
34 
 
 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 soup, corned beef, roast mutton, baked oys- 
 ters, boiled fish, wild ducks, bread, potatoes, 
 hominey, celery, variety pudding, crackers 
 and cheese, apples and raisins ; he drinks ale, 
 champagne, sherry, and perhaps port. He 
 lounges away his time until supper, takes 
 tea or coffee, writes until late, and then retires 
 to repose ! Now observe that the conduct of 
 these two persons is in the inverse ratio of 
 their vital powers. While A. invigorates his 
 digestive organs by just that degree of sti- 
 mulation which Nature informs him is ne- 
 cessary to repair the waste by the different 
 excretions, B. over-stimulates his already 
 feeble stomach, gives it a task to perform 
 which would oppress even the vigorous pow- 
 ers of A. and by a succession of such abuses 
 lays the foundation of maladies as grievous 
 as they are unmanageable. Will it be said 
 that we have caricatured the habits of B. ? 
 Alas ! there are too many fac-si miles, and 
 we are very certain that we might, with truth, 
 have given a deeper colouring to the picture, 
 in many cases. 
 
 If B., whose digestive powers may perhaps 
 be adequate to a slice of cold bread and half 
 
DYSPEPSIA. 35 
 
 a pound of roast beef or mutton, takes the 
 varied dinner we have already described, or 
 something like it ; he applies an over-stimulus 
 to the nervous expansion ; the nerves notify 
 the brain that an additional supply of blood 
 is necessary ; the brain sends its orders to the 
 heart, the heart gathers its fluid from the ca- 
 pillary system, and, guided by anxiety of the 
 nerves, directs the vital current to the mucous 
 coat ; next follows plethora, or engorgement ; 
 then succeeds irritation of the gastric nerves ; 
 then follows an excessive secretion of acid 
 and of air ; next comes pain, flatulence, 
 heart-burn, and innumerable ills. 
 
 A succession of irritations will produce in- 
 fiamniation, and then follows a defective or 
 highly vitiated secretion ; the pyloric glands 
 no longer discriminate between the portions 
 of chyme presented to them— it enters the 
 duodenum in a vitiated condition — the nerves 
 of this organ demand the sympathies of the 
 liver and pancreas — these are overstimulated, 
 irritated, engorged ; they send through their 
 ducts highly concentrated and acrid secre- 
 tions, the mucous coat of the intestines is irri- 
 tated, and the result is mucous diarrhoea or 
 
36 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 dysentery. In another portion of this work, 
 we have to consider the effects produced by 
 disease of the stomach on the lungs and 
 bronchi ; we will, therefore, for the present 
 only remark, that they are both extensive and 
 important. The heart, the kidneys, the skin, 
 and the brain, are all most seriously affected 
 by derangement of the digestive apparatus. 
 
 We recognise, nevertheless, a condition of 
 the stomach the reverse of plethora, which is 
 usually produced by excessive hemorrhages. 
 In this condition, a certain amount of nourish- 
 ment and stimulation is not only proper but 
 necessary. We should err greatly, however, 
 were we, in cases of anemia, to push nutri- 
 tion beyond the vital powers of the organ. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ALIMENT. 
 
 In a work like this it is not to be expect- 
 ed, nor indeed is it necessary, to classify the 
 different aliments used by man ; we shall 
 therefore content ourselves with brief re- 
 marks on the more important articles. Of 
 these the first and most important is bread. 
 Bread is composed of the farina of wheat, In- 
 dian corn, rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, rice. 
 The first named is decidedly the most valu- 
 able as an article of nutrition, and is accord- 
 ingly the most prized. It is fermented with 
 barm or yeast, and seasoned with a little salt. 
 If used as an article of diet, it should be suf- 
 fered to become what the English call stale, 
 that is, it should be kept twenty- four to forty- 
 eight hours before use. 
 
 What is termed " dyspepsia bread" is the 
 whole product of the grain without bolting, 
 and is found more aperient than that made 
 4 
 
38 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 from the finest flour. The next most import- 
 ant bread to an American is that which is 
 made from Indian corn. This is best made 
 in the very simplest manner, with water and 
 a little salt. This bread, to be at all palatable, 
 must be eaten hot, and with butter or some 
 oily substance. Hence arises the most serious 
 objection to it as an article of diet ; used, how- 
 ever, in the form of mush or hasty-pudding, 
 with sweet milk, it is a valuable article of re- 
 gimen. Rye used by itself is too close and 
 clammy, and therefore is well mixed with 
 wheat flour or Indian meal. Rice is a valu- 
 able article, either boiled in the grain or re- 
 duced to flour and mixed with wheat flour. 
 The greatest objection to it is a tendency to 
 constipate. 
 
 Barley and oats are so little used in this 
 country as aliments, that it is unnecessary to 
 notice them further. 
 
 The meats most favorable to digestion are 
 venison, mutton, beef, turkey, pheasants, com- 
 mon fowls. Any of these may be eaten in 
 moderate quantity, once a day, by almost any 
 patient in whose case animal food is at all 
 admissible. Corned beef is an article totally 
 
ALIMENT. 39 
 
 different from fresh, and should be forbidden, 
 as should also bacon, unless as a mere relish. 
 Eggs should be used sparingly whilst using 
 Sulphur Waters, and even milk is generally 
 too freely used. Pastry of all kinds is inad- 
 missible. Well-boiled vegetables may gene- 
 rally be used, with the exception of cabbage, 
 potatoes, or such others as may disagree in 
 each case. 
 
 Fruits do not agree well whilst using Sul- 
 phur Waters. They produce acidity, heart- 
 burn, and, not unfrequently, troublesome di- 
 arrhoea. 
 
 Wine, and all spirituous liquors, are gene- 
 rally injurious and improper ; there are, how- 
 ever, sometimes cases in which their stimulus 
 may be admissible. As a general rule, little 
 fluid should be taken except the Mineral 
 Water. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 TREATMENT. 
 
 The first consideration of the invalid af- 
 ter reaching his destination, should be to as- 
 certain whether his system is in a suitable 
 condition for commencing the use of the wa- 
 ter. It is quite probable that after a long 
 journey he may be constipated, that his liver 
 may have become torpid, that he may be 
 over-excited by fatigue ; in short, there are 
 many circumstances, any of which would 
 render it imprudent to enter hastily on a free 
 use of those powerful agents. If these condi- 
 tions of the system exist, let the alimentary 
 canal be freely evacuated by medicine adapted 
 to the case, and a strict regimen instituted for 
 forty-eight hours, or until oppression or excite- 
 ment is subdued, and then let the water be 
 taken in such a way as that it shall gradually 
 insinuate itself through the system, and act as 
 an alterative on the different functions of the 
 
TREATMENT. 41 
 
 economy. The safest plan, in serious cases^ 
 is to obtain the advice of a physician, with 
 the precautions already hinted at ; but, phy- 
 sician or no physician, we say to the patient, 
 festina le?ite. Be not influenced by the go- 
 aheadism so characteristic of our country ; but 
 go to work calmly and systematically. 
 
 If the weather and other circumstances ad- 
 mit, rise about 6, throw your cloak on your 
 shoulders, visit the Spring, take a small-sized 
 tumbler of water, move about in a brisk walk ; 
 drink again at 7, and once more at half past 7 ; 
 breakfast at 8, (what that breakfast should be, 
 you may infer from what we have said on diet.) 
 After breakfast, if you can command a carriage, 
 take a drive, otherwise a slow ride on horse- 
 back until 10. From 10 to 12, enjoy yourself 
 in conversation or other mode most agreeable 
 to you — eat no luncheon — at 12 take a glass of 
 water, at 1 take another. From 12 to 1 J, take 
 exercise at ten pins, quoits, billiards ; dine at 
 2, (see remarks on diet) ; amuse yourself in 
 social intercourse until 5. Take a drive, ride, 
 or walk, until 6 — drink a glass of water ; exer- 
 cise until 7 — take a cracker and a cup of 
 black tea. If you are a dancer, you may en- 
 4* 
 
42 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 joy it, but in moderation, until 9 — quaff a 
 glass of water from the Spring, and retire to 
 your room. 
 
 If you find yourself improving, remain at 
 the fountain ; but if, after a fair trial of the 
 water, taken after your system has been pro- 
 perly prepared, and accompanied by some- 
 thing like the course we have suggested, the 
 symptoms of your disease become aggravated, 
 or new ones supervene, then you should 
 abandon the use of the water, and try to find 
 another better adapted to your case. But if, 
 by an act of imprudence, you render that 
 noxious which under more auspicious cir- 
 cumstances would have been salutary, you 
 should not visit upon it the blame which is 
 due to your own indiscretion. It has been 
 made a question how long a mineral water 
 can be used with advantage. Different views 
 are entertained on this subject, but we are 
 convinced that no general rule can be given 
 when so much depends on the disease, its in- 
 tensity, the habits of the individual, and the 
 effects which are produced. Some recom- 
 mend a change at the end of a fortnight or 
 three weeks, alleging that a certain degree of 
 
TREATMENT. 43 
 
 congestion of the liver takes place about that 
 time, the tongue becomes furred, and head- 
 ache supervenes. If such symptoms arise, 
 there can be no doubt the use of the water 
 should be immediately intermitted until they 
 are removed ; but if strict inquiry be made, it 
 will be found that the patient has either been 
 strongly predisposed to this condition of the 
 liver, and has not prepared his system proper- 
 ly, or has swallowed down large quantities of 
 water and indulged his appetite, or perhaps 
 has taken one glass of sulphur water and two 
 of brandy and water ; but it will readily be 
 seen that these are abuses and argue nothing. 
 In truth, we sincerely believe that, in almost 
 every case, the whole season may be spent 
 with advantage at any Spring that suits the 
 patient's case ; and we are sure that in cases 
 of long continued disease, it is folly to expect 
 a radical cure in a few days or weeks. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Natural waters, when they are so far im- 
 pregnated with foreign substances as to have 
 a decided taste and a peculiar operation on 
 the animal economy, are called Mineral 
 Waters. 
 
 These are necessarily very diversified in their 
 natures, but they are conveniently arranged 
 for description under the four heads of Car- 
 bonated^ Sulphuretted, Chalybeate, and Sa- 
 line. 
 
 Carbonated waters are characterized by con- 
 taining an excess of carbonic acid, which gives 
 them a sparkling appearance, and the power 
 of reddening litmus paper. These waters 
 frequently contain the carbonates of lime, 
 magnesia, and iron, which are held in solu- 
 tion by the excess of carbonic acid. The 
 
 * United States Dispensatory : Wood & Bache, 1839. 
 
MINERAL WATERS. 45 
 
 Waters of Seltzer, Spa, and Pyrmont, in Eu- 
 rope, and of the Sweet Springs in Virginia, 
 belong to this class. 
 
 Sulphuretted Waters are such as contain 
 sulphuretted hydrogen, and are distinguished 
 by the peculiar fetid smell of that gas, and by 
 their yielding a brown precipitate with the 
 salts of lead or silver. Examples of this kind 
 of mineral water are furnished by the waters 
 of Aix la Chapelle and Harrowgate in Eu- 
 rope ; and those of the White, Red, and Salt 
 Sulphur Springs in Virginia. 
 
 Chalybeate Waters are characterized by a 
 strong inky taste, and by striking a black 
 colour with the infusion of galls, and a blue 
 one with ferrocyanate of potassa. The iron is 
 generally in the state of protocarbonate, held 
 in solution by excess of carbonic acid. By 
 standings the carbonic acid is given off, and 
 the protoxide becomes a hydrated sesquioxide 
 of an ocreous colour, and is precipitated. The 
 principal chalybeate waters are those of Tun- 
 bridge and Brighton in England, and Balston, 
 Spa, Bedford, and Brandywine, in the United 
 States. 
 
 Saline Waters are those the prominent 
 
46 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 properties of which depend on saline impreg- 
 nation. The salts most usually present are 
 the sulphates, muriates, and carbonates of 
 lime, magnesia, and soda. The principal 
 saline waters are those of Seidlitz in Bohemia, 
 Cheltenham and Bath in England, and Har- 
 rodsburg and Saratoga in the United States. 
 
 Carbonated Seltzer. — In a wine pint : car- 
 bonic acid, 17 cubic inches. Solid contents : 
 carbonate of soda, 4 grs. ; carbonate of mag- 
 nesia, 5 ; carbonate of lime, 3 ; chloride of 
 sodium, 17 ; total, 29 grs. 
 
 Sulphuretted. — Aix la Chapelle. In a wine 
 pint : sulphuretted hydrogen, 5-5 cubic inches. 
 Solid contents : carbonate of soda, 12 grs. ; 
 carbonate of lime, 4-75 ; chloride of sodium, 
 5 ; total, 20-75 grs. 
 
 Harroivgate Old Well. — In a wine gallon, 
 gaseous contents : sulphuretted hydrogen, 14 
 cubic inches ; carbonic acid, 4*25 ; nitrogen, 
 8 ; carbonated hydrogen, 445 ; total, 30-4 
 cubic inches. Solid contents : chloride of 
 sodium, 752 grs. ; muriate of lime, 65*75 ; 
 muriate of magnesia, 29-2 ; bi-carbonate of 
 soda, 12-8 ; total, 859-75. 
 
MINERAL WATERS. 47 
 
 White Sulphur.*— In a wine gallon, gaseous 
 contents : sulphuretted hydrogen, 2-5 cubic 
 inches ; carbonic acid, 2 ; oxygen, 1-448 ; 
 nitrogen, 3*552 ; total, 9-5. Solid contents in 
 a pint : sulphate of magnesia, 5-588 grs. ; sul- 
 phate of lime, 7-744 ; carbonate of lime, 1-150 ; 
 muriate of lime, 0-204 ; chloride of sodium, 
 0-180 ; oxide of iron, a trace ; loss, 0-410 ; 
 total, 15-276 grs.— ( Wm. B. Rogers.) 
 
 Red Sulphur. — " I herewith send you an 
 account of my analysis of the large Spring : — 
 Temperature 58°, (54° by the corrected ther- 
 mometer.) Gaseous contents in an imperial 
 gallon : sulphuretted hydrogen, 4-54 cubic 
 inches ; carbonic acid, 8-73 ; nitrogen, 4-23. 
 
 Solid contents of 32 cubic inches of water, 
 
 * The analysis of the White Sulphur is, like all others 
 that precede it, taken from the United States Dispensa- 
 tory, published in 1839. The analysis of the Hot Springs 
 by Professor Rogers was given to a member of the au- 
 thor's family by Dr. Goode, and that of the Red Sulphur 
 i3 an extract from a letter of Professor Rogers, which the 
 author feels authorised to make public. It will be readily 
 seen, however, that all the analyses furnished by Prof. R. 
 are mere outlines, and there is good reason to believe that 
 he will now very shortly favour the public with his long 
 contemplated work on the Geology and Mineral Waters 
 of Virginia. 
 
48 SPRINGS OP WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 1-23 grs., consisting of sulphate of soda, lime 
 and magnesia, carbonate of lime and muriate 
 of soda. 
 
 Besides these ingredients, the water con- 
 tains in considerable quantities a peculiar or- 
 ganic substance, which mingled with sulphur, 
 is deposited on the sides of the Spring, and 
 seems to increase by a species of vital growth. 
 This matter is analogous to what occurs in 
 several European springs, and has lately been 
 designated by the name of Glairine. Its ex- 
 istence in the Red Sulphur so largely may be 
 an important cause of the valuable and pecu- 
 liar agencies of the water. You may state 
 the substance of what I have mentioned re- 
 specting the contents of the Spring, and urge 
 p articul arly the peculiar value of the watedf 
 in pulmonary disease, on account of its free- 
 dom from irritating saline matters, its low 
 temperature, the quantity of sulph. hydrogen, 
 and probably the large amount of organic 
 matter which it holds dissolved." 
 
 Hot Springs. — The free gas in boiler con- 
 tained in 100 cubic inches : nitrogen, 1*16 ; 
 oxygen, 0*20 ; total, 7*41. There is also a 
 trace of hydrogen in the water, but not a suf- 
 
MINERAL WATERS. 49 
 
 ficient quantity to admit of determination. 
 The saline ingredients in 64 cubic inches are 
 as follows : 
 
 Carbonate of lime, 4-82 grs. 
 Sulphate of lime, 1*52 
 
 Sulphate of soda, 0-92 
 
 Sulphate of magnesia, 0-57 
 Muriate of soda, 0*37 
 
 Silica, 0-05 
 
 Total, 8-25 
 
 A trace of oxide of iron and muriates of mas:- 
 nesia and lime. 
 
 A comparative glance at our Mineral 
 Springs and those of Europe, will in most 
 instances show a large excess of gases and 
 salt in favour of the latter ; but this is the 
 very reason that our waters probably excel 
 all others on the globe. Their relative quan- 
 tities being more happily adjusted, and their 
 combinations more elaborate, the effect upon 
 the economy is more in accordance with the 
 operations of nature. It is not the visible 
 effect upon the excretions that is the most 
 valuable in a Mineral Water, but that gentle, 
 imperceptible influence which, without any 
 5 
 
50 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 apparent disturbance of the visceral functions, 
 clears the jaundiced complexion, animates the 
 languid eye, invigorates the enfeebled diges- 
 tion, cheers the drooping spirits, moistens the 
 hot, husky, arid skin, imparts softness and 
 volume and reduced quickness to the excited 
 circulation, calms the agitated nerves, soothes 
 the irritated mucous surfaces, gives motion 
 and elasticity to the stiffened joints, and re- 
 stores the constitution to health and youthful 
 vigour with more certainty than could the 
 fabled incantations of the Colchian sorceress. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 WARM SPRINGS. 
 
 Having finished our general remarks, we 
 beg leave to introduce our reader to our friend. 
 Col. John Fry, the worthy lessee and host at 
 the Warm Springs. Col. Fry is the son of 
 a revolutionary patriot, and of a " good stock" 
 He is a short, thick-set man ; graceful, gay and 
 courteous in his manner. In anecdote and 
 story tellings he is unrivalled ; and such, 
 indeed, is his fund of the latter, that he is 
 sometimes compelled to have recourse to his 
 list by way of memorandum, as the devotee 
 to his beads. It were worth the while of the 
 dyspeptic to spend some days with him, if it 
 were only to laugh himself into good hu- 
 mour. 
 
 Although probably on the shady side of 
 three-score years, he can cut a "pigeon 
 wing " with the youngest and most buoyant ; 
 and as a ladies' man, he bears the palm from 
 all competitors. But while he is lively with 
 
52 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 the gay, he can be grave with the austere, and 
 can accommodate himself to the dispositions 
 of his guests with a facility we have never 
 seen surpassed, and which can only be at- 
 tained by constant intercourse with mankind. 
 It is persons thus constituted that are alone 
 suited for tavern-keepers. It is an art that, 
 like riding or swimming, must be learned in 
 early life ; and we would say to him, who- 
 ever he may be, that has not been thus early 
 indoctrinated, exchange the pursuit for some 
 other more congenial avocation. 
 
 Qui semel aspexit quantum dimissa petitis 
 Pr&stent, mature redeat repetatque relicta. 
 
 " The Hotel, according to Col. Perkins, is 
 150 feet in length, built of brick, with a 
 piazza 15 feet wide ; the lodging chambers 
 are large and the fare good." The accom- 
 modations we should think sufficiently ex- 
 tensive for 100 persons. 
 
 The Warm Spring Bath is one of the great- 
 est subjects of curiosity in Western Virginia. 
 We were about to attempt a description of it, 
 but finding it prepared to our hand in an 
 interesting article in Bell on Baths and 
 Mineral Waters, we are sure it will be more 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 53 
 
 welcome than any thing we could say on the 
 subject : 
 
 " The Warm and the Hot Springs in Vir- 
 ginia, and the Warm Springs in Buncombe 
 county, North Carolina, furnish delightful 
 natural baths for recreation and health. The 
 bath at the Warm Springs, Bath Court-House, 
 Virginia, is of an octagonal form, and forty 
 feet wide from one angle to the opposite one, 
 and between five and six feet deep in places, 
 and no where less than four ; the bottom is 
 gravelly. The water of the Spring that sup- 
 plies it is of the temperature of 96° Fahrenheit, 
 clear and transparent, and emitting gas in 
 large quantities. Few feelings can be more 
 pleasurable than those which are produced 
 by bathing in the water. Here one is like a 
 native of the Sandwich Islands, who, after a 
 long absence from home, is at last landed on 
 his native shore : he plunges in the liquid 
 element in which he had been wont to disport 
 himself in his earlier days, and, by every va- 
 riety of attitude and gesture, endeavours to 
 compensate himself for his past privations. 
 After a few bathings in the Warm Springs, 
 gout and rheumatic cripples begin to exercise 
 
54 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 those joints which were immoveable as "by 
 Anchylosis knit," and soon enjoy entire ex- 
 emption from pain. The more juvenile and 
 healthy, who bathe for pleasure, have to be 
 reminded of the lapse of time, and cautioned 
 against the undue exercise of swimming, 
 which, joined to a prolonged stay in the water, 
 cause diaphoresis and some subsequent lan- 
 guor and debility. Two hours at a time are 
 allotted for the ladies to take the bath, and 
 the same period for the gentlemen, and so on 
 through the day. A white flag is hoisted as 
 a signal that it is occupied by the former. 
 The water can be let off at the end of every 
 bathing ; and so abundant is the supply, that 
 the basin is soon replenished by the Spring- 
 gushing up from the gravelly bottom. The 
 basin has over it a wooden top, and is pro- 
 vided, on both sides, with small rooms, 
 heated, when occasion requires it, by fires. 
 It is here the bathers undress and dress, and 
 here an attendant is always in waiting. 
 Lower down the meadow, in which is the 
 chief Spring which supplies the bath just 
 described, is another warm one, the wa- 
 ter of which is reserved for internal use. 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 55 
 
 Close to it is a hydrant, from which cold cha- 
 lybeate water is procured. Near to these is 
 a warm bath similar in temperature and other 
 properties to the first, but of small dimensions, 
 and principally intended for the use of the 
 more aged and infirm, and for children." 
 
 We subjoin also, by way of episode, the 
 very spirited and beautiful legend of this 
 Spring given by Mr. Otis of Boston, as derived 
 from the old bath-keeper, and extracted from 
 his article in the Southern Literary Mes- 
 senger of March, 1838 : 
 
 " A young Indian, more than two centuries 
 ago, was coming from the Western valley of 
 the great Appalachian mountains, towards 
 the waters of the East, that opened into the 
 beautiful bay whose branches touch the 
 strands of some of the mightiest marts of a 
 nation that was not then in existence. He 
 had never trodden that path before, and no- 
 thing but the pride of youth, which would 
 not brook that his brethren of other tribes 
 should triumph over him as their inferior in 
 adventure, had sustained his manly heart so 
 far ; for he had come, since the rising sun 
 first touched, that day, the mighty peaks of 
 
56 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 the Alleghanies, from the vales that lay at 
 their feet on the west. He was going to carry 
 the voice and vote of a powerful nation to the 
 council-fire that was kindling on the banks 
 of the great water, and he felt shame at the 
 recurrence of the idea that the place of the 
 young Appalachian Leopard could be vacant. 
 But the night winds beat coldly around him, 
 and the way was dark. There had been 
 rains, and the earth was damp and swampy ; 
 and no grass, or fern, or heather, was at. hand 
 with which to make a bed in the bosom of 
 the valley where he stood. He had not 
 strength to climb the near range of moun- 
 tains that drew up their summits before, as 
 if to shut out all hopes that he could accom- 
 plish his ardent desire. Weary, dispirited, 
 and ready to despair, he came suddenly upon 
 an open space among the low underwood 
 that covered the valley where he was wan- 
 dering, and upon looking narrowly he ob- 
 served that it was filled with water. He 
 could see the clear reflection of the bright 
 evening star that was just declining to her 
 rest, and that was peeping into the foun- 
 tain : — 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 57 
 
 1 Like a bride full of blushes, just lingering to take 
 A last look in her mirror, at night, ere she goes.' 
 
 u By this translucent reflection, he could per- 
 ceive that the water was clear, and its depth 
 he could discern by the pebbles that glistened 
 in the star-light from the bottom. He saw, 
 too, that the water was continually flowing 
 off, and supplying a stream that ran rippling 
 away among the roots of the oaks that sur- 
 rounded the spot ; and as he stooped to taste 
 the liquid element, he found it warm, as if 
 inviting him to relax his chilled limbs by 
 bathing in its tepid bosom. 
 
 M He laid aside his bow and quiver, unstrung 
 his pouch from his brawny shoulder, took off 
 his mocassins, and plunged in. A new life 
 invigorated his wearied spirit, new strength 
 seemed given to his almost rigid nerves ; he 
 swam, he dived, he lay prostrate upon the 
 genial waves in a sort of dreaming ecstacy of 
 delight ; and when the first dawn of day 
 broke over the rock-crowned hill, at the foot 
 of which the Spring of Strength lay enshrin- 
 ed, the young Leopard came forth from his 
 watery couch, and strode proudly up the 
 mountain < where path there was none.' 
 
58 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 He was i a young giant, rejoicing to run his 
 course.' Full of new fire and vigour, he man- 
 fully sped on his way ; and upon the eve of 
 that day, when the chiefs and the sons of 
 chiefs were seated around the solemn coun- 
 cil-fire, no one of them all was found more 
 graceful in address, more commanding in 
 manner, more pleasing in look, and sagacious 
 in policy, than the young Appalachian 
 Leopard who bathed in the Spring of 
 Strength" 
 
 Col. Perkins says : " The water is perfectly 
 transparent, and almost as buoyant as the 
 Dead Sea, as described by Stevens. Bubbles 
 are constantly rising from the bottom ; the 
 fact that when empty it takes but fifteen 
 minutes to fill it, shows the abundant supply 
 of this Mountain Spring." All who have de- 
 scribed this noble fountain, write with enthu- 
 siasm ; nor is it indeed to be wondered at, for 
 the world may well be challenged for its equal. 
 Its temperature, buoyancy, refractive power, 
 transparency — all invest it with indescribable 
 luxury to the feelings and to the sight. 
 
 The effect on the human form is dazzling. 
 Could Damon have caught a glance at his 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 59 
 
 Musidora in such a pool, it were indeed a trial 
 of" love's respectful modesty"' to withdraw his 
 gaze — 
 
 " Then to the flood she rush'd ; the parted flood 
 
 Its lovely guest with closing waves received, 
 
 And every beauty softening, every grace 
 
 Flushing anew, a mellow lustre shed ; 
 
 As shines the lily, through the crystal mild ; 
 
 Or as the rose amid the morning dew, 
 
 Fresh from Aurora's hand, more sweetly glows." 
 
 Thus far we have looked on the sunny side 
 of the picture ; we regret that a regard to 
 truth requires us to introduce more of the 
 sombre than is agreeable. Tempting, then, 
 as is this pellucid fountain, it is necessary that 
 the traveller should know there is danger in 
 the indulgence. Experience, fatal in some 
 cases, has taught this fact. 
 
 Dr. Huntt makes the following statement : 
 " On the third evening I arrived at the Warm 
 Springs, a distance of two hundred and thirty 
 miles from Washington ; and immediately after 
 getting out of the stage, I plunged into the 
 delightful bath at that place, an imprudence 
 against which I would earnestly caution all 
 invalids, who arrive after a long journey with 
 
60 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 the whole system exhausted by fatigue. The 
 consequence in my own case warrants me in 
 pronouncing it fraught with great danger. 
 While in the bath, its effects were very grate- 
 ful and pleasant ; but shortly after leaving it 
 I became chilly, and this feeling was followed 
 by hot skin, intense headache, and pain in 
 the chest." 
 
 Many years ago, when afflicted with hemor- 
 rhages, pain in the chest, cough, quick pulse, 
 and other indications of pulmonary disease, 
 we committed a like imprudence, and the re- 
 sult was precisely similar to that described by 
 Dr. Huntt. 
 
 We have known several hemorrhages in- 
 duced by bathing in this Spring, and indeed 
 where there is predisposition, they may be 
 looked for with much certainty. Would an 
 unmedicated bath of 96° produce the same 
 effect under similar circumstances ? We are 
 sure it would not ; and in such a condition 
 as that of Dr. Huntt on his arrival, we are 
 certain that a plain bath of equal temperature 
 would have abstracted caloric from his fever- 
 ish, excited system, and calmed, refreshed, and 
 invigorated him. We do not hear of similar 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 61 
 
 injury done by the bath of the same tempera- 
 ture at the Hot Springs. 
 
 It is produced by the excess of nitrogen or 
 azotic gas in the water. Largely over nine- 
 tenths of those beautiful bubbles rising from 
 the bottom are supposed to be of this gas : the 
 remainder are carbonic acid gas. Atmospheric 
 air consists of 21 parts of oxygen gas. and 79 
 of azotic gas. The latter undiluted is irre- 
 spirable. and being in excess produces great 
 distress in the pulmonary apparatus. The 
 lungs make efforts to take in oxygen, the dia- 
 phragm is spasmodically raised, the heart is 
 compressed and excited, the quality of the 
 blood itself is impaired by defective oxygena- 
 tion — the lungs, or pleura, or both, become 
 congested : rupture of blood vessels takes 
 place, or pleurisy, pneumonia, or irritation of 
 the mucous surfaces supervenes. In a word. 
 such a catastrophe may be productive of in- 
 calculable evils. That this is the true expla- 
 nation of the pathological condition produced 
 by the bath is evident, when we find that re- 
 maining half an hour in the house, without 
 bathing at all. produces similar phenomena. 
 Now. in our own case, robust as we seem, we 
 6 
 
62 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 dare not remain in the atmosphere of the 
 Spring fifteen minutes, and we have seen 
 others who were affected like ourselves. 
 
 We desire not to be understood as asserting 
 that the greater portion of those who enjoy the 
 luxury of this delightful bath, cannot do so 
 with safety and advantage ; but as intimating 
 that the exceptions are sufficiently numerous 
 to justify caution in its use. 
 
 We have perceived that a writer in the 
 Southern Literary Messenger of May last, has 
 charged us with " an effort to detract from 
 the value of the Bath, by representing these 
 gases as hurtful to those 'who are afflicted 
 with hemorrhages, pain in the chest, cough, 
 quick pulse and other indications of pulmo- 
 nary disease.' "* In order to prove to the wri- 
 ter in the Messenger that we had not any sin- 
 ister object in view in our remarks upon the pe- 
 culiar effect of the atmosphere of the Bath on 
 ourselves and others, we cheerfully give a place 
 to the well-written article from the Messenger. 
 In every case in which our positions are con- 
 troverted or our opinions doubted, we desire to 
 place before the reader both sides of the ques- 
 
 * It will be seen that the quotation in the Messenger is 
 imperfect. 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 
 
 63 
 
 tion, and then he can judge for himself. 
 Were we to enter into an elaborate argument 
 to sustain every opinion and to refute every 
 objection, we should indeed bring upon our- 
 selves a Herculean labour. In the present 
 case we ask of the reader a careful perusal of 
 our remarks, and then of the commentary 
 upon them, and we are sure he will perceive 
 that the commentator yields all for which 
 we contended, viz. that great caution is neces- 
 sary in the use of so stimulating an agent. 
 As to the opinion of Dr. Beddoes, which is 
 relied on, the writer should have seen that it 
 does not apply. A preponderance of one of 
 the component parts of the atmosphere is one 
 thing ; great excess, as in this case, is another. 
 We never intended to convey the idea that 
 there was danger to healthy, nor even to 
 slightly indisposed persons, in bathing in the 
 Warm Springs ; but we do assert that no sane 
 man ought to advise a man afflicted with 
 hemorrhages, pain in the chest, cough, quick 
 pulse, and other indications of pulmonary dis- 
 ease, to bathe in that water. 
 
 Within the three last years, our old friend 
 Col. Fry removed, first to Richmond, and af < 
 
64 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 terwards to Charlottesville, where he paid the 
 debt of nature. 
 
 For the last two years the Springs have 
 been under the immediate control of the pro- 
 prietor, Dr. John Brockenbrough, former Pre- 
 sident of the Bank of Virginia. He has se- 
 lected that place as his summer retreat, and 
 there we hope the nymphs of the fountain 
 will annually seethe him to re-juvenescence, 
 so that for many, many years, he may adorn 
 society as one of the last of the " gentlemen 
 of the old school" — a generation, now, alas ! 
 rapidly passing away. 
 
 The aspect of the place is very much im- 
 proved, within two years. There is great 
 neatness and scrupulous cleanliness all 
 through the establishment. We found the 
 managers obliging and the servants among 
 the best in Virginia ; in fine, we saw nothing 
 to find fault with, but every thing calculated 
 to produce comfort. 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 65 
 
 {Southern Literary Messenger.) 
 
 These Springs are situated in a beautiful 
 but narrow valley in the county of Bath, be- 
 tween two ranges of lofty mountains, running 
 parallel from North-East, to South- West ; lying 
 about 170 miles nearly West from Richmond, 
 and on the direct turnpike road leading through 
 Staunton, and by the Hot and White Sul- 
 phur Springs, to Guyandotte, on the Ohio 
 river. 
 
 The views from many points of the Warm 
 Springs mountain, especially from the Gap 
 where the road crosses, and from the Rock, 
 (2,700 feet above tide water,) are much cele- 
 brated for their grandeur. These Springs 
 have long been famed for their mineral and 
 medicinal qualities, having been resorted to by 
 invalids from the tide water country, in search 
 of health, for nearly seventy years past. The 
 land was patented so the enterprising Lewis 
 family, by Governor Fauquier, in the year 
 1760. Some years elapsed thereafter, before 
 there was even a wagon road over the. Warm 
 Springs mountain ; the traces of a Warehouse 
 are still visible at the Eastern base of the 
 6* 
 
66 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 mountain, where the wagons were unloaded 
 and their contents transferred to pack-horses 
 and distributed throughout the western coun- 
 try, this side of the Ohio river. There is now 
 an excellent and well-graded road over this 
 mountain. Many tales are related, by the 
 older inhabitants of this part of the country, 
 of the discovery and use made of these waters 
 by the Indians, which are probably, in part, 
 fabulous, but it is well ascertained that soon 
 after the discovery of them by civilized man, 
 they became celebrated for their curative qual- 
 ities in various diseases, as well as for the lux- 
 ury of bathing ; that they were frequented at 
 much labour and fatigue by great multitudes, 
 before any other than the Sweet Springs, of 
 the valuable watering places in Western Vir- 
 ginia, were known. 
 
 For the general effects of the Warm Bath 
 on numerous cases of disease, we may refer to 
 the work of Dr. Bell, " on Baths and Mineral 
 Waters." He enumerates the following dis- 
 eases, in which the Warm Bath, from 95° to 
 98°, will exert a curative agency, viz. : 
 " Acute pain, with irregular and convulsive 
 action of the muscles ; convulsions of children 
 and hysterical affections of females ; mania 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 67 
 
 and mental derangement generally ; bilious 
 cholic; infantile cholera and cholera morbus ; 
 chronic diarrhoea 5 croup ; catarrh ; bronchitis, 
 in chronic form ; asthma ; organic affections of 
 the heart; chronic affections of the liver; ne- 
 phritic disorders ; amenorrhcea ; affections of 
 the skin in various forms ; violent cases of 
 gout ; chronic rheumatism ; suppression of 
 perspiration and pains in the muscles and 
 joints ; pains in the limbs, following a mercu- 
 rial course ; paralytic affections," &c. In all 
 these cases the Warm Bath acts as a powerful 
 auxiliary to the appropriate remedies prescrib- 
 ed by the physician. After the fatigue and 
 exhaustion of a long journey, or other severe 
 exercise, the Warm Bath is peculiarly adapted 
 to the refreshment and renovation of the 
 body, and to the composure of the mind, as 
 well as of the nervous system. It is well 
 known that the Emperor Napoleon always re- 
 sorted to it during the toils of his various 
 campaigns, declaring that it had the effect of 
 soothing and refreshing him. Dr. Darwin re- 
 marks, " to those who are past the meridian 
 of life, and have dry skins, and begin to be 
 emaciated, the Warm Bath, for half an hour, 
 twice a week, 1 believe to be eminently ser- 
 
68 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 viceable in retarding the advances of age." 
 Those truly practical philosophers, Dr. Frank- 
 lin and Count Rumford, bear testimony to the 
 benefits of the Warm Bath, by using it to 
 late periods of their lives ; and in the South- 
 ern countries of Europe it is deemed as essen- 
 tial to the preservation of health, as it is to 
 cleanliness and comfort. Of the luxurious 
 Baths of Egypt, Greece and Rome, we have 
 the most florid descriptions in all the histories 
 of those countries. 
 
 With regard to the use of the Baths at the 
 Warm Springs, it may be safely remarked, 
 that the pleasure and voluptuousness of bath- 
 ing in them are such as, in a great measure, 
 to supersede the idea of their more valuable 
 properties, as medicinal waters ; on the princi- 
 ple, perhaps, that remedies grateful to the pal- 
 ate are never so efficacious to the patient as 
 those which are more nauseous. It is not 
 pretended that these waters act as a panacea 
 in all cases, or that they may not be injudi- 
 ciously used, but many cases might be cited in 
 which the Warm Springs' Bath, especially 
 when resorted to for some weeks, and aided 
 by the internal use of the water, has been at- 
 tended with the happiest effects. In dyspep- 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 69 
 
 sia of long standing, there have been some 
 remarkable instances of permanent cure from 
 a daily bath, and half a dozen glasses of wa- 
 ter drunk at the fountain, when persisted in 
 for six or seven weeks. In chronic rheuma- 
 tism and paralytic affections^ similar effects 
 have been produced by the same course: but 
 it is the misfortune of those who labour under 
 chronic diseases, that they are prone to expect 
 relief in a short time, and become impatient 
 under those slow and alterative remedies that 
 can alone restore them to health. Such com- 
 plaints, in nine case out of ten, yield only to a 
 judicious course of treatment, long persisted 
 in. There is no remedy yet discovered, by 
 the medical faculty, which will at once cure 
 them, and it is no rash opinion that the Warm 
 Spring Bath, with the water taken internally, 
 assisted by proper regimen, moderate exercise 
 and pure air, will have more efficacy in many 
 chronic diseases, than all the drugs that can 
 be prescribed by the faculty. The tempera- 
 ture of these medicinal waters affords a gentle 
 stimulus to the surface and causes it to cast 
 off its impurities, while it disposes the skin to 
 absorb a certain portion of the fluid, with the 
 substances held in solution by it. This, in it- 
 
70 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 self, is of great benefit to the invalid, while to 
 a person in health, the most pleasurable and 
 soothing sensations are excited, particularly 
 when friction is employed on coming out of 
 the Bath. From the immense quantity of 
 gas rising from the bottom of the Baths at the 
 Warm Springs, in innumerable and beautiful 
 little bubbles, like globules of quicksilver in 
 appearance, and which add so much to the 
 delightful sensations when bathing in these 
 noble reservoirs, an effort has been made to 
 detract from the value of the Bath, by repre- 
 senting these gases as hurtful to those " who 
 are afflicted with hemorrhages from the lungs, 
 pains in the chest and other indications of 
 pulmonary disease." Without entering on 
 any fine spun theory on this point ; it may be 
 observed, that persons labouring under such 
 diseases, whether incipient or advanced, are 
 usually oppressed when breathing an atmos- 
 phere highly charged with vapour, and while 
 it would not be recommended to consumptive 
 patients to use these Baths, it may safely be 
 averred that there is no quality in the gases, 
 rising from them, peculiarly injurious in such 
 cases. Consumptive patients, it is well 
 known, have more to apprehend from an ex- 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 71 
 
 cess of oxygen in the air they breathe, than 
 from any other quality in the atmosphere, and 
 no experienced Physician would recommend 
 to those who are predisposed to, or are labour- 
 ing under phthisis pulmonalis, to resort to 
 what is termed pure mountain air : the effects 
 of all the mineral waters, or other internal 
 remedies that can be taken, are more than 
 counteracted by such a climate. The mild 
 and temperate regions of the South, even 
 where marsh miasma prevails, are preferred, 
 for such patients, to the keen air of the moun- 
 tains, abounding with an over proportion of 
 oxygen, for weak or diseased lungs. The cel- 
 ebrated Dr. Beddoes, so eminent in consump- 
 tive cases, recommended to his patients thus 
 afflicted, to sleep over cow-houses, where the 
 proportion of oxygen in the air was less, and 
 that of azote greater. That the smell of the 
 sulphuretted hydrogen gas, which rises from 
 the Warm Bath, affects, in some instances, 
 persons of particular Idiosyncracies, (some- 
 times only for a few moments,) is most true ; 
 and so there are persons who faint at the 
 smell of the tuberose, or iris, in a close room, 
 or even at the fragrance of the damask rose. 
 But, that there is nothing deleterious in the 
 
72 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 gases rising from the Warm Spring Bath, is 
 established by the fact that a Bath keeper, for 
 thirty or forty years, slept in one of the dress- 
 ing-rooms, during the Bathing seasons, and at 
 last died of dropsy at the advanced age of 90. 
 His successor, who has been almost constantly 
 in attendance for the last 15 years, is also a 
 remarkably robust and healthy man. These 
 facts are the best commentary on the assertion 
 that " remaining half an hour in the house, 
 without bathing at all, produces great dan- 
 ger." 
 
 The following analysis of the water of the 
 Warm Springs, was made in the year 1835, 
 by Professor Rogers, of the University of Vir- 
 ginia, and is, doubtless, very nearly correct. 
 " The large Bath is an octagon, 3S feet in di- 
 ameter; its area is 1163.77 feet. The ordi- 
 nary depth being five feet," (it can be increas- 
 ed to six;) " the cubic capacity is 5818.86 
 feet, or 43,533.32 gallons ; notwithstanding 
 the leaks, this quantity of water will flaw into 
 the reservoir in one hour. The average tem- 
 perature of the Bath is 98 degrees, Fahren- 
 heit. The gas which rises in the Bath con- 
 sists of Nitrogen ; with minute quantities of 
 Sulphuretted Hydrogen and Carbonic Acid. 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 73 
 
 Besides this gas, each gallon of water contains 
 4.5 cubic inches of gas, consisting of nitro- 
 gen 3.25 cubic inches. 
 Sulphur. Hydrogen 0.25 do. 
 Carbonic Acid 1.00 do. 
 The saline contents of one gallon of the 
 water are as follows : 
 
 Muriate of Lime - - - 3.968 
 
 Sulphate of Magnesia (Epsom Salts) 9.984 
 Carbonate of Lime - - 4.288 
 
 Sulphate of Lime - - 5.466 
 
 And a trace of Soda - - 0.000 
 
 23.706 
 
 From this account it appears, that these 
 waters contain neutral salts and various gases, 
 which act as a gentle aperient, diuretic, and 
 diaphoretic. The large proportion of epsom 
 salts, (nearly one-half,) is not only ascertained 
 by analysis, but by the formation of the beau- 
 tiful crystals from the spray, as the water falls 
 over the Hood-gate. This salt, doubtless, 
 gives the water its aperient quality, while the 
 carbonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen, give 
 tone and vigour to the stomach. In Europe 
 it is found that the tepid waters tend more to 
 strengthen the digestive organs than those of 
 
74 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 a low temperature, more especially in gouty 
 patients, but the water of the Warm Springs 
 loses nothing of its aperient quality by being 
 cooled in closely stopped bottles, and it, be- 
 comes more palatable to many by that pro- 
 cess. 
 
 With regard to Bathing, some precautions 
 are necessary and proper. No person in a 
 high fever, or under a high inflammatory dia- 
 thesis should use the bath ; when the inflam- 
 matory symptoms have been reduced by eva- 
 cuants and depletion, he can resort to it with 
 advantage and will find it to soothe him. 
 From experience it has been ascertained that 
 it is injudicious to go into the Bath after a full 
 meal. In the morning, before breakfast, when 
 the stomach is empty, or an hour before din- 
 ner, are the best times to bathe. Some per- 
 sons prefer taking the Bath just before going 
 to bed, and it generally produces a gentle per- 
 spiration, followed by refreshing sleep, if none, 
 or a very light supper has been taken. It has 
 often been remarked that visiters, after pass- 
 ing some time at that most valuable of all 
 our watering places, the White Sulphur, im- 
 prove in health most rapidly at the Warm 
 Springs, which become the general resort for 
 
WARM SPRINGS. 75 
 
 ten days or a fortnight after the circuit of the 
 more Western Springs has been made. Be- 
 sides the large octagonal Bath, there has late- 
 ly been erected a second, or " Lady's Bath," 
 neatly finished and of equal depth, and before 
 the next season a third, or " Spout Bath," 
 will be in readiness. The " drinking Spring" 
 will also be much improved in appearance be- 
 fore that time. The rise and flow of water 
 from the Spring and Baths, is estimated at six 
 thousand gallons a minute, and form a stream 
 sufficient to drive the wheel of a large mill. 
 The accommodations and comforts at the 
 Warm Springs are equal to those of any other 
 watering place in Virginia, but are limited in 
 extent. The natural scenery is beautiful, but 
 as the place was originally laid out for a vil- 
 lage, the public road passing by the Court- 
 house and the hotel prevents a judicious or 
 tasteful arrangement of the grounds about it. 
 The square containing the Spring and Baths 
 is, however, in the progress of improvement. 
 With the delicious climate in summer and au- 
 tumn, the Warm Springs afford a delightful 
 sojourn for some weeks, in those seasons of 
 the year. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 Travelling west, five miles from the 
 Warm Springs you reach the Hot Springs. 
 This property is owned by Dr. Thomas 
 Goode, a physician of high standing for ta- 
 lents and experience, and a man in the hones- 
 ty of whose advice we think entire reliance 
 may be placed. 
 
 Dr. G. is a tall, gentlemanly man, of great 
 conversational powers and extensive informa- 
 tion. He is high-toned, and by some would 
 be termed supercilious in his manners ; the 
 remarks we made on the subject of his neigh- 
 bour, though not intended for him, are never- 
 theless applicable to his case. His education 
 and early habits of life were too high-pitched 
 for such an occupation, and should serve as 
 an apology for any deficiency in the art of 
 pleasing. 
 
 Whatever may be the opinion of Dr. Goode's 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 77 
 
 manner, however, all will acknowledge that 
 his fare is excellent and plentiful, and served 
 with neatness and comfort, and all his arrange- 
 ments conducive to the great object he has in 
 view — the physical improvement of his pa- 
 tients. We presume his accommodations are 
 ample for 150 persons. 
 
 " The Hot Springs (Bell) are three in num- 
 ber. One of them is of the temperature of 
 96° Fahrenheit, and of a moderate depth, and 
 sufficiently capacious for several persons to 
 bathe at a time. Spout Bath 103. Hot Bath 
 108." 
 
 " The temperature (Col. Perkins) of the 
 Spout Bath is 106°. These baths are particu- 
 larly resorted to by persons afflicted with gout, 
 rheumatism, eruptions of the skin, and other 
 disorders enumerated in the printed accounts 
 of the Springs. There are two baths in which 
 the water may be taken at six feet fall on any 
 part of the body ; the column of water is three 
 by four inches, and when taken at the whole 
 height of the fall, must prove beneficial to rheu- 
 matic patients and others where the douche 
 is required. As one of the baths is capacious, 
 it is used as a swimming bath by the sick, as 
 7* 
 
78 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 well as those who are travelling for pleasure ; 
 and afforded the writer great delight as well 
 as benefit." 
 
 It will be seen by the analysis of the Hot 
 Springs, that they are not obnoxious to the 
 charge brought against the Warm — of an ex- 
 cess of nitrogen gas ; they may, therefore, be 
 used in all cases in which any water of their 
 temperature is admissible ; but as the Hot 
 bath is decidedly stimulating to the human 
 system, it is always proper, if not absolutely 
 necessary, to obtain the best advice before we 
 have recourse to so powerful an agent. There 
 cannot be the slightest doubt of the high cura- 
 tive power of the Hot Springs, and nothing is 
 more certain than that they are destined to 
 become extensively useful in a country of 
 such variable climate as ours, and in which 
 rheumatic affections must necessarily be so 
 general ; but, on the other hand, if improperly 
 applied, we know of no agent which may pro- 
 duce a greater amount of mischief. Dr. G. is 
 directly interested in having those baths judi- 
 ciously and successfully administered, and we 
 have ourselves entire confidence that he has 
 the ability to discriminate, and the candour to 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 79 
 
 advise, under what circumstances they may 
 or may not be used. We had written thus 
 far when a pamphlet entitled the V Invalid's 
 Guide to the Virginia Hot Springs." prepared 
 and published by Dr. Goode, came into our 
 hands, and we unhesitatingly avail ourselves 
 of the information it contains for the benefit 
 of our readers. 
 
 M There are six baths at this place, each 
 supplied with water from a separate Spring ; 
 they range in temperature from 9 S to 106 de- 
 grees of heat. The effects of these waters in 
 disease prove that they are highly medicated, 
 though they are considered by many as simple 
 hot water. They are known to contain sulp. 
 and carb. of lime, sulp. soda and magnesia, 
 a minute portion of muriate of iron, carb. 
 acid gas, nitrogen gas, and a trace of sulphu- 
 retted hydrogen gas ; and when used inter- 
 nally, the consequences are such as we might 
 expect from our knowledge of some of their 
 constituent parts." 
 
 "But the chemical composition of a mineral 
 
 water can lead to no safe conclusions as to its 
 
 * medical powers. Its most potent part may be 
 
 incapable of analysis, or destroyed by the pro- 
 
80 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 cess ; and its mere properties cannot be de- 
 veloped by analysis ; our only sure test is 
 experience of the actual result when applied 
 to the diseased human system. I have been 
 at the Hot Springs for six entire seasons, and 
 have watched their effects on several thousand 
 invalids, with all the interest which owner- 
 ship could excite ; and the result of my ex- 
 perience is as follows : — These waters taken 
 internally, are anti-acid, mildly aperient, and 
 freely diuretic and diaphoretic. But when 
 used as a general bath, their effects are great, 
 and excel all expectation. They equalize an 
 unbalanced circulation, and thereby restore 
 the different important parts of the system, 
 when torpid, — that natural and peculiar sensi- 
 bility, upon the existence of which their ca- 
 pacity to perform their several functions, and 
 the beneficial action of all remedies, depend ; 
 they relax contracted tendons, excite the ac- 
 tion of the absorbent system, promote glandu- 
 lar secretion, exert a marked and salutary 
 influence over the whole biliary system, and 
 often relieve, in a short time, excruciating 
 pain caused by palpable and long standing' 
 disease of some vital organ." 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 81 
 
 The following interesting letter, addressed 
 to Dr. Goode, and received by us after we had 
 written our remarks on uterine diseases in our 
 article on the Red Sulphur, will be found to 
 coincide with our views of the important 
 agency of the Hot Springs in dysmemorrha- 
 gia, or painful menstruation. Dr. Howard was 
 formerly professor of midwifery and the dis- 
 eases of women and children in the Univer- 
 sity of Maryland, and is now professor in the 
 medical department of the University of Vir- 
 ginia : — 
 
 " University of Virginia, Dec. 10, 1 841. 
 " Dr. Thomas Goode : 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I have just received your letter 
 of the 7th inst., soliciting my opinion and ex- 
 perience of the remedial effects of the waters 
 of the Hot Springs in chronic diarrhoea and 
 difficult menstruation. 
 
 " In reply to your inquiry, I may state that 
 for many years, but most particularly for the 
 last ten, and during my residence in Balti- 
 more, I have advised all my patients who 
 were afflicted with chronic diarrhoea or pain- 
 ful menstruation, that resisted medical treat- 
 ment, to avail themselves of the medical 
 
82 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 powers of the Hot Springs ; and I do not now 
 recollect of an instance, when the proper pre- 
 paratory measures and indispensable aux- 
 iliary regimen to the use of the Baths were 
 strictly observed and persevered in, in which 
 my expectations of the efficacy of the waters 
 were disappointed. 
 
 "It is true that a few cases have occurred 
 in which the patient returned to me without 
 receiving any relief, and some have claimed 
 my attention in which the diseases appeared 
 aggravated ; but in all these cases it was as- 
 certained, that either the preparatory measures 
 necessary to be adopted previous to taking 
 the baths, or the auxiliary regimen to be used 
 simultaneously with bathing, were not rigidly 
 adhered to. 
 
 " I feel constrained by the result of my ob- 
 servation and experience during my visit to 
 the Hot Springs, to state, that I believe that 
 those waters are so potent for injury as well 
 as benefit to those afflicted with chronic di- 
 arrhoea or painful menstruation, that none 
 such should use them without the advice of 
 a physician, conversant with their qualities. 
 And physicians, when recommending this 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 83 
 
 watering-place to their patients, should make 
 them aware, that travelling and its incidents 
 sometimes convert chronic into acute affec- 
 tions, and that a regimen and course of medi- 
 cal treatment, very proper in the former state, 
 may be highly improper in the latter con- 
 dition. I am respectfully yours, 
 
 H. Howard, M. D." 
 
 The invalid's attention is especially invited 
 to the annexed cases, as illustrative of the 
 sanative effects of these waters, when properly 
 and perseveringly applied. 
 
 Cases shotting the benefit from the use of 
 the Waters at the Hot Springs. 
 
 " In April, 1833, 1 was seized with cholera in 
 a southern climate, from which I had scarcely 
 recovered when intermittent fever attacked 
 me. This continued at intervals until Sep- 
 tember, when congestive fever intervened, 
 and continued with great violence for the 
 space of nine days, and only subsided to give 
 place to the intermittent again. From this, 
 morbid appetite began to prey upon me. The 
 ague alternated with a severe dysentery until 
 
84 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 March, 1834. Ostematous swellings of the 
 lower extremities made their appearance, but 
 gave way to the use of alteratives and 
 muriated tincture of iron. I became much 
 emaciated and debilitated ; my spleen became 
 much enlarged ; an excessively morbid con- 
 dition of the stomach continued ; an ungov- 
 ernable craving for food of the grossest des- 
 cription, and other indigestible substances. 
 In the mean time, an uncontrollable diarrhoea, 
 which has given me more uneasiness than 
 every other symptom, came on. 
 
 "During nearly three years every article of 
 diet swallowed would ferment, produce the 
 most distressing cardialgia, and run off from 
 the bowels by profuse watery evacuations. 
 The spleen in the left side, and swelling of 
 the stomach and intestines, was great and 
 painful. The irritability of the alimentary 
 canal was so great that the smallest portions 
 of calomel or blue pill, combined with opiates, 
 would produce an hypercatharsis, sometimes 
 almost fatal ; neither food nor medicine 
 agreed with me. In this state of almost des- 
 pair, I visited the White Sulphur Springs, and 
 finding that the water disagreed with me, 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 85 
 
 inasmuch as it proved too drastic, I deter- 
 mined to visit the Hot Springs. 
 
 " For the first two weeks of using the bath 
 I had a bilious dejection, which had not oc- 
 curred for eight months. In four days' time 
 my diarrhoea ceased, and my evacuations be- 
 came almost healthy in complexion. I had 
 been very much annoyed with haemorrhoids 
 for fifteen months, which were relieved by 
 the Spout Bath in three days. The improve- 
 ment in my complexion was so great that the 
 visiters would remark, ' Why, doctor, you will 
 soon be well. 5 My spleen was reduced about 
 one half, the abdominal muscles became re- 
 laxed and soft, my strength and activity were 
 much improved, and every symptom seemed 
 to give way to the use of the bath. 
 
 A. Y. Watsox, M. D." 
 
 " Hot Springs, 29th August, 1833. 
 u In the month of January, 1806, during my 
 attendance on the Virginia Legislature, of 
 which I was then a member, I was very sorely 
 afflicted with an attack of inflammatory rheu- 
 matism ; and about the first of July, in the 
 same year, after the disease had assumed a 
 
86 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 chronic state, I arrived at the Hot Springs in 
 Virginia much debilitated, requiring two per- 
 sons to put me in and take me out of the car- 
 riage. I remained at the Springs sixty-three 
 days, using the bath once every day except 
 three. I was weighed the day I got to the 
 Springs, and also on the day I left them ; and 
 if I was correctly weighed, I gained sixty 
 pounds in weight in sixty-three days, and re- 
 mained free from that complaint for upwards 
 of twenty years. H. Calloway, 
 
 of Franklin County." 
 
 "In 1826, 1 had a protracted attack of bilious 
 fever, which left me in this condition. My 
 stomach and bowels being much disordered, 
 accompanied with great flatulency, gave me 
 from 4 to 6 passages every 24 hours, and 
 sometimes oftener ; my stools mixed with 
 blood more or less, and sometimes with mat- 
 ter very offensive. At length a tumor formed 
 in the lower intestine about the size of a 
 small walnut, attended with great heat and 
 itching, which ultimately broke, and I occa- 
 sionally discharged considerable quantities of 
 blood and matter by stool. I then thought, and 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 87 
 
 still think, that the whole rectum was much 
 diseased, and I should be compelled to submit 
 to an operation or fall a victim to the disease. 
 In addition to many other sufferings, in the 
 fall of 1831, I had a severe rheumatic attack, 
 which pervaded my whole muscular system, 
 but was most distressing about my breast, 
 chest, bowels and hips. In this situation, 
 about the first of July following, I went to 
 the Hot Springs barely able to sit up, and 
 used the waters freely, drinking and bathing 
 until the 30th of August, when I left them 
 much relieved in every way. The ensuing 
 summer I again returned to the Hot Springs, 
 and used the waters by drinking and bathing 
 until the last of August, when I returned 
 home entirely relieved of bowel disease and 
 nearly so of my rheumatism. I have again 
 this summer visited these Springs, where I 
 have been for three weeks using the waters 
 as before, and believe myself entirely relieved 
 of all my complaints, except a little stiffness 
 in my hips and back. 
 
 " The above statement is believed to be en- 
 tirely correct, and if you think it will be of 
 any service to you, or to sufferers in a similar 
 
88 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 situation, you may make any use of it that 
 you think proper. Very respectfully, yours, 
 Henry Calloway. 
 
 August 30th, 1834. 
 To Dr. Goode." 
 
 " Hot Springs, Va., July 27th, 1838. 
 " Dr. Thomas Goode : 
 
 " Dear Sir, — At your request, and for the 
 benefit of the afflicted, I give you as near as I 
 can, a statement of my case, which has been 
 complicated and difficult to describe. I am a 
 resident of Detroit, State of Michigan. In July, 
 1829, 1 was attacked with a bilious fever and 
 severe inflammation of the stomach, and was 
 reduced very low by bleeding and medicine. 
 I remained in a feeble state about six months, 
 when an ulcer came out on the side of my 
 ancle nearly the size of a dollar. This has 
 continued on one or the other, and sometimes 
 on both of my ancles, ever since except about 
 two months in March and April last. My 
 legs have been so much swelled, that I have 
 been compelled to bandage them to the knee, 
 most of the time. About three years ago, a 
 rheumatic disease set in, the cords of my legs 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 89 
 
 swelled to the knees, and at times to the body, 
 (mostly on the inside) with hard lumps on 
 the cords frequently as large as hickory nuts, 
 and extremely painful. 
 
 " In this state I remained hobbling about, 
 confined to my room about one-fourth of the 
 time, and had the advice and attendance of 
 our most celebrated physicians, without much 
 benefit, until about the 1st of January last, 
 when it extended to my hips and back, and 
 confined me to my bed ; my bowels at the 
 same time became swollen, so that a dropsy 
 was feared, with a soreness about the region 
 of the stomach and liver. I also had the piles 
 very badly, and ulcers continued to form and 
 break in the rectum, and pass off with my 
 stools with a great deal of pain. In this con- 
 dition I remained until about the 1st of May, 
 when I was advised to try the Virginia Springs. 
 I arrived at the White Sulphur Springs on the 
 8th of June, on crutches, with one foot and 
 leg so much swollen that I feared it would 
 burst. 
 
 u At the end of two weeks I was again able 
 to ride, when I came to the Hot Springs, and 
 put myself under your charge. For the first 
 8* 
 
90 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 ten days I commenced bathing I got no relief; 
 my pain rather increased. At this time there 
 appeared to be a copious discharge of bile from 
 the liver ; and from that time my health has im- 
 proved rapidly every way. The rheumatic dis- 
 ease and piles are very nearly cured, the ulcers 
 on my ancles assume a healthy appearance^ 
 and look as if they would soon heal. The 
 swellings about the bowels have subsided, and 
 the pain in my stomach and liver has nearly left 
 me. I would also state, that twenty-one years 
 ago I divided the tendons of the left foot by a 
 cut with an axe, and when it healed the cords 
 seemed fast to the bone, and I have had little 
 or no use of those toes since. The effect of 
 these hot baths has been to remove that stiff- 
 ness, and loosen the tendons so that I can now 
 move the toes quite well. 
 
 " I have taken in the last five weeks that I 
 have been here, sixteen Sweat and twenty 
 Spout baths, and I now feel better than at any 
 time in the last five or six years. 
 
 Elliot Gray." 
 
 "In the summer of 1836 I visited the Vir- 
 ginia Springs, with liver disease, as stated by 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 91 
 
 many physicians. I used the Sulphur Waters 
 for some time, but without any decided effect. 
 I then came to the Hot Springs, and after 
 using the Spout bath for a few days, the pain 
 in the right side, from a dull, increased to an 
 acute, which induced me to apply to Dr. 
 Goode for advice. He gave me ten grains of 
 calomel, which brought about a most happy 
 change in my feelings and health ; producing 
 copious discharges of dark bilious matter, 
 when forty grains, often before taken, pro- 
 duced but a limited effect. 
 
 " From the Hot Springs I returned to the 
 White Sulphur, and the water then acted 
 freely on my bowels. 
 
 James L. Coleman, of Geo. 
 
 "Hot Springs, 14th August, 1837." 
 
 " Hot Springs, August, 1837. 
 " To Dr. Goode : 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I give you the following state- 
 ment of my case. About ten years ago I became 
 dyspeptic, and was unwell in the usual way, 
 when at length I became much worse ; almost 
 every thing taken in the stomach produced 
 pain, and frequently violent spasms, which 
 
92 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 threatened death. I experienced no relief ex- 
 cept when under the influence of calomel. 
 Tiring of which, after suffering for about 
 two years, I determined to try the Sulphur 
 Waters. 
 
 " I commenced at the White Sulphur, but 
 the water disagreed with me, and I then went 
 to the Salt Sulphur, understanding that the 
 water there was more purgative ; for you 
 must know that my bowels were invariably 
 constipated. After using the water for two 
 days, 1 had a violent attack of spasm, which 
 was relieved by a hot bath. I then came im- 
 mediately to the Hot Springs. My stomach 
 was so much debilitated that I was compelled 
 to live exclusively on milk and mush, and the 
 like bland food. The first meal I took at the 
 Hot Springs was milk and mush, which 
 brought on pain, threatening spasm. I went 
 immediately to the Spout bath, and from that 
 day to this I have been entirely exempt from 
 the disease. I bathed every day, sometimes 
 twice, and in a few days I was enabled to eat 
 of every thing at the table, including dessert 
 of all kinds. Williams Carter, 
 
 of Hanover." 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 93 
 
 « Baltimore. 12th February, 1839. 
 
 '•' Dear Sir. — In compliance with your re- 
 quest, I transmit you an account of my case. 
 In the latter part of 1S36. I had a violent at- 
 tack of cholica pictonum, or white lead dis- 
 ease ; which, in despite of the most energetic 
 treatment, terminated in a paralysis of my 
 arms and hands, which deprived me almost 
 entirely of the use of them, with great emacia- 
 tion and genera] debility and prostration. 
 
 •'•' All remedies failing, my medical advisers 
 recommended a visit to the Virginia Springs. 
 Thither I repaired in June, 1S37, and passed 
 two weeks at the White Sulphur Spring, but 
 without any evident effect from the use of the 
 waters. At the end of two weeks I removed 
 to the Hot Springs, and commenced the use 
 of the Spout bath immediately. In a few days 
 there was evident improvement in my con- 
 dition, and after six weeks (using the Spout 
 bath every day) I found the use of my hands 
 and arms and my general health restored. 
 The use of my hands and arms has never 
 failed me since, nor does there appear to be a 
 vestige of my disease in my system. 
 
 " My friends and myself attribute my re 
 
94 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 covery entirely to the waters of the Hot 
 Springs. Very respectfully and truly yours, 
 Charles S. Lewis." 
 
 " Lynchburg, Feb. 5th, 1839. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I received on yesterday your 
 message from Mr. Seth Ward ; it affords me 
 pleasure to comply. 
 
 " In the years 1828 and '29 my daughter had 
 a severe, protracted, and complicated illness. 
 The whole of one side became greatly para- 
 lyzed, and so continued for about fifteen 
 months. In the season of 1829, we took her 
 to the Hot Springs ; she used the bath be- 
 tween three and four weeks. During the 
 latter part of the visit, she was enabled to 
 move the toes in a small degree. Under the 
 direction of her physician, Dr. G. A. Rose, 
 she gradually improved, but remained unable 
 to move alone. The next season, A. D. 1830, 
 we took her again to the Hot Springs. 
 
 " By the use of the bath she soon became 
 able to walk ; her general health gradually 
 improved. She is now healthy and active. 
 " Yours respectfully, Wm. S. Reid. 
 To Dr. Goode." 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 95 
 
 " Hot Springs, 7th August, 1833. 
 " Dr. Goode : 
 
 "Sir, — The case of rheumatism you desired 
 the particulars of was that of Mr. J — C — , 
 of Charleston, S. C, aged eighteen years. He 
 had been seriously afflicted for some time be- 
 fore he was put under my protection, which 
 was on the 17th day of June, when we left 
 Charleston for the Virginia Springs. We ar- 
 rived at the White Sulphur on the 28th of 
 June, and remained there until the 9th of 
 July, taking from eight to ten tumblers of the 
 water daily. 
 
 11 On the 9th of July we reached the Hot 
 Springs, and on the 10th he commenced with 
 the baths, taking the Spout bath one day and 
 the Sweat bath the next, alternately, until the 
 22d of September. From the time Mr. C — 
 left Charleston until he arrived at the White 
 Sulphur, he was as helpless as a child, unable 
 to dress or undress himself, and was carried 
 in arms or a chair whenever it was necessary 
 to move him. Three or four days before he 
 left the White Sulphur, he was able to hob- 
 ble a short distance by the aid of a pair of 
 crutches, and in two weeks after taking the 
 
96 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 baths at the Hot Springs he could walk about 
 without them. He arrived in Charleston 
 about the latter end of September ; and du- 
 ring a heavy blow, assisted in furling the top- 
 sail of a schooner in which he was a cabin 
 passenger. 
 
 " I left Mr. C— in good health on the 6th 
 of July last, on the wharf in Charleston, when 
 I embarked on my present excursion. 
 " I am respectfully, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 " J. LOCKWOOD." 
 
 Nothing has occurred with respect to this 
 valuable watering-place, since the first edition 
 of this work, which calls for much detail. 
 Every year, indeed, adds to the list of cures 
 effected here, but it would answer no good 
 purpose to multiply cases. Those given are 
 deemed sufficient, and besides, Dr. Goode has 
 published a great number which the visiter 
 can always procure. No important improve- 
 ment has been made within the last three 
 years, as, indeed, there has not, at any of the 
 Springs. They have all encountered a shock 
 such as, we trust, they will not again experi- 
 ence. Some of the proprietors succumbed to 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 97 
 
 the storm ; all have been staggered : but it is 
 to be hoped that Virginia will, at length, do 
 justice to herself; and should that ever be the 
 case, the swarms that now visit Northern 
 Springs will turn towards a more salutary 
 hive. As monopolies, however, the Virginia 
 Springs cannot attain that degree, either of 
 comfort or appreciation, which they would at- 
 tain as villages having several independent 
 houses of entertainment, and the use of the 
 Springs being left free. The proprietors are 
 not, in every instance, well qualified to give 
 satisfaction in its full extent. During our late 
 visit to the mountains, circumstances prevent- 
 ed our making any stay at the Hot Springs ; 
 we cannot, therefore, say anything of their 
 management from personal observation. We 
 never heard a breath of complaint against the 
 fare and comforts of the establishment ; hence 
 we infer that all was as it should be, for men 
 are prone enough to find fault, and sometimes 
 on very slight grounds. But it would not be 
 candid to deny that complaints long, loud, and 
 reiterated are made against Dr. Goode's 
 charges. First, then, as regards the charge for 
 board, we understand it is the same as at the 
 Warm Springs and White Sulphur. So far, 
 
98 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 there is no reason for attaching odium to Dr. 
 Goode. He only does what others do, — and 
 he certainly has a right to set his own price on 
 his accommodations. The Salt, Red, and 
 Blue Sulphurs, and the Sweet and Red-Sweet 
 Springs, have, we think, judiciously, reduced 
 the charge to eight dollars per week, and if 
 the boarder remain several weeks, we believe, 
 he is charged at some of those establishments, 
 only seven dollars. The facility of travelling 
 at the North, and its relative cheapness, are 
 drawing to that region much of the custom 
 formerly enjoyed by the Virginia Springs. 
 Now, we would respectfully suggest to the pro- 
 prietors that their true policy is, to do all that 
 can be done to attract back again their old 
 friends. Let them not go to work to under- 
 mine or cast odium, one upon the other ; but 
 let them hold a meeting early in the spring, 
 and arrange a schedule of charges such as 
 will afford them a fair profit, and publish those 
 charges to the world. Let them also call to- 
 gether the contractors on the different routes 
 to their Springs, and obtain a reduction of 
 fare on those routes, or pledge themselves to 
 encourage opposition lines. If they conclude 
 to reduce the board and stage fare twenty per 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 99 
 
 cent., from the present maximum, our word 
 for it, they will congratulate themselves, next 
 autumn, upon having adopted our suggestion; 
 if they will not do this now, they will try to 
 do it when it is too late. But to return to Dr. 
 Goode. It is complained, that besides charg- 
 ing ten dollars for board, per week, he charges 
 in addition, for meals furnished at the cabins. 
 It is apparent that the propriety of this charge 
 depends altogether upon the fact whether 
 the individual is able to appear at the public 
 table, or not ; if he is, and is disposed to pro- 
 duce unnecessary trouble and expense, he 
 ought to pay for it ; but if he be an invalid, it 
 is misfortune enough, without any additional 
 tax. It has been further said that Dr. G., in 
 his professional capacity, has forbid patients 
 going to the table, and then made extra 
 charges for the meals so furnished. We 
 trust this is not so ; but if it has happened, 
 most undoubtedly it is good cause of dissatis- 
 faction. Such reports should be listened to 
 with great caution, for alas ! there is too 
 much proneness in human nature to exagger- 
 ate every supposed wrong. Again, it is com- 
 plained that Dr. G. charges for his baths fifty 
 cents each, or $3.50 per week, without any 
 
100 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 distinction whether it be a mere pleasure bath, 
 or one requiring aid and attendance. They 
 argue thus : " We come exclusively for these 
 baths ; there is no other attraction ; they are 
 supplied by nature, cost nothing in the prepa- 
 ration, and should not be subjects for an exor- 
 bitant tax ; we can get an artificial and most 
 comfortable bath, in the cities, for 25 cents, 
 and here, where thousands of gallons of warm 
 water are, every minute, discharged from 
 the bowels of the earth, we think it hard to be 
 charged double." We confess we think there 
 is some reason for this complaint, and we sin- 
 cerely hope, for his own sake, that Dr. G. will 
 revise and modify his tariff of bathing 
 charges. There is no reason in the world, 
 why his pleasure baths should cost more than 
 at the Warm Springs and Sweet Springs — 
 12| cents ; but the Sweating baths are troub- 
 lesome and attended with expense, and it 
 would be unreasonable to expect the charge 
 should not be higher. With regard to the 
 charges of rudeness and inequality of temper 
 urged against Dr. G. we cannot judge of their 
 justice ; but we can aver, that we have never 
 witnessed any thing in his demeanour that did 
 not comport with a well-bred gentleman. We 
 
HOT SPRINGS. 101 
 
 have touched upon subjects of a delicate char- 
 acter in the preceding remarks ; but they are 
 well meant, and we hope they will be so un- 
 derstood. Most of the visiters of the Hot 
 Springs are invalids, and necessarily have 
 whims and caprices which require kindness 
 and forbearance. It is astonishing how far a 
 word or act evincing sympathy and good feel- 
 ing will win their gratitude and soothe their 
 fretfulness ; while a short answer, or an indif- 
 ference manifested to their comfort, will arouse 
 their undying hatred. No situation therefore 
 requires more of the milk of human kindness 
 than that occupied by Dr. Goode. He should 
 be the physician and friend : always cheer- 
 fully administering to the physical comforts 
 and mental quiet of his guests and patients, 
 and causing them to bless him upon their de- 
 parture. When Dr. Stribling of Staunton, a few 
 months ago, signified a disposition to resign 
 his situation of Physician to the Insane Hos- 
 pital, there was a general feeling of regret from 
 one end of the State to the other. Why ? be- 
 cause the impression had become general that 
 his benevolence and conciliating manners pe- 
 culiarly qualified him for the responsible trust 
 reposed in him. We venture to assert that if 
 
102 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 he were the owner of the Hot Springs and its 
 physician, it would in three years number 300 
 visiters at one time, when now it seldom 
 passes 100. We believe that so conducted it 
 would prove a blessing to multitudes. We 
 perceive that Dr. Goode offers the place for 
 sale ; we do not know his price, but of this we 
 are sure, that there are few estates in Virginia 
 of greater intrinsic value. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SWEET SPRINGS. 
 
 The Sweet Springs are situated on the head 
 waters of Dunlap's Creek in the county of 
 Monroe, in a delightful valley, the air of 
 which is pure and dry. 
 
 " These waters (Col. Perkins) were dis- 
 covered before any of the Mineral Waters in 
 this part of Virginia were known, in 1764. 
 In 1773. they began to be noticed as a wa- 
 tering-place, and in 1774 were analysed by 
 Bishop Madison, the President of William and 
 Mary College, but which analysis I have not 
 seen. The water is at 73 c Fahrenheit ; the 
 baths for both male and female visiters are 
 under the same roof, divided by a brick wall 
 in the centre, and each about twenty feet 
 square, and the water four and a half to five 
 feet deep. In plunging into these waters a 
 slight shudder, which in my case, and indeed 
 generally, was succeeded by a delightful 
 
104 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 glow. One is very much induced to linger 
 in the bath, but five to ten minutes, in most 
 cases, are found better than longer." 
 
 The residence of the visiters has hitherto 
 been in the cabins or log-houses which were 
 formerly the dwellings of all who visited any 
 of the Virginia Springs. Dr. Lewis h'as just 
 now finished a house which for architectural 
 beauty and accommodations is superior to any 
 house built for the same use in the United 
 States, that I have seen. It is built of brick, 
 has two stories besides a basement, which is 
 appropriated to kitchen, bake and store 
 rooms, with offices for various purposes ; the 
 piazza 17 feet wide, the whole length of the 
 building, stands on brick arches, and is reach- 
 ed by three sets of steps of black walnut, the 
 width of each of the porticos by which the 
 front of the building is ornamented ; the prin- 
 cipal story has a dining-room 160 feet long, 
 at one end of which is a ladies' drawing- 
 room, and at the other end a dancing-room ; 
 they are each the whole width of the build- 
 ing, which is 48 feet, and 40 deep. 
 
 "In the second story, there are 36 bed 
 rooms, with an entry between them ; they are 
 
SWEET SPRINGS. 105 
 
 about 14 feet square. The building has 
 quite an imposing appearance. 
 
 The other improvements consist of a num- 
 ber of brick and framed cottages, sufficient to 
 accommodate 350 persons. Dr. Lewis has 
 been very fortunate in the selection of his 
 managers. Last season the management was 
 in the hands of our old and worthy friend 
 Major Vass, whose kind and conciliatory dis- 
 position, added to a minute knowledge of all 
 that appertains to his business, has always 
 rendered him popular. The fare at the Sweet 
 Springs during the visiting season is uni- 
 formly good, and the servants are kept under 
 good management. Dr. Lewis is extensively 
 engaged in farming ; and having a fertile es- 
 tate attached to the Springs, he is enabled to 
 raise plentiful supplies of the great staples of 
 domestic consumption. 
 
 " The best example of the acidulous class of 
 water (Bell) is the Sweet Springs in Monroe 
 County, Virginia. They are 29 miles from 
 Fincastle. 40 from the Red Sulphur, 22 from 
 the Salt Sulphur, 20 from the White Sulphur, 
 and 43 from Bath Court-House. 
 
 " The Sweet Springs rise on the north side 
 
106 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 of a large mountain called by the same name. 
 The south side is covered with stones of an 
 ochrous appearance. In many places iron 
 may be found, but on the north the mountain 
 is fertile and covered with a rich mould, at 
 least, near the Springs. 
 
 "The temperature of the Sweet Springs is 
 73° Fahrenheit, the same as that which in 
 England by a strange blunder is called Bris- 
 tol Hot Well. There is a considerable re- 
 semblance between the two in other respects, 
 as well in the abundant evolutions of carbonic 
 acid, as in the earthy and saline matters 
 held in solution. In the Virginia Spring, 
 however, iron has been detected, whereas the 
 British Hot Well has none in its composition. 
 
 " Few mineral waters have acquired such 
 fashionable and well merited celebrity as the 
 Sweet Springs. The name is calculated to 
 convey erroneous impressions of their taste, 
 which is like a solution of a small quantity 
 of a calcareous or magnesian carbon ate. The 
 excess of the carbonic acid, however, gives 
 the waters a briskness productive of a very 
 different effect on the palate from what an 
 imperfect mixture of the earths would pro- 
 
SWEET SPRINGS. 107 
 
 duce. The first effects of this water, due to 
 its temperature and gaseous contents, are a 
 feeling of warmth to the stomach, with the 
 sensation of fullness of the head and some 
 giddiness. Taken at stated intervals, in mode- 
 rate quantity, it will produce a moisture on the 
 skin and increase the flow of urine. If the 
 stomach be in a good state, it gives addi- 
 tional appetite, and imparts fresh vigor to 
 the system. Its operation on the bowels 
 varies at first ; but after a protracted use it 
 will generally be found to induce a costive 
 habit." 
 
 The waters of the Sweet Springs are highly 
 stimulant, and are therefore inadmissible in 
 most cases of inflammatory disease or in tur- 
 berculous pre-disposition, and other affections 
 of the lungs and bronchi. They quicken 
 the circulation, impart tonicity and vigor 
 to the system, excite the animal passions, 
 cheer the spirits, and inspire the mind with 
 pleasureable sensations. Aged persons, espe- 
 cially, who are free from organic disease, will 
 find youth and vigor and elasticity at the 
 bottom of this noble fountain. A man who 
 could have an opportunity of daily plunging 
 
108 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 into the Sweet Springs Bath might live to 
 the fabled age of the crow. We cannot con- 
 ceive any thing more refreshing and exhila- 
 rating than this bath, when it is appropriate 
 to the case ; but the system must be free from 
 inflammatory action, and rather tending to 
 atony than to the opposite condition. We 
 would not advise a person of sanguine tem- 
 perament, whether male or female, to use this 
 bath ; nor would we permit females who may 
 by any probability be in a delicate condition^ 
 or who are liable to severe periodical hemor- 
 rhages, to use the water internally or by 
 bathing. There are conditions of the uterine 
 functions in which they may be used with 
 marked advantage, but such cases require 
 medical advice of the highest character, and 
 that too on the spot, where contingencies may 
 be met by suitable treatment. In certain ca- 
 ses of dyspepsia, and in some nephritic affec- 
 tions, this water is very valuable ; in fine, it 
 may be said to be a good servant, but a bad 
 master. 
 
 There is one practice at this Spring so per- 
 nicious, that it cannot be too severely repro- 
 bated ; we allude to deep potations of mint 
 
SWEET SPRINGS. 109 
 
 julap and other spirituous mixtures, after 
 coming from the bath. Incalculable injury 
 may be done by this abuse, and we have little 
 doubt that many of the cases said to have 
 been injured by the water and bath, may fair- 
 ly be traced to mint julaps. 
 
 We have, ourselves, good reason to speak 
 highly of this water. In 1823, we spent sev- 
 eral weeks enjoying the luxury of bathing 
 here with the most decided benefit to our 
 system, enfeebled by application to business 
 and other causes. In 1S29, however, after 
 hemorrhages and other symptoms of pulmo- 
 nary disease had made their appearance, we 
 were excited by it to a fearful degree, and had 
 to abandon its use. 
 
 These Springs and the estate attached to 
 them have passed out of the possession of the 
 late proprietor, Dr. B. Lewis, and are now un- 
 der the control of the Chancellor, who orders 
 them to be annually rented out by the sheriff 
 to the highest bidder. For the last three 
 years, they have been managed by annual 
 renters — a condition of things highly inju- 
 rious, in every point of view, to this lovely re- 
 treat, which, in natural scenery, surpasses even 
 10 
 
110 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 the White Sulphur. Col. Perkins, whose taste 
 cannot be questioned, expresses admiration of 
 the Great Building, at this place. The de- 
 sign is probably good, and the appearance is im- 
 posing ; but its location was most unf rtunate, 
 as it eternally mars the most enchanting valley 
 in the Virginia mountains. In an expenditure 
 of some sixty thousand dollars, how much bet- 
 ter it would have been to employ anarchitect 
 acquainted with landscape, even if it had cost 
 something more. The house remains in an 
 unfinished state, and like all houses so left, 
 without an owner, it is already evidencing di- 
 lapidation ; and, should the decision of the 
 questions now in litigation be delayed many 
 years, its decay will be rapidly progressive. 
 That property, once the most highly valued in 
 the mountains, has suffered great depreciation 
 from those causes, and whenever brought into 
 market, will be offered under great disadvan- 
 tages. We have already given our opinion of 
 the magnificent Baths at this place, which, 
 under all disadvantages, attracted a large com- 
 pany last summer. The house was kept, and 
 very well, too, as we understood, by Mr. Henry 
 Massey, 
 
RED SPRINGS. Ill 
 
 RED-SWEET SPRINGS. 
 
 At a distance of one mile from the Sweet 
 Springs, on the road leading to the White 
 Sulphur, is the Red Spring, owned and very 
 recently improved by Philip Rogers, Esquire. 
 
 To those who have been in the habit of 
 visiting the Virginia Springs, this gentleman, 
 some fifteen or twenty years ago, was favour- 
 ably known as lessee of the Sweet Springs, 
 and a kind and accommodating landlord. 
 We have not ourselves forgotten his blunt but 
 cordial manner, and the hospitable treatment 
 which we received in common with all his 
 guests. 
 
 The <Red Spring is a chalybeate, and a 
 most powerful agent in cases that admit a 
 tonic treatment. This is an advantage which 
 this establishment possesses over its neigh- 
 bour, having, besides, the same kind of water 
 which is so abundant at the " Sweet Springs.' 5 
 The acidulous or "Sweet" waters, at both 
 establishments, seem to be so much alike, that 
 there can be no essential difference between 
 them, and as they are situated in an abun- 
 
112 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 dant region, and on the great thoroughfare 
 connecting Eastern Virginia with its trans- 
 Alleghany territory, we hope that notwith- 
 standing their proximity, they may both do a 
 good business. 
 
 The situation of the " Red Spring " is a 
 beautiful one, overlooking one of the most 
 fertile and best cultivated farms in Virginia. 
 The celebrated Beaver-dam falls are on this 
 farm, and about a mile and a half from the 
 Spring. 
 
 The original name of these Springs was 
 " Red Springs" but, in consequence of mis- 
 takes frequently having occurred in the direc- 
 tion of letters to this place, and the |Led Sul- 
 phur, the name at the head of this article, has 
 been adopted. Since the first edition of this 
 book appeared, this property also has changed 
 owners, and is now in possession of Richard 
 Sampson, Esq., of Goochland, and his son, Mr. 
 John R. Sampson. The father and son rank 
 among the best farmers of Virginia, which is 
 some security that neatness, order, and system, 
 will prevail through the establishment. At 
 
RED-SWEET SPRINGS. 113 
 
 this place we spent the greater portion of our 
 time, during the last summer, and we feel 
 great pleasure in testifying to the excellence 
 of the fare, the comfort of the chambers, and 
 the polite attention of Mr. Sampson, Jr., and 
 his manager, Mr. Powel. In every thing that 
 conduces to comfort it compares favourably 
 with the best conducted establishments in the 
 mountains. The improvements now made 
 will comfortably accommodate sixty to seventy 
 persons. It is the intention of Mr. Sampson 
 to extend his accommodations for the next 
 season to the capacity of 120. The main 
 building here is of frame, and judiciously de- 
 signed as regards convenience, but being 
 thrown across the valley, as in the case of the 
 Sweet Springs, it is destructive of the natural 
 beauty of the locality. . It contains thirty com- 
 fortable chambers, a ball-room, dining and 
 bar-room, and has two galleries of two stories, 
 extending the whole length, communicating 
 at intervals by open passages, in which there 
 are stairs leading to both stories. Nowhere 
 have we seen a more convenient arrangement 
 than this. It has but one fault, and that is, 
 that the double rooms communicate length- 
 10* 
 
114 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 wise, instead of enjoying the advantage of 
 both porticoes and the delightful draught that 
 passes through the valley. 
 
 The great Red Springs, which are most re- 
 lied upon for bathing, issue from a limestone 
 stratum covered to a considerable depth by a 
 soft porous stone, apparently a deposite from 
 the Sweet Spring stream, which seems to have 
 once taken this direction. There are three 
 springs, of which the upper and boldest seems 
 to differ in composition and temperature but 
 very little from the Sweet Springs. The two 
 others close by, and separated from each other 
 by a thin partition of rock, differ materially 
 in the quantity of iron and temperature from 
 the first, the temperature of those being 76|, 
 while that is only 73. All, together, would 
 probably discharge 250 gallons in a minute. 
 The two lower only are now conveyed to the 
 Bath. This is a frame octagon about 20 feet 
 in diameter, and admitting a depth of water 
 of five feet. The water is conveyed by a 
 trunk to the reservoir, and by reducing the 
 depth of the bath to four feet, affords the finest 
 spout imaginable. After swimming about 
 for two or three minutes, it was our custom to 
 
RED-SWEET SPRINGS. 115 
 
 place ourself under this noble stream and let 
 it fall on our chest and shoulders. We never 
 were tempted to remain in longer than five 
 minutes, we then got up on the platform, took 
 in our own hand a towel and dried our head 
 and neck while a servant was engaged in 
 rubbing the body with all his might. In two 
 minutes, when the water is likely to suit, the 
 skin becomes as red as crimson under this ope- 
 ration, and the person feels as if he could 
 jump over the moon. We are disposed to 
 think that some of the cases in which there 
 is no reaction are attributable to bad rubbing 
 and permitting the body to get chilled. We 
 would strongly recommend to Mr. Sampson, 
 who informs us he is going to take away the 
 present house, and build separate bathing 
 places for ladies and gentlemen, as at -the 
 Sweet Springs ; to have two rubbers instead 
 of one — a man and a small boy for the gen- 
 tlemen ; and a maid and little girl for ladies. 
 After getting out of the bath, the person 
 should be made to stand on a platform two 
 feet square and about six inches elevated from 
 the floor. In this should be some grooves to 
 carry off the moisture from the feet, the junior 
 
116 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 rubber should then kneel down and with a 
 coarse towel dry perfectly the legs and feet, 
 while the bather and aid are employed on the 
 head and trunk. With one rubber, the feet 
 are apt to be left too long wet, and the circu- 
 lation is thereby delayed from the inferior ca- 
 pillaries. Where there are so many young 
 negroes doing nothing, it would be no addi- 
 tional expense, and would greatly benefit inva- 
 lid bathers. A few paces from the house there 
 is a large and very pleasant bath similar to 
 the Sweet Springs; it was, however, but little 
 used, most persons preferring the higher tem- 
 perature of the Red Spring. The difference 
 is very perceptible to the feelings. Both are 
 delightful after the shock of the plunge is over, 
 which in the Red Spring water is slight. Our 
 experience of the two baths, which we used 
 for the purpose of experiment, causes us to 
 give a decided preference to the Red Springs 
 bath. We are disposed, however, to think 
 that its advantage lies more in the higher 
 temperature than in the carbonate of iron it 
 contains, though we can readily believe that 
 this property may increase its tonic power. 
 
RED-SWEET SPRINGS. 117 
 
 Whether it be so or not as applied to the skin, 
 nineteen out of twenty will think so. As a 
 drinking water, its tonic property is acknowl- 
 edged, and where such an agent is desirable it 
 is not surpassed on the habitable globe. 
 
 After we had transmitted the article on the 
 Red-Sweet Springs to the printer's, we received 
 from the worthy proprietor the following letter 
 and Analysis. They will be read with inter- 
 est by the admirers of that lovely valley, and 
 all who desire to avail themselves of a bath 
 possessing tonic powers nowhere surpassed. 
 
 " Red-Sweet Springs, 
 "Alleghany Co., Feb. 16th, 1846. 
 " My Dear Sir, — I am now erecting a con- 
 tinuous line of framed house (one story high) 
 one hundred and sixty feet long, by twenty- 
 one feet in width, containing twenty-four (fire) 
 rooms, ten feet by twelve feet in clear, and all 
 upon the same level, with a neat portico in 
 front the entire length. I have removed the 
 house from the Bath near the hotel, and I 
 mean to convert the bath into a pool with a 
 railing around it. In the place of this 1 shall 
 
118 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 make two spacious baths sixteen by twenty up 
 at the Red Chalybeate Springs. A new walk 
 from the centre of the hotel towards these 
 Springs, together with other improvements not 
 only about the hotel, but in the road, fences, 
 &c., I hope will add both comfort and pleas- 
 ure to my future visitors. 
 
 " I have tested the relative temperatures of 
 the Springs by a thermometer purchased of 
 Mr. Randolph in Richmond, made by M^Alis- 
 ter of Philadelphia ; and find them to be as 
 follows. The Upper Spring, which discharges 
 much the greater portion of the water, I find 
 to be 77°. The next, or Middle Spring, 80°, 
 and the Lower, or one nearest the Bath-house, 
 79°. These three Springs, discharging three 
 hundred and fifteen gallons of water per minute 
 by measurements this day made, will be blend- 
 ed into one stream, and then divided between 
 the two Baths, which will make their tempe- 
 rature about 78°. I have also tested the two 
 Springs near the hotel, both of which stand at 
 75°. The temperature of the pool is 74°. 
 and this difference is caused by several little 
 limestone springs emptying into it. This pool 
 
RED-SWEET SPRINGS. 119 
 
 discharges two hundred and twenty gallons 
 per minute. I remain, dear Sir. 
 
 " Your most obedient servant, 
 
 M Jxo. R. Sampson. 
 " Mr. William Burke, 
 
 " Richmond. 
 tt . P. S. — Below you will find a copy of the 
 Analysis by Prof. Rogers, taken from the copy 
 recorded in my Register at the Red Springs. 
 
 " J. R. Sampson." 
 
 1st. Solid matter procured by evaporation from 
 100 cubic inches, weighed after being great- 
 ly dried at 112°, - - - 40-76 
 A portion of this is combined water. 
 2nd. Quantity of each solid ingredient esti- 
 mated as perfectly free from water. In 100 
 cubic inches. 
 
 Sulphate of lime - - 14*233 
 
 Sulphate of magnesia - 3*107 
 
 Sulphate of soda - - 1-400 
 
 Carbonate of lime - - 9*411 
 Carbonate of magnesia - 1*166 
 Chloride of sodium - - 0*037 
 Chloride of magnesium - 0*680 
 Chloride calcium - - 0*010 
 
120 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 Susquioxide of iron - - 0*320 
 Organic matter in small quantities. 
 Iodine, a mere trace. 
 The iron is no doubt dissolved in the water 
 as a carbonate. 
 
 3d. Volume of each of the gases contained in 
 a free state in ICO cubic inches of the 
 water. 
 
 Carbonic acid - - 46*10 cu. in. 
 Nitrogen - - - 2-57 " " 
 Oxygen - *20 " " 
 
 Sulphuretted hydrogen, a trace 
 too small to be measured. 
 4th. Composition of 100 cubic inches of the 
 mixed gases rising in bubbles in the Spring. 
 Nitrogen - 62*5 
 
 Carbonic acid - - 37*5 
 
 THE SKIN. 
 
 Before we take our leave of the thermal 
 and acidulous waters, we desire to say a few 
 words on that beautiful organ which, above 
 all others, distinguishes man from the inferior 
 animal creation, and which in lovely woman 
 frequently attains such exquisite perfection as 
 to place her second only to the angels. 
 
THE SKIN. 121 
 
 The skin being one of the great safety- 
 valves of the body, though perhaps the least 
 regarded by the great mass of mankind, and 
 especially so by that portion of it yclept lt the 
 Anglo-Saxon race,*' is amongst the most im- 
 portant organs of the human body. 
 
 Had Nature required of the kidneys to se- 
 crete all the impurities of the circulation, they 
 would be inadequate to perform the labour at 
 least without vastly more power than they 
 now possess; she lias, therefore, in her wis- 
 dom, invested the external covering of the 
 body and the mucous surfaces of the internal 
 organs with an exhalant apparatus that frees 
 the blood from those serous portions that are 
 no longer necessary for the nutrition of the 
 body, and from an excess of carbon and other 
 matters that might deteriorate its quality, just 
 as the absorbent system appears to have been 
 intended to introduce new and alterative ma- 
 terials into the system for its comfort and sus- 
 tenance. How deeply the skin sympathises in 
 all important lesions of the great organs of the 
 body is known even to ordinary observers, 
 yet it has never received from the faculty 
 that consideration to which it is entitled. 
 11 
 
122 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 It is, perhaps, not because they are not fully 
 sensible of its importance ; but because they 
 despair of reforming the habits of the people 
 in the most essential point connected with the 
 healthy condition of this organ. The march 
 of improvement, however, is onward, and we 
 should never despair of effecting a reform so 
 obviously important as that of cleanliness. 
 Who would have thought twenty years ago, 
 that five millions of a people proverbially ad- 
 dicted to intoxication would, at this day, exhib- 
 it an example of temperance which throws into 
 the shade all the reforms of modern times? 
 
 In our southern country especially, there is 
 an urgent necessity for frequent ablutions, 
 owing to the relaxed state of the system, pro- 
 duced by intense heat, and the consequent 
 evaporations of the serous portion of the blood 
 through the superficial covering of the body. 
 In such a condition of things, the balance be- 
 tween the excreting functions of the skin and 
 kidneys is destroyed, and the former has to 
 perform a duty, which eventually overpower- 
 ing its energies, its action becomes morbid, 
 and it is no longer able to resist either the 
 impulse from within, or the sudden depres- 
 
THE SKIN. 123 
 
 sion from cold to which it is exposed from 
 without, by extraordinary and sudden vicissi- 
 tudes of temperature. 
 
 We know, however, from the experience of 
 eastern nations, that like all other hygienic 
 principles, the salutary practice of bathing is 
 liable to abuse. Carried to excess, and accom- 
 panied by the use of powerful narcotics, it is 
 pernicious to the physical, mental, and moral 
 energies. It should, then, be resorted to not 
 exclusively as a luxury, but as a means of 
 cleansing the skin from accumulated impuri- 
 ties, and encouraging a just proportion of the 
 fluids to the capillary circulation. 
 
 The manly exercise of swimming, when it 
 can be practised, cannot be too strongly re- 
 commended. In the palmy days of Rome, 
 the river Tiber was not permitted to roll its 
 waters to the sea neglected and unheeded. It 
 was the constant practice of the Roman citi- 
 zens to disport in its bosom, after they had 
 anointed their bodies as a protection against 
 the coldness of the water. Of its efficacy in 
 procuring sleep we are assured by the satirist : 
 
 " Ter uncti 
 Transnanto Tiber im somno quibus opus est alto" 
 
124 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 With regard to the wealthy, who are able 
 to afford themselves all the conveniences of 
 bathing, if they do not avail themselves of 
 their advantages it is their own fault, and de- 
 serve no sympathy ; but it is otherwise with 
 persons of moderate circumstances living in 
 cities, and workers in manufactories. Their 
 health demands the care of the public author- 
 ities, and of their employers. One hundred 
 thousand dollars would construct in the city of 
 New York five floating baths, that would ac- 
 commodate ten thousand persons in twenty- 
 four hours ; and these, at a charge of three 
 cents each, would yield a revenue of more 
 than one hundred thousand dollars a year. 
 
 In the manufactories of this country, which 
 have almost all extensive water-power, how 
 easy would it be to provide a large bathing 
 chamber, in which all the labourers, male and 
 female, should be required to bathe at least 
 once a week. It would be easy to raise the 
 temperature of the water to about 85 or 90° F. 
 
 In an establishment giving employment to 
 two hundred persons, five cents a week de- 
 ducted from the pay of each would amply pay 
 the proprietor, and in a mere pecuniary point 
 
THE SKIN. 
 
 125 
 
 of view would be a saving to the labourers, 
 who may thereby be saved from many ail- 
 ments that cause loss of time. But we would 
 not stop here : we would recommend to the 
 legislatures, whenever application was made 
 for an act of incorporation by a manufactur- 
 ing company, to insist on a proviso obliging 
 the corporators to provide a convenience such 
 as we have described, and to insist on its use. 
 Whenever temperance shall have become uni- 
 versal, and conveniences for bathing shall 
 have been furnished to the great mass of the 
 inhabitants of cities, and the more enlightened 
 and opulent portion of the community will 
 have by their own example induced the poorer 
 class to adopt this great hygienic practice, we 
 may look for an advance in the average of 
 human life and human morals, which now 
 might seem unattainable. 
 
 It is unnecessary to particularize the vari- 
 ous chronic affections of the skin. From the 
 earliest periods in which we find accounts of 
 sulphurous waters, they have been celebrated 
 for the cure of this class of diseases. As it is 
 the sulphuretted hydrogen that is the active 
 property in these cases, there can be little dif- 
 11* 
 
126 SPRINGS OP WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 ference in favour of any particular Spring*, 
 used merely as an external remedy, in which 
 light we are now considering this class of 
 agents ; but of this we are certain, that per- 
 sons afflicted with cutaneous diseases will in 
 most instances fail to realize their expecta- 
 tions if they depend exclusively on the ther- 
 mal waters. It has been a long established 
 custom, and one the correctness of which has 
 been tested by experience, to spend the early 
 part of the season in using the sulphurous 
 waters, and the latter part at the Hot, Warm, 
 and Sweet Springs. These latter agents will 
 indeed, of themselves, relieve slight affections 
 of the surface ; but it should be recollected 
 that most chronic diseases of the skin are de- 
 pendent on visceral derangement, and that no 
 external application will remove the exciting 
 cause. We know that sulphuretted hydrogen 
 is possessed of such subtle power that it per- 
 vades the whole animal econony, and alters 
 or modifies the fluids from which those dis- 
 eases are propagated. 
 
 It is indeed essential that the use of the 
 sulphurous waters should be combined with 
 the simultaneous use of bathing in the mineral 
 
THE SKIN. 127 
 
 water, and this is now attainable at all the 
 Sulphur Springs of Western Virginia. When 
 the system has been saturated with the sul- 
 phurous waters, then may the natural baths 
 be used with double advantage ; and we are 
 sure we do not risk the charge of extravagant 
 laudation, when we assert that the world can- 
 not produce three fountains superior to those 
 of which we have been treating in the fore- 
 going pages. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 
 
 " Thirty-five miles from the Hot Springs 
 (Col. Perkins) are the celebrated White Sul- 
 phur Springs, which are visited by those who 
 are in search of pleasure, as well as those who 
 are in want of the waters. The accommoda- 
 tions for visiters to this place are much more 
 extensive than at any of the other watering- 
 places in Virginia ; the views are more beau- 
 tiful, and visiters much greater in number, 
 than at the other Springs. The amiable 
 owner of this delightful spot, though he takes 
 no active part in the management of the con- 
 cern, has an excellent representative in his 
 son, Wm. B. Calwell, Esq., who has been 
 fortunate in selecting as his principal execu- 
 tive aid, Mr. King, whose obliging attentions 
 and courtesy are acknowledged by all who 
 know him." 
 
 The accounts given of this establishment 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 
 
 129 
 
 have been so frequent, and so extensively 
 circulated, that minuteness of detail is unne 
 cessary. The accommodations are sufficient 
 for the entertainment of five hundred persons, 
 together with the usual proportion of servants 
 and horses. More than six hundred are said 
 to have been taken in, but when the guest 
 has to be crammed into a room with some 
 half dozen others, it is not so much accom- 
 modation as making shift. We are inform- 
 ed that the establishment proper, Mr. Mastin's 
 Hotel, and Mr. Rosser's, will all accommodate 
 seven hundred persons. When we first visit- 
 ed this place in 1823, it was in a very rude 
 state, although entertaining at that time from 
 one hundred and fifty to two hundred and 
 fifty persons, principally lodged in comfortless 
 log cabins. 
 
 From 1834 to the present time the improve- 
 ments have been extensive, and many of them 
 beautiful ; but there is such a glaring want 
 of design in the arrangement of the buildings, 
 that it is painful to a man of taste to observe 
 how nature has been marred by the want of 
 art. It is in a great degree irremediable, too, 
 for it would be now difficult to make any im- 
 
130 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 portant alteration without great expense and 
 destruction of valuable property. As, how- 
 ever, a woman may be beautiful in spite of 
 her teeth, so is the White Sulphur, notwith- 
 standing the defect we have mentioned. The 
 many handsome cottages built by or for 
 certain individuals, have added much to the 
 interest of the landscape, and upon the whole 
 this charming spot may be considered as pos- 
 sessing attractions which are rarely presented 
 to the traveller. So much has been said re- 
 specting the fare at this place, that some allu- 
 sion to it will not be deemed irrelevant. 
 
 The keepers of watering-places are differ- 
 ently situated from persons who entertain 
 company the whole year. They have to 
 make extensive arrangements for a short pe- 
 riod, and while their company is at its maxi- 
 mum not more than one month, they are 
 obliged to keep in pay double the number of 
 attendants necessary for the average, many of 
 whom feel but little interest in their employ- 
 ers ; and they have, besides, to provide sup- 
 plies at great expense and inconvenience. 
 They are entitled to great allowances under 
 all the circumstances ; but few persons, how- 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 131 
 
 ever, receive less indulgence from a discern- 
 ing public. In the case of our friend, Mr. 
 Cahvell, a thousand eyes are emphatically 
 watching, if not \he fleece, certainly that which 
 was once covered by it : and after it has been 
 served up, for the equal participation of all, 
 Caeleno and her frightful sisters made not 
 greater havoc among the eatables of the 
 hungry Trojans than the sable sons of Africa 
 make upon the dishes at the White Sulphur : 
 
 At subitcB horrifico lapsu de montibus adsunt 
 Harpyics, et magnis quatiunt clangoribus alas. 
 Diripiuntque dapes, contactuque omnia foedant 
 Immundo : twm vox tetrum dira inter odorem, 
 
 As soon as the dishes are placed on the 
 table, the private servants and those of the 
 establishment that are bribed, seize upon the 
 best of the eatables and place them as private 
 property before their employers. It is a 
 shameful abuse, and may be remedied by ex- 
 cluding all private servants, and allotting 
 certain servants to certain sections of the 
 table. Thus, under the ticket system, in a 
 company ever-changing, it is not probable 
 that one man would be waited on more than 
 one day by the same servant, and he would 
 
132 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 therefore find it too inconvenient to be paying 
 a fresh bribe every day. This is the greatest 
 evil at the White Sulphur, and will ever 
 create confusion and dissatisfaction until cor- 
 rected. All acknowledge the supplies are 
 ample, though perhaps not so varied as at the 
 other Springs ; but between the causes just 
 mentioned and the undignified impatience of 
 the guests themselves, the scene is often ludi- 
 crous in the extreme. 
 
 The lodging-rooms are generally comfort- 
 able, and well supplied with the requisite 
 furniture. The bathing establishment here 
 is fitted up with great neatness, and obviates 
 every objection hitherto made in respect to 
 that convenience. 
 
 Wm. B. Calwell, Esq., who has the sole 
 control of the establishment, is a bland and 
 elegant gentleman, and his manager, Mr. 
 King, trained to his calling, is in every re- 
 spect qualified, and uniformly civil and 
 obliging. We shall commence our notice of 
 the waters with an extract from Mr. Otis' de- 
 scription of the Spring : 
 
 " The Spring bubbles up from the earth in 
 the lowest part of the valley, and is covered 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 133 
 
 by a tastefully covered Pavilion, being a dome, 
 supported by twelve Ionic columns, and sur- 
 mounted by a graceful statue of Hygeia. the 
 patron saint of healing, holding in her right 
 hand a cup. as filled with water, and in her 
 left a vegetable or herb. This statue was pre- 
 sented to the establishment by Mr. Hender- 
 son, a wealthy planter of Louisiana, who I 
 believe went from New England. The Pa- 
 vilion is surrounded by the grateful shade of 
 old oaks, locusts, and elms : and hither resort, 
 as to a common focus, the converging radii 
 of the crowd, intent upon banishing disease or 
 ennui, gaining health or admiration, display- 
 ing personal charms or sacrificing to fashion. 
 The invalid, pale, emaciated, and wretched, 
 may be seen there at almost every hour, wait- 
 ing till the giddy dance of the gay and vola- 
 tile, who came there merely to gratify • a 
 truant disposition,' shall leave the waters free 
 for him to drink and be healed. The feverish 
 flush, the hectic of consumption, the tottering 
 gait of rheumatism, the wasted form of the 
 dyspeptic, may all be observed in contrast 
 with the ruddy glow of manly health, the free 
 elastic step of youthful vigor, the gay smile of 
 12 
 
134 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 unpained hearts, and the loud laugh of mirth 
 that knows not even the check of another's 
 sufferings. 
 
 " At about an hour before dinner, the fash- 
 ionable lounge at the fountain commences. 
 Then also commences the playing of the mu- 
 sicians in the ball-room, a fine band of per- 
 formers, who amuse the visitants to the 
 Springs an hour at noon, and divide with the 
 waters the attention of the promenaders." 
 
 For the analysis of the White Sulphur wa- 
 ter, as given by the Dispensatory of the United 
 States on the authority of Professor Wm. B. 
 Rogers, we refer to page 47. Whether we 
 consider it as a gaseous or saline water, we 
 find it falls greatly short of many of the wa- 
 ters of Europe and this country. But does 
 this argue that it is inferior in curative pro- 
 perties ? By no means. There may be too 
 much of a good thing in mineral waters as 
 well as in other matters ; and this is mani- 
 fested by all conversant with this class of 
 natural remedies. Harrowgate (England) 
 water contains, in a wine gallon, sulphuretted 
 hydrogen 14 cub. in., or 5| as much as the 
 White Sulphur, and while the solid contents 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 135 
 
 of the White Sulphur in a gallon are 122 grs., 
 those of Harrowgate are 859 grs. Is the 
 latter then a better water than the for- 
 mer ? We should more than doubt it. Sa 
 ratoga water (Congress Spring) contains, in a 
 wine gallon, gaseous contents 318 cub. in., 
 and solid contents nearly 598 grs. ; yet will 
 any one rank Saratoga water with White 
 Sulphur water as a curative agent ? As we 
 have already stated, it is the combination 
 that makes the mineral water valuable. It is 
 because that combination is adapted by nature 
 in her mysterious laboratory to the animal 
 economy, that disease yields to its sway ; but 
 let man endeavour to improve upon her work 
 by abstracting from or adding to her propor- 
 tions, and she will soon show which is the 
 better apothecary. 
 
 If the estimation in which the White Sul- 
 phur water is held, in the United States, be 
 any evidence of its merit, it needs no other 
 eulogy ; for it is well known that its fame has 
 spread to every portion of the nation. It is 
 indeed a noble fountain, destined, we hope 
 and trust, to be a blessing to countless gene- 
 rations. It may be abused, as all other reme 
 
136 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 dies ; but where it is the appropriate remedy, 
 and is correctly introduced into the system, 
 it is most valuable. Where it is not adapted, 
 it is no less productive of great and perma- 
 nent mischief. 
 
 Feeling deeply the great value of this wa- 
 ter to the public, and solicitous that its fame 
 may not be even temporarily affected, we feel 
 it a duty we owe to the worthy proprietors 
 of the fountain, as well as to the community 
 at large, to notice a theory which has been 
 lately sought to be established respecting it, 
 and which, if true, renders it liable to be suc- 
 cessfully imitated by any one who can mix 
 with common water the different portions of 
 saline matter discovered by its analysis. We 
 allude to the theory set forth in a pamphlet 
 by Dr. J. J. Moorman, resident physician at 
 the Spring. We disclaim any intention of 
 affecting the interests of Dr. Moorman. He is 
 personally unknown to us ; but since we have 
 undertaken to present our views on those 
 mineral waters, we feel morally bound not 
 to sanction, by our silence, a theory fraught, 
 as we believe, with injury to the reputation 
 of this justly popular water, and with cruel 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 13? 
 
 injustice to the poor invalids who seek benefit 
 from its use. 
 
 In the discussion of this subject we will 
 not impugn Dr. M.'s motives in propagating 
 this doctrine. With these we have nothing 
 to do. We are entitled to the privilege of 
 questioning the soundness of his theories, and 
 this we will do in good temper. 
 
 We subjoin the article of Dr. M. on this 
 subject, so that we may not incur the charge 
 of misrepresentation, and shall then comment 
 on his positions. 
 
 [Dr. Moorman.] — " The reputation of the 
 White Sulphur Water for its medical vir- 
 tues is now so well known in every part of 
 America, that it is thought unnecessary to 
 enter into a general detail of the peculiar 
 properties of the water and its applicability to 
 particular diseases. It is believed that a more 
 acceptable service will be rendered to the 
 public by exhibiting satisfactory testimony, 
 proving that those who are unable or unwil- 
 ling to perform a journey to the Springs may 
 use it at their own homes, and while in the 
 enjoyment of the soothing cares and atten- 
 tions of their families, with equally beneficial 
 
 results as if drank fresh at the Spring. 
 12* 
 
138 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 To prove this we do not intend to enter into 
 a scientific disquisition of the physical pro- 
 perties of the water. The fact is now gene- 
 rally admitted, that the medical properties of 
 the White Sulphur water reside mainly 
 in its solid contents ; and as these solid con- 
 tents are not deposited, or otherwise lost by 
 exportation, the transported water must retain 
 as much strength as that which is used fresh 
 from the fountain. Numerous comparative 
 trials, made with the transported water and 
 the water fresh at the Spring, by intelligent 
 and observant persons, and with strict re- 
 ference to ascertain its strength in either way, 
 have abundantly proved the truth of this po- 
 sition ; not only establishing the fact that the 
 water, after it had been a long time removed 
 from the place, is equally as strong as that at 
 the fountain head, but also that it may be 
 used by the invalid with the same happy 
 results. 
 
 That the White Sulphur water, when re 
 moved from the Spring and exposed even for 
 a few minutes, parts with a portion of its 
 uncombined sulphuretted hydrogen gas, is evi- 
 dent ; but long experience in the use of the 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 139 
 
 water has satisfactorily proved, that its activ- 
 ity, far from being lessened, is ordinarily 
 increased when the gas is evaporated. This 
 fact has been so well ascertained, by those 
 who are familiar with the use of the water, as 
 to have established a common practice among 
 such at the Springs, to set the water in an 
 open vessel for twelve or eighteen hours, 
 until its gas shall have escaped, before using 
 it : others more expeditiously attain the same 
 thing by gently warming the water : and by 
 either of these precautions, the activity or the 
 system is almost invariably increased, while 
 at the same time, the water thus prepared 
 agrees better with a greater majority of the 
 patients, and may be taken with far greater 
 impunity by most invalids. 
 
 The escape of the gas, which soon takes 
 place after the water is taken from the Spring 
 and exposed to the air, causes it to lose its 
 sulphuric taste and smell : and one not ac- 
 quainted with this characteristic might be 
 induced thereby to believe, when using trans- 
 ported water, that a fraud had been practised 
 upon him, and that, instead of sulphur water, 
 there had been palmed upon him either river 
 
140 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 or rain water. We know of some individuals 
 who have been induced to decline its use 
 from suspicions growing out of this circum- 
 stance, not being aware of the fact that it is 
 the gas alone which imparts to the White 
 Sulphur water its sulphuric smell and taste, 
 and that this gas readily escapes unless great 
 caution has been observed in the preparation 
 and security of the vessel that contains it. 
 But whether this gas escapes or not is a 
 matter of little or no importance, as the 
 water is equally as salutary without as 
 with it, and does not thereby lose its medical 
 virtues. 
 
 These facts, however, inexplicable as they 
 may be to the common observer, will not as- 
 tonish the intelligent medical man, who re- 
 collects that the gas thus thrown off is an 
 active nervine stimulant, which, while it 
 often unduly excites the feeble and nervous 
 patient, delays by its stimulant effect the 
 operations of the salts of the water. Nor is 
 it singular that this particular stimulant 
 should produce this effect, inasmuch as we 
 witness the same thing, when any other ac- 
 tive stimulant is administered with our eva- 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 141 
 
 cuant remedies ; for who does not know that 
 a purgative potion administered in wine, 
 toddy, or any other diffusible stimulant, will 
 ordinarily act less promptly and powerfully 
 than when administered in water." 
 
 To sustain the above statement Dr. M. gives 
 sundry certificates of respectable individuals 
 who had used the water at a distance from 
 the Springs. In denying the correctness of 
 Dr. Moorman's assertions, and of the opinions 
 of the gentlemen who have given certificates, 
 we disclaim a shadow of disrespect ; but with 
 all due deference for their judgment, we be- 
 lieve that the latter have not given themselves 
 time to consider that in proving too much 
 they have proved nothing ; and that the Dr. 
 is naturally enough biased in favour of the 
 creation of his own imagination. 
 
 We understand the theory in question ori- 
 ginated in the following manner: Dr. M. 
 some years ago entered into an arrangement 
 with Mr. Calwell for transporting the water. 
 It was attempted in bottles, but that was 
 found too expensive, and the idea of barrel- 
 ling was adopted. But here was a difficulty, 
 the gas would escape. What was to be done ? 
 
142 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 Why, it must be shown that the gas was of 
 no use, nay, that it was a detriment, and like 
 " toddy or wine," an active nervine stimulant. 
 It became necessary to prove that the water 
 was better without gas than with it ; and ac- 
 cordingly, Dr. M. recommends to his patients 
 to let it stand in an open vessel 12 or 18 
 hours before use. Dr. M. tells you that it is 
 a common practice to pursue this plan at the 
 Spring ; but we regret 4o perceive he has not 
 the candour to acknowledge that he intro- 
 duced the practice ; and that no such practice 
 was known from the days of Adam until the 
 days of Dr. M. 
 
 We have already shown that, in mere sa- 
 line matter, the White Sulphur is immea- 
 surably below Saratoga, and hence the con- 
 clusion is inevitable, according to Dr. M., 
 that Saratoga water is immeasurably superior 
 to the White Sulphur. Nay, it is known 
 to Dr. M. that the White is below the 
 Salt Sulphur in saline matter ; and does he 
 therefore imply that the former is inferior to 
 the latter ? Would he directly concede this ? 
 No : yet it is plainly deducible from his the- 
 ory. But the absurdity of the proposition is 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 143 
 
 self-evident, when the reader reflects that, if 
 true, the great White Sulphur water is no 
 better than may be made by any apothecary's 
 apprentice behind his counter. 
 
 But we will prove to a demonstration that 
 the positions taken by Dr. M. are in direct 
 opposition to all experience and to the dis- 
 coveries of science. Dr. M. says it is gene- 
 rally admitted that the " medical properties 
 of the White Sulphur water reside mainly in 
 its solid contents." Now we assert that no 
 such thing is admitted ; but just the contrary. 
 We quote from that great chemist, Dr. Hare, 
 the following paragraph bearing directly on 
 this subject. 
 
 " Of sulphydric acid or sulphuretted hy- 
 drogen : 
 
 u Few persons are unacquainted with the un- 
 pleasant odour which results from the wash- 
 ings of a gun-barrel, made foul by the explo- 
 sion of gunpowder, or that produced by 
 putrid eggs. This odour arises from a com- 
 pound consisting of one atom of hydrogen 
 and one atom of sulphur. The celebrated 
 Sulphur Springs of Virginia are indebted 
 for their odour , and mainly for their efji- 
 
144 
 
 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 cacy, to this compound, to which the celebra- 
 ted Thenard has given the name of sulphy- 
 dric acid.' 7 — [Hare's Chemistry.) 
 
 But Dr. M. says sulphuretted hydrogen is 
 a nervine stimulant. We beg leave to quote 
 the opinions of Dr. Armstrong on this subject. 
 
 " The first thing- which struck me in regard 
 to the, operation of the Harrowgate sulphur- 
 ous water was, that the bowels might be open- 
 ed by it day after day, week after week, with- 
 out debility being produced ; nay, on the 
 contrary, most of the patients gained both 
 strength and flesh, notwithstanding they had 
 daily and copious evacuations. This circum- 
 stance alone seemed to give the sulphurous 
 water a most decided advantage over the pur- 
 gatives in common use ; for it must be ad- 
 mitted that they cannot be long continued in 
 chronic diseases without diminishing the 
 strength. For some time, therefore, I solely 
 attributed the efficacy of the sulphurous water 
 to its purgative property, together with the 
 peculiarity that its long-continued exhibition 
 caused no debility; and for a considerable 
 period the complaints on which I prescribed 
 were chiefly stomachic and hepatic, I was 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 145 
 
 the more confirmed in this opinion as to 
 its operation. But cases of chronic disease 
 fell under my observation at various times, in 
 which the sulphurous water was most decid- 
 edly beneficial, and that too where the bowels 
 had been but scantily moved ; and as the 
 effects in these cases could by no means be 
 purely attributed to its action on the intes- 
 tines. I was led to inquire whether it might 
 not have some other agency which had escap- 
 ed my observation. In attending more close- 
 ly to the changes which the water induced, I 
 found that it acted most powerfully on the 
 secretory glands of the body, but more espe- 
 cially on the liver, on the kidneys, on the 
 mucous coat of the intestines, and on the skin. 
 K Here a new operation was presented to my 
 inquiry. In reflecting on all the facts which 
 had come before me, I ascertained that this 
 water had removed chronic affections of vari- 
 ous internal and external parts : and hence at 
 length the inference followed, that it was 
 really beneficial as a very powerful alterative, 
 and that it had a direct influence over chronic 
 inflammation, wherever it be seated, whether 
 in the viscera or upon the surface of the body. 
 13 
 
146 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 In still further pursuing the consideration of 
 the subject, I was fully satisfied that I had 
 arrived at a general principle in the operation 
 of the sulphurous water : for, some time after- 
 wards, on trial of that at Dinsdale, near Dar- 
 lington, I found that its effects were also very 
 powerful in chronic inflammations, though it 
 be but slightly laxative. It at once, there- 
 fore, occurred to me, that the chief efficacy of 
 the sulphurous ivaters of Harrowgate and 
 of Dinsdale depended upon the sulphuretted 
 hydrogen gas which they both contained ; 
 and indeed the principal difference between 
 the two waters is, that the first contains less 
 of the sulphuretted hydrogen gas, but more 
 of the saline ingredients than the last, so that 
 by adding very small doses of purgative salts 
 to the one, it may be made to operate like the 
 other in many cases." 
 
 Again : " Chronic rheumatism and gout, 
 and almost all cutaneous affections, will yield 
 more readily to the continued internal exhi- 
 bition of the sulphuretted hydrogen gas than 
 to any of the means noio commonly employ- 
 ed ; not only in these, but also in most chronic 
 complaints of the viscera, the recovery will 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 147 
 
 be considerably expedited by the frequent use 
 of tepid baths which contain the sulphuretted 
 hydrogen gas. At the same time, it is to be 
 recollected that it is not upon one, but upon 
 all the secretory organs, that it exerts especial 
 influence ; but certainly to the skin, as it is so 
 capacious, a large portion of that influence is 
 directed, and next in degree it is generally 
 spent upon the kidneys, both of which cir- 
 cumstances make it so beneficial in cutaneous 
 diseases, and in those of the urinary organs." 
 Here, then, is the opinion of Dr. Hare sus- 
 tained by Dr. Armstrong, that the virtues of 
 a sulphurous water mainly depend on the 
 sulphuretted hydrogen gas ; but Dr. Moor- 
 man throws it overboard without ceremony, 
 as a worthless article. " But (says the learn- 
 ed Doctor,) whether this gas escape or not is 
 a m after of little importance, as the water is 
 equally as salutary without as with it, and 
 does not thereby lose its medical virtues." 
 Whilst he asserts that the water is as good, 
 nay better, without the gas, he tells us, " that 
 it is the gas alone which imparts to the 
 White Sulphur water its sulphuric smell and 
 taste." 
 
 "f 
 
148 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 He recognizes the presence of the sulphur 
 in no other form in the water — he acknow- 
 ledges that the gas escapes wholly by ex- 
 posure to the air, and yet he recommends as 
 a sulphur water that which is no more the 
 same article it once was, than any plain well- 
 water that may be obtained in the same geo- 
 logical district. 
 
 Had Dr. M. contented himself with claim- 
 ing for his transported water some degree of 
 excellence approximating that of the genuine 
 water from the fountain, the tax on our cre- 
 dulity would not have been so severe ; but 
 when he admits the water has sustained a loss, 
 and yet insists that it has benefitted by that 
 loss, we cannot pass over in silence so mon- 
 strous a proposition. We can understand how 
 half a loaf is better than no bread ; but it will 
 take better logic than that exhibited by Dr. 
 M. to convince us that half a loaf is better 
 than a whole loaf. 
 
 Before we quit this subject, we desire to say 
 a word respecting the certificates given by 
 gentlemen, many of whom we know and re- 
 spect, to Dr. Moorman. They no doubt be- 
 lieved what they stated to be correct. They 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 149 
 
 meant to state that the aperient quality of the 
 water was not impaired by the loss of the gas, 
 but probably increased, in which we perfectly 
 agree with them ; but those of them who have 
 used the word alterative, have probably used 
 it as synonymous with mildly purgative, and 
 have, therefore, said more than they intended. 
 That the word alterative is thus restricted by 
 some persons is well known, but it is not the 
 legitimate signification of the word as used by 
 medical writers. 
 
 An alterative is a remedy that by a scarcely 
 perceptible disturbance of the excretory organs, 
 alters some morbid function of those organs to, 
 or towards, a normal condition. Whether the 
 mucous membrane of the intestines, or bron- 
 chi, or the skin, or the kidneys, or the liver, 
 or any other gland or surface, be concerned, 
 we apply the word alterative to their gradual 
 change from diseased to healthy action. From 
 this view of the term it will be seen how im- 
 properly it is sometimes applied, and the in- 
 stance now before us proves how, by the mis- 
 application of a word, much mischief may be 
 done. The explanation we have given proves 
 satisfactorily that the worthy gentlemen who 
 13* 
 
150 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 have testified to the value of the transported 
 water, meant only to vouch for its visible 
 effects on the bowels, without once consider- 
 ing that the most important alterative effects 
 are frequently invisible. 
 
 " The White Sulphur Springs (Bell) have 
 been much resorted to by invalids suffering 
 from dyspepsia, chronic hepatitis, the slow 
 fever following remittent, bilious, or ill-cured 
 intermittent fevers ; chronic rheumatism, cu- 
 taneous diseases, uterine derangements, such 
 as obstructed menstruation and fluor albus. 
 
 " In dyspepsia, unconnected with chronic 
 inflammation and fixed pain of the stomach, 
 these waters will have an excellent effect ; 
 and especially if, as is often the case in the 
 middle and southern States, the disorder be 
 connected with obstructions of the liver and 
 enlarged spleen. Persons who have brought 
 on dyspepsia by excess in eating too much 
 mixed food, and drinking distilled and fer- 
 mented liquors, if they restrict themselves to 
 simple food in moderate quantities, and use 
 no other fluid than the mineral and common 
 water, have every thing to hope for by a resi- 
 dence of a few weeks at the White Sulphur 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 151 
 
 Springs. The jaundiced skin will here often 
 receive its natural hue, the temper its wonted 
 evenness, and most of the other unpleasant 
 bilious symptoms, as they are called, will dis- 
 appear by a suitable hygeienic course at this 
 favoured spot. That state consisting in pecu- 
 liar debility and nervousness, and cutaneous 
 eruptions from the excessive use of mercury, 
 will be removed by the same means." 
 
 We have little to add to the enumeration 
 made by Dr. Bell of the diseases to which the 
 White Sulphur water is applicable. It may 
 be used with great advantage in most cases of 
 visceral disease, and will be found useful in 
 some cases of neuralgia dependent on dyspep- 
 sia. Nephritic disease produced by acidity 
 will be benefitted by it, especially if combined 
 with a small quantity of bi-carbon ate of soda. 
 
 As it is highly stimulant, it is inadmissible 
 in actual pulmonary disease, or in strong pre- 
 disposition thereto, and has never failed to do 
 mischief in those conditions of the system. 
 In hepatic disease, its alterative power is 
 much aided by occasional use of blue-mass in 
 small doses. 
 
 We have already given such hints with re- 
 
152 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 gard to the quantity of water proper to be 
 drunk, and on diet and exercise, as we thought 
 might be useful ; we cannot profitably add 
 any thing on these subjects, but to remark 
 that they must be modified to suit the wants 
 and condition of each individual. 
 
 Soon after the publication of the first edition 
 of this work, a pamphlet was put forth by Dr. 
 John Moorman, and gratuitously distributed, 
 entitled " A Brief Notice of a portion of a 
 work by William Burke, entitled ' The Min- 
 eral Springs of Western Virginia,' with pre- 
 liminary remarks on the relative virtues of the 
 Saline and Gaseous contents of the White 
 Sulphur Water, by John J. Moorman, M.D., 
 Resident Physician at the White Sulphur 
 Springs." 
 
 We have heard that Dr. M. has chuckled a 
 good deal at the fact, that we have never re- 
 plied to his attempt to vindicate his " theory" 
 and to ascribe to us selfish and unworthy mo- 
 tives, in attacking that theory. 
 
 Having placed before that worthy and dis- 
 criminating gentleman, denominated " The 
 Public," our view of the matter in question, 
 and clearly, as we imagined, exposed an im- 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 153 
 
 pudent imposture, we saw no reason why we 
 should take any farther pains to deprive the 
 aforesaid personage of the exquisite pleasure 
 of being humbuged. His attempt to fasten 
 upon us unworthy motives, has fallen as harm- 
 lessly as the yelping of little i: Tray," and we 
 should not, at this distant day, have noticed 
 his absurd and silly " Notice" but that we are 
 called upon for a second edition of our work, 
 and have therefore determined to amuse our 
 readers with a few of his eccentricities. 
 His pamphlet thus begins : 
 
 " CHAPTER* 
 
 11 On the relative virtues of the Saline and 
 Gaseous contents of the White Sulphur 
 Water. 
 
 " Speculation has existed as to the rel- 
 ative efficacy of the different component parts 
 
 11 * This Chapter is a part of a work in manuscript, on the 
 1 Mineral Springs of Virginia? which has been lying by us 
 for some time nearly ready for the press, and which would 
 have been published before this period, but for our desire to 
 procure accurate drawings of some of the more celebrated 
 watering places, and to obtain more specific information in 
 relation to the composition and medical effects of some of the 
 mineral waters in Eastern Virginia. 
 
154 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 of the White Sulphur Water in the cure of 
 disease, and while some have supposed that its 
 gaseous contents are essential to its sanative 
 virtues, others, and we think the best inform- 
 ed observers, attribute its medicinal virtues 
 mainly to its solid or saline contents. To the 
 latter opinion the able Professor of Natural 
 Philosophy in the University of Virginia, who 
 has carefully examined the water, and other 
 distinguished chemists and physicians, deci- 
 dedly incline. 
 
 " It certainly is a question of no little inter- 
 est to the valetudinarian, whether he should 
 use this water fresh as it flows from the spring, 
 and abounding in all its stimulating gas ; or 
 whether he should use it after it has partially 
 or entirely parted with this gas. To this sub- 
 ject we have, for the last several years, devo- 
 ted the most laborious and particular atten- 
 tion, having instituted, with great care, vari- 
 ous and diversified experiments, in order to 
 establish something like definite and positive 
 conclusions. 
 
 " Although the value of this water in what 
 is usually termed its non-stimulating form, 
 or, in other words, when deprived of its gas, 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 155 
 
 has long been known to many who are famil- 
 iar with its use, it was not until the last few 
 years that it was commonly used from choice, 
 after it had been long removed from the 
 spring, or from any cause had parted with its 
 gaseous contents ; an opinion, the correctness 
 of which had never been examined, prevailed 
 in the minds of many, that in losing its gas, 
 it lost its strength and efficacy. 
 
 " Having settled at the { White,' as the res- 
 ident physician of the place, it became alike 
 our duty and our interest to investigate the 
 character and operations of its waters under 
 every possible form and modification in which 
 they could be presented. In the pursuit of 
 this duty, we resolved to take no opinion upon 
 ; trust,' but carefully to examine and investi- 
 gate for ourselves. A prominent question im- 
 mediately presented itself for inquiry, involv- 
 ing the relative merits which the solid and 
 gaseous ingredients of the water possess as 
 remedial agents. It would be tedious, and, to 
 man}', uninteresting, to detail the several steps 
 and multiplied experiments which led us to 
 conclusions upon the subject, satisfactory to 
 our own mind, and upon which we have es- 
 
156 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 tablished certain practical principles in the use 
 of the water, which have enabled us to pre- 
 scribe it, especially for nervous and excitable 
 patients, with far greater success than hereto- 
 fore. It is sufficient for our purpose at present, 
 to state, that while we freely admit that the 
 sulphuretted hydrogen gas, which abounds 
 in the water, is an active nervine stimulant, 
 and therefore may be a most potent agent in 
 some cases, we are fully impressed with the 
 belief that either in its direct or indirect 
 effects, we must look mainly to the solid con- 
 fents of the water for its alterative power as 
 well as for its activity manifested in its opera- 
 tions through the different emunctories of the 
 human body. 
 
 " Whether the efficacy of the solid contents 
 of this water be owing to the specific charac- 
 ter of any one, or to all of the thirteen differ- 
 ent salts of which it is composed, and which 
 exist in the water in the most minute form of 
 subdivision, and in this condition enter the 
 circulation, and course through the whole sys- 
 tem, applying themselves appropriately to dis- 
 eased tissues ; or, whether its efficacy depends 
 upon the evolution of sulphuretted hydrogen 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 157 
 
 gas after the water has reached the stomach, 
 is a matter of curious and interesting in- 
 quiry. 
 
 " The distinguished chemist, Mr. Augustine 
 A. Hays, of Rocksbury, after having bestowed 
 much pains in analysing the white sulphur 
 water,- and in studying its peculiar character, 
 comes to the following conclusions as to the 
 source of its medicinal power. After describ- 
 ing, at considerable length, a certain matter 
 which he found to abound in the water, and 
 which he terms c organic matter J in the 
 course of which he says, it ' differs essentially 
 from the organic matter of some thermal wa- 
 ters,' he proceeds to say, ' In contact with 
 earthy sulphates, at a moderate temperature, 
 it produces hydro-sulphuric acid, and to this 
 source, that acid contained in the water may 
 be traced. This substance does not rapidly 
 attract oxygen from the atmosphere, and from 
 coloured compounds, as some other organic 
 compounds do, — the medicinal properties of 
 this water are probably due to the action of 
 this organic substance. The hydro-sulphu- 
 ric acid resulting from its natural action, is 
 one of the most active substances within the 
 14 
 
158 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 reach of physicians. There are chemical 
 reasons for supposing that, after the water 
 has reached the stomach, similar changes, 
 accompanied by the production of hydro- 
 sulphuric acid, takes place? 
 
 " Before Mr. Hays had communicated the 
 above opinion, growing out of his chemical 
 examinations, we had again and again been 
 much interested with certain phenomena 
 which we have termed the secondary forma- 
 tion of gas in the white sulphur water. In- 
 stances had frequently been reported to us of 
 the water having been put into bottles after it 
 had lost its gas entirely, being void both of 
 taste and smell, and yet, after these bottles 
 were kept for some days in a warm situation, 
 and then opened, the water appeared equally 
 strong of the hydro-sulphuric acid, as it is 
 found to be fresh at the fountain. - 
 
 " In a shipment of this water to Calcutta, 
 some years since, the c transporting company ' 
 had the water bottled in Boston, from barrels 
 that had been filled at the spring six months 
 before. This water, although tasteless and 
 inodorous, when put into the bottles at Bos- 
 ton, was found, on its arrival at Calcutta, so 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 159 
 
 strongly impregnated with the hydro-sulphuric 
 acid gas as to render it necessary, under 
 the direction of an intelligent gentleman of 
 Boston, (who had witnessed this secondary 
 formation of gas before,) to uncork the bottles 
 for some time before using, that the excess of 
 gas might escape/' 
 
 We have given Dr. M. thus far " chapter " 
 and verse, and as, hitherto, he has been oblig- 
 ed to give himself aioay ) he should be obliged 
 to us for setting a price upon him. A most 
 estimable acquaintance of Dr. M. and ourself 
 — a genuine laughing philosopher — some 
 years ago, wrote a book to prove that there 
 was no such personage as the Devil ; and he 
 did prove it, entirely to his own satisfaction ; 
 but unfortunately for his ingenious disquisi- 
 tion, the learned divines would not counte- 
 nance his if theory," and have continued, to 
 the present day, declaiming against the old 
 gentleman's horns and cloven foot. We fear 
 it will be so, with Dr. M. and ourself: he will 
 continue to recommend " stale icater" and 
 we shall continue to prefer fresh : he will con- 
 tinue to urge that — " This water, although 
 tasteless and inodorous, when put into the 
 
160 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 bottles at Boston, was found, on its arrival at 
 Calcutta, so strongly impregnated with the 
 hydro-sulphuric acid gas, as to render it ne- 
 cessary, under the direction of an intelligent 
 gentleman of Boston, (who had witnessed this 
 secondary formation of gas before,) to uncork 
 the bottles for some time before using, that the 
 excess of gas might escape." (Good reader, 
 refrain from laughing, if you can.) And we, 
 poor ignorant boor ! shall continue to believe, 
 
 that the water was putrid, and ! 
 
 Our transmontane Galen gives a quotation 
 from a learned chemist, and after making him 
 father deductions which must have made 
 that gentleman smile, he says : " Whether 
 the efficacy of the solid contents of this water 
 be owing to the specific character of any 
 one, or to all of the thirteen different salts 
 of which it is composed, &c, or, whether 
 its efficacy depends upon the evolution of sul- 
 phuretted hydrogen gas after the water has 
 reached the stomach, is a matter of curious 
 and interesting inquiry." Mark this, good 
 reader ! The gas as it comes from the foun- 
 tain is a " nervine stimulant ;" but, as 
 " evolved in the stomach" it may be the 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 161 
 
 sweetest gas imaginable. May fate protect us 
 from Dr. Moorman's stomachic gas ! 
 
 u We had also known that in the process of 
 thawing sulphur water in a warm room, that 
 had been previously frozen, sulphuretted hy- 
 drogen gas is evolved ; for although the ice 
 has neither the taste nor smell of sulphur, a 
 strong smell of sulphuretted hydrogen gas is 
 manifest as the ice is returning to water. 
 
 u We had often observed that individuals 
 who drank the water entirely stale, and void 
 alike of taste and smell, were as liable to have 
 eructations of sulphuretted hydrogen gas as 
 those who drank the water fresh at the foun- 
 tain. These, and other facts connected with 
 the peculiar operations and effects of this wa- 
 ter when used in its ungaseous form, — opera- 
 tions and effects which we cannot here with 
 propriety refer to, but all going to prove the 
 secondary formation of gas under certain cir- 
 cumstances, — had, in our investigations of this 
 water, interested us exceedingly, and conse- 
 quently, we were not a little pleased that Mr. 
 Hays 7 chemical examinations so fully sustain- 
 ed the opinions we had been led to entertain 
 from our personal observations." 
 14* 
 
162 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 The Dr. says : " We had often observed 
 that individuals who drank the water stale, 
 were as liable to have eructations of sulphu- 
 retted hydrogen gas, as those who drank the 
 water fresh at the fountain." We know not 
 what effect the Doctor's observation may have 
 upon the reader, but we declare our sides fair- 
 ly ache from laughing at the discovery, that 
 stale water makes the Dr. and his patients 
 belch. Thanks to our stars that we are not 
 near enough to appreciate " the operations 
 and effects all going to prove the secondary 
 formation of gas under certain circumstances." 
 
 The Doctor proceeds : hear him ! 
 
 " The interesting opinion of this distin- 
 guished chemist, in connection with the nu- 
 merous proofs, derived from analogy and ob- 
 servation, of the secondary formation of sul- 
 phuretted hydrogen gas in this water, would 
 seem to be well calculated to harmonize the 
 opinion advanced by us of the equal efficacy 
 of the water when deprived of its gas, with 
 the sentiment entertained by some, that the 
 hydrogen gas is essential to its sanative opera- 
 tions. 
 
 " The phenomena of a secondary for- 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 163 
 
 matron of sulphuretted hydrogen gas in 
 mineral waters, has not, that we are aware 
 of, been noticed before ; it certainly has 
 not in relation to the white sulphur 
 water, and we sincerely hope that medical 
 gentlemen generally, who may have occasion 
 to use the water, will direct a careful attention 
 to this singular fact. For ourselves, we prom- 
 ise still further to investigate this interesting 
 subject, and may, at some subsequent period, 
 lay the results of such investigation before the 
 medical public." 
 
 We have thus far quoted from the " Prelim- 
 inary Chapter" of our learned contemporary, 
 which he informs us is part of " a work in 
 manuscript, on the Mineral Springs of Virginia, 
 which has been lying by us (him) for some 
 time, nearly ready for the press." 
 
 The Doctor's bantling has not yet been made 
 public, though nearly ready for the press three 
 years ago : we hope it has not gone upon a 
 voyage to Calcutta, or, if it has, that it has 
 been given in charge to that same " intelligent 
 gentleman from Boston" who was so consider- 
 ate as to save the poor Hindostanese from the 
 u secondary formation of gas :" for we are sure 
 
164 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 that after three years, it must be a little stale, 
 and, judging by the first chapter, tending to 
 the " odour of rotten eggs." A writer in the 
 Literary Messenger of May last, whose article 
 on the qualities of the Warm Springs we 
 have inserted in a previous chapter, has as- 
 serted that " some persons faint at the fra- 
 grance of the damask rose." 
 
 " Oh ! if there be an Elysian on Earth, 
 It is this, it is this !" 
 
 Blessed fainting this ; "a little of thy civet, 
 good Apothecary," for we and our readers have 
 had so much of Dr. Moorman's " nervine 
 stimulant and gas evolved in the stomach," 
 there is danger our olfactories will become so 
 stimulated as to make us sneeze to death. 
 
 But we think we have given enough of the 
 " Chapter" even to satisfy Dr. M. What say 
 you, Dr.? If not, we will do you more am- 
 ple justice in our third edition. Now to the 
 Doctor's facts. 
 
 " In this work, the author has arraigned us 
 before the public in a manner so unjust, and 
 at the same time so virulent, that however re- 
 luctant we may be to enter the arena of con- 
 troversy, we feel that he has left us no alterna- 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 165 
 
 tive. In the defence, however, of our charac- 
 ter as a man, and of our views as a physician, 
 we shall endeavour to curb those angry feelings 
 which malignant aspersions are so well calcu- 
 lated to arouse ; content to inflict no wound 
 more severe than will follow the recoil of a 
 futile effort to effect a sinister and selfish end. 
 
 " That the public may be enabled more read- 
 ily to appreciate the merits of the issue be- 
 tween Mr. Burke and ourselves, we deem it 
 better at once to lay before them a few prom- 
 inent facts — which facts, we believe, will not 
 only afford a key to the controversy, but shed 
 much light upon the motives by which Mr. 
 Burke has been actuated in dragging us be- 
 fore the public, at the expense alike of justice 
 and the common courtesies of life. 
 
 " In the first place, he and ourselves are en- 
 tire strangers to each other, and have had no 
 intercourse which could possibly have engen- 
 dered the slightest degree of personal hostility. 
 In the second place. Mr. Burke is the Propri- 
 etor of the Red Sulphur Springs, the water 
 of which, he contends, is not only destitute of 
 stimulating properties, but even sedative in its 
 effects ; a peculiarity, whether real or imagin- 
 
166 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 ary, upon which rests solely, or in an eminent 
 degree, its medicinal reputation. Thirdly ; it 
 is generally admitted that the white sulphur 
 water, in its natural state, and as recently 
 taken from the spring, is decidedly stimulant ; 
 and further, that its stimulating effects depend 
 upon the sulphuretted hydrogen gas contained 
 therein. Fourthly ; it is well known that the 
 sulphuretted hydrogen gas, or stimulating con- 
 stituent of the recent white sulphur water, es- 
 capes upon suffering that water to stand for 
 some hours in an open vessel, or is driven off 
 by heating it. And fifthly ; it follows, from 
 what has been said relative to the stimulating 
 effects of the gas, its escape, &c, that if the 
 medicinal properties of this water reside main- 
 ly in its saline ingredients, by suffering its gas 
 to escape, the water may be so modified as to 
 adapt it to those cases wherein a stimulant is 
 contra-indicated, and in which the aperient 
 and alterative effects of the water would prove 
 essentially beneficial. 
 
 " If, in connection with what has been said 
 above, the reader will take into consideration 
 the further fact that, in times past, many val- 
 etudinarians were in the habit of leaving the 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 167 
 
 White Sulpur Springs because of its stimula- 
 ting property — and for that reason alone — to 
 seek relief at the c Red,' he will have, we be- 
 lieve, a clew by which he may readily be con- 
 ducted to the source whence Mr. Burke's as- 
 sault, upon what he is pleased to term our 
 theory, has emanated. Suppose, for a mo- 
 ment, that ' our theory' be correct, and that 
 indisputable facts can be adduced, sufficient, 
 in number and character, to show that the 
 water in its modified form, and divested of its 
 stimulative property, retains not only its ape- 
 rient but its alterative agency, and thus be- 
 comes adapted to those cases wherein, but for 
 its stimulating character, it would, in its natu- 
 ral state, have been indicated, — what then be- 
 comes of the patronage which the 4 Red' 
 once received from cases of this class ? Can 
 any one suppose that, under such circum- 
 stances, a preference would be given to the 
 Red Sulphur? The idea, to one acquainted 
 with the relative alterative value of the re- 
 spective springs, is preposterous ; and those not 
 familiar with the subject may readily infer, 
 from the extreme sensitiveness of the e Pro- 
 
168 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 prietor of the Red,' that he regards the grounds 
 of alarm as by no means trivial. 
 
 " After having carefully examined the work 
 of Mr. Burke, and maturely reflected upon its 
 general character, we are forced to the conclu- 
 sion that the attack which he has made upon 
 ourselves should be regarded in no other light 
 than as incidental to the general scheme — as 
 a mere tributary towards the accomplishment 
 of the end for which his book was written. 
 What was that end ? To elevate in public 
 estimation the medicinal virtues of the Red 
 Sulphur Springs. Our humble self and our 
 1 theory' stood in his way, and must be re- 
 moved. The obstacle thus opposed may have 
 been trivial, yet its suppression was deemed 
 necessary. How was it to be accomplished ? 
 To charge our ' theory' with injuring his 
 Spring would not answer, — his motives might 
 then have been suspected ; he assumes a vir- 
 tue not his own ; he hearkens to the dictates 
 of ' duty,' and impelled by the irresistible 
 spirit of philanthropy, steps forward to the res- 
 cue. Over the deluded victims of our ' theory' 
 he stretches the broad aegis of his protection, 
 dispels the darkness that envelopes them, and 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 169 
 
 rejoices in the hope that they will yet quaff 
 the waters of his health-giving fountain/' 
 
 Any one who reads the paragraphs just 
 quoted can see that the object of Dr. M. is to 
 invalidate our attack upon his " theory' 1 by 
 representing us as the " Proprietor of the Red 
 Sulphur Springs," and thereby convicting us 
 of unworthy and selfish motives. There is 
 one important ingredient deficient in the Doc- 
 tor's statement, and that is truth. When we 
 wrote the little work of which he complains, 
 we had no more interest in the Red Sulphur 
 than he had, or than we have at this mo- 
 ment. The facts were these : In the spring 
 of 1S41 we surrendered possession of the pro- 
 perty by a deed or contract recorded in the 
 County Court of Monroe, and in the autum 
 of that year removed to Richmond. In Feb- 
 ruary. 1S42, we divested ourselves of every 
 residuary interest in the estate, and the work 
 impugned by Dr. M. was written and publish- 
 ed between that time and July, 1S42. So it 
 will be seen that the charge of selfishness and 
 base motives falls to the ground, and with it 
 all the fabric raised by Dr. M. on this sandy 
 foundation. The truth is, that, having on 
 15 
 
170 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 our hands many hours of solitude, in the ab- 
 sence of our family, and believing that we 
 might do good by directing public attention 
 to hygienic agents of great importance in our 
 estimation, we determined to devote our leisure 
 to a treatise on the subject. We have never 
 derived one dollar's profit from it, having given 
 our manuscript to the publishers ; and as to 
 literary reputation, the theme was one too 
 unpromising, even had we the vanity to aspire 
 to that distinction. But there is a gratification 
 beyond all other considerations, which has 
 made our heart throb with pleasurable emo- 
 tions, and that is, that many an invalid has 
 expressed to us deep gratitude for the publica- 
 tion of our little manual. To have put in the 
 right way one unfortunate sufferer would be 
 payment enough for all our trouble ; but, we 
 thank God, the acknowledged benefits have 
 exceeded our most sanguine expectations ; if 
 the drinkers of Dr. Moorman's stale water 
 have proved as grateful as our readers, we 
 shall be pleased to hear it ; but we fear he 
 gets more curses than blessings. But he says 
 our sole object in attacking his theory, was, 
 lest the White Sulphur water, by being de- 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 171 
 
 prived of its stimulating properties, should rival 
 the Red Sulphur in the sedative effects claim- 
 ed for it. and thereby jeopard our interest. 
 The absurdity of this allegation is manifest 
 even to a half-idiot ; for even Dr. M., obtuse as 
 he seems to be in such matters, must see that 
 the large portion of saline ingredients in the 
 White Sulphur must, primarily, act altoge- 
 ther as a stimulus to the peristaltic motion of 
 the intestines and to the intestinal surfaces, 
 and to the circulation, whilst the claim set up 
 for the Red Sulphur rests upon an opposite 
 composition. Those waters therefore never 
 have been, and never can be rivals. 
 
 It is true enough that Dr. M. has duped 
 some unfortunate invalids by advising the use 
 of an agent which, however valuable when 
 properly applied, is, when misapplied, exceed- 
 ingly deleterious, and it is equally true he may 
 do so again ; but for that he will have to an- 
 swer at a bar where no special pleading will 
 avail him. As to our interest, whatever mis- 
 understanding may have existed on that head, 
 even he will not say that we have any interest 
 now. Surely we cannot be suspected of any 
 peculiar interest for the present proprietors ; 
 
172 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 yet, we re-assert all we have said in praise of 
 that remarkable water ; and no circumstances 
 that have arisen can ever cause us to withhold 
 our real sentiments respecting an agent which 
 we consider important to a portion of our fel- 
 low-beings. 
 
 We shall make no further quotations from 
 Dr. M. His facts are without foundation in 
 truth ; his arguments puerile and shallow ; his 
 theories untenable ; his absurdities ridiculous ; 
 his motives palpable and culpable ; and his ef- 
 forts to bolster up a selfish practice, a gross im- 
 position. 
 
 Now who would have thought that a grave 
 physician could have relied on the fact, that 
 his putrid water, at Calcutta, emitted a nox- 
 ious gas, to prove that this water had been di- 
 vested of its nervine stimulus, when the truth 
 probably was, that any poor wight, who might 
 be so imprudent as to hold his nose in contact 
 with it, would encounter a knock-down argu- 
 ment ? He urges, too, that this stale water, 
 as he aptly calls it, is better than fresh water : 
 " Credat Judaeus Apella, non ego." — Swine 
 may believe him, men cannot. An English- 
 man prefers stale bread to fresh, but we opine 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 173 
 
 John Bull would turn up his nose at stale wa- 
 ter, even though capable of " evolving gas 
 in the stomach." By the way, we always 
 thought it was a grand object with the physi- 
 cian to prevent the " evolution of gas in the 
 stomach f but it seems Dr. M. has an espe- 
 cial penchant for this secondary formation* 
 and perhaps, having experienced the comfort 
 of it in his own abdominal apartments, desires 
 that his patients should enjoy a similar bless- 
 ing. In conclusion we offer the following 
 Bagatelle as our reply to the remainder of Dr. 
 M.'s pamphlet. 
 
 SCENE — THE PAVILION. 
 
 Dr. Moorman seated with copies of his pamphlet 
 in his hand — enter two visiters. 
 
 1st Visiter. Good morning to you, Sir ! Yv~e 
 are just arrived, and will thank you to inform 
 us where we may find the resident physician, 
 Dr. Moorman. 
 
 Dr. M. (rising and bowing). 1 am your hum- 
 ble servant, gentlemen, and the person whom 
 you seek. 
 
 1st Vis. We have fallen in with you very 
 apropos, sir, and desire to consult you on the 
 15* 
 
174 
 
 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 waters adapted to our cases, which we will in- 
 dividually explain. 
 
 Dr. M. (aside). I saw them coming, and 
 judged curiosity would quickly bring them 
 hither, (aloud) Well, gentlemen, I shall be 
 most happy to hear your cases, and to counsel 
 you on a matter of so much importance as the 
 use of the waters. 
 
 1st Vis. My case. Sir, is supposed by my 
 physician to be irritability of the nervous 
 tissue of the stomach and intestines, and my 
 instructions are to visit the Red Sulphur, and 
 then use the Sweet Spring Bath. 
 
 Dr. M. It is altogether unnecessary for you 
 to visit that dismal place, where the solar rays 
 do not penetrate, until that luminary reaches 
 its meridian. I have learned to make this 
 water exactly similar to the Red Sulphur, and 
 equally efficacious. I have discovered, gentle- 
 men, that the sulphuretted hydrogen is " an 
 active nervine stimulant ;" I divest it of this 
 stimulant and its saline matter by boiling, 
 while I am procuring material for my celebra- 
 ted White Sulphur pills ■, and then, on cooling, 
 I add to a gallon of distilled water half a pint 
 of water from the fountain, just, you know, to 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 175 
 
 give it a little odour, and it is Red Sulphur 
 water. 
 
 1st Vis. Well, but what substitute do you 
 propose for the Sweet Springs? 
 
 Dr. M. My dear Sir, nothing in the world 
 easier ! just let this, water stand in an open 
 vessel 24 hours and add a little lemon juice ! 
 
 2d Vis. Mine, Sir, is a case of habitual con- 
 stipation, and my physician directs I shall use 
 the waters of the Salt Sulphur. 
 
 Dr. M. My dear Sir ! is it possible your med- 
 ical adviser did not know, that my concentra- 
 ted White Sulphur pills had superseded the 
 use of the Salt Sulphur ? No, no, Sir, remain 
 where you are ; let the sulphur water stand in 
 your pitcher 12 hours, (for you are aware that 
 taking it with the gas would be like taking 
 " a purgative potion administered in wine, 
 toddy, or any other diffusible stimulant?) and 
 drink a dozen glasses in the 24 hours, taking, 
 morning and evening, four of my concentra- 
 ted pills. 
 
 2d Vis. Well ! but, Dr., a very distinguished 
 physician of Philadelphia declares he has de- 
 tected corrosive sublimate in your pills, and 
 
176 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 that their being made altogether of White 
 Sulphur residuum is — 
 
 Dr.M. Is what, Sir? 
 
 2d Vis. Why, a humbug ! 
 
 Dr. M. (aside). The deuce ! so I am found 
 out, am I ? (aloud) The fact is, gentlemen, 
 ahem ! — (aside) alas for my modesty ! ahem ! 
 — the fact is, the gentleman, whoever he may 
 be, envies the high reputation I have acquired 
 by my White Sulphur pills. Mine, gentlemen, 
 is a character above suspicion, and if you in- 
 vestigate my whole course, through life, you 
 will find it to be characterized by disinterested- 
 ness and a contempt of pelf. 
 
 2d Vis. That may be all true, Sir ; but, Dr., 
 look me straight in the face now, and answer, 
 upon honour, have you never put that innocent 
 ingredient above mentioned into your pills ? 
 (The Dr. hangs down his head.) Come, Dr., I 
 ask you again to look me straight in the face, 
 and answer my interrogatory. 
 
 Dr. M. Any fool may ask questions, but it 
 takes a wise man to answer them. 
 
 1st Vis. It appears, Dr., that it takes a 
 wiser man, not to answer them. 
 
 2d Vis. I hold in my hand a work entitled 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 177 
 
 the " Mineral Springs of Western Virginia," 
 in which the writer attacks your theory, that 
 sulphuretted hydrogen is an " active nervine 
 stimulant," and asserts that your attempt to 
 substitute decomposed sulphur water for the 
 genuine article is a gross imposition. 
 
 Dr. M. And / hold in my hand, Sir, a com- 
 plete refutation of all the positions of the au- 
 thor of that flimsy production. I have de- 
 molished that Burke, Sir. Have you never 
 seen my reply, gentlemen ? Aljow me to pre- 
 sent you each a copy. (Hands the pamphlets.) 
 There, gentlemen, there you will find u mul- 
 tum in parvo" 
 
 1st Vis. Dr. ! what does that mean? my 
 old schoolmaster used to translate it, by trans- 
 position, a big head and little wit; perhaps, 
 however, this is great wit in a little book. 
 But, Dr., if this water be better in Boston than 
 here, why do we leave the comforts of home 
 and incur the labour and expense of so long a 
 journey ? Mind now, Sir, like all Yankees, I 
 am a utilitarian — I go for the common sense 
 of the thing. 
 
 Dr. M. In truth, gentlemen, the water is 
 better, as I have abundantly proved, by the 
 
178 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 certificates of respectable men ; but there are 
 advantages to be derived from rusticating, du- 
 ring the summer months, in this charming re- 
 treat ; and moreover, if I may not violate mod- 
 esty in saying so, it is not the least of those 
 advantages that you may have the benefit of 
 your very humble servant's experience and 
 counsel. 
 
 2d Vis. We appreciate your genius, Sir, as 
 much as we respect your modesty. Both are, 
 beyond question, sui generis. We acknowl- 
 edge your profundity, admire your disinterest- 
 edness, and venerate your candour and fair- 
 dealing ; but gold may be bought too dearly, 
 and to use a vulgar expression, it is " paying 
 too dear for the whistle" to come from Boston 
 for Dr. Moorman's advice, pills, and stale wa- 
 ter ; so good morning, Sir. 
 
 Dr. M. Oh ! But stop, gentlemen, I charge 
 for advice — ten dollars. 
 
 ' 2d Vis. The deuce ! you do : well, and what 
 advice have you given us ? 
 
 Dr. M. Why, gentlemen, I have advised 
 you to take my pills and drink stale water, 
 and I have, moreover, instructed you how to 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 179 
 
 make Red Sulphur, Salt Sulphur, and Sweet 
 Spring water. 
 
 1st Vis. Oh ! but, Dr., if we drink your stale 
 water, we shall have evolutions of gas in 
 the stomach. 
 
 Dr. M. My dear Sir, it is the most comfort- 
 able thing imaginable — only think, I have ex- 
 perienced its operations and effects for years, 
 and I aver it is delightful ! 
 
 2d Vis. Dr. ! I am afraid you are playing 
 the part of the fox in the fable ; and after all, 
 that gas in the stomach is any thing but com- 
 fortable. 
 
 Dr. M. Such has been the opinion ; but. 
 Sir, I claim the merit of first having made 
 this discovery in medical science. 
 
 1st Vis. Well, well, Dr., there is no dispu- 
 ting about tastes. Upon the whole, however, 
 we must study a little, before we take your 
 advice. Pray, Sir, what did you say your 
 fee was ? 
 
 Dr. M. Only ten dollars, gentlemen, and I 
 give you, each, my pamphlet gratis. The 
 pills will only cost you 50 cents a box. And 
 I shall be most happy to get your orders for a 
 few bbls. of water ; I assure you it will be bet- 
 
180 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 ter in Boston than here, for it loses its stimula- 
 ting gas. 
 
 1st Vis. My good Dr. ! I perceive your the- 
 ory is, that a part is equal to the whole ; now, 
 it exactly suits our own views on this occasion. 
 I have a ten dollar note of the Pigeon Roost 
 Bank ; the discount is only fifty per cent. : 
 call that the gas, and persuade yourself it is 
 better than Virginia money. 
 
 Dr. M. There is no analogy whatever be- 
 tween the two cases: I go for current, good 
 money, Sir ; no rotten Banks ! 
 
 1st Vis. We think there is a palpable anal- 
 ogy, and wonder you don't understand Logic 
 better. 
 
 Dr. M. Oh ! that is Burke's Logic ; you 
 cannot mean, Sir, to palm this note upon me 
 for good currency. 
 
 2d Vis. Yes, but indeed we do : I guess 
 half a loaf is better than no bread ; Eh ! so 
 good morning ! [Exeunt Visiters. 
 
 Dr. M. (solus, reads) : " The President and 
 Directors of the Pigeon-Roost Bank, Georgia,* 
 promise to pay" — faugh ! it smells of guano ! 
 
 * There actually was such a Bank ! 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 181 
 
 Deuce take the Yankees ! Utilitarians ! man- 
 ufacturers of wooden nutmegs ! Pigeon-Roost ! 
 indeed ! Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! One of the impu- 
 dent feliows, too, asked me to look him straight 
 in the face. I see Burke's finger in all this. 
 
 [Enter B. 
 
 B. " Whatj are you hurt, lieutenant 1 
 
 M. *• Ay. past all surgery. 
 
 B. " Marry, heaven forbid ! 
 
 31. i: Reputation — reputation — reputation ! 
 Oh ! I have lost my reputation ! 1 have lost 
 the immortal part, Sir, of myself, and what re- 
 mains is bestial. My reputation, my reputa- 
 tion — 
 
 B. '" Reputation is an idle and most false 
 composition : oft got without merit/" 
 
 We dow turn from Dr. M. to a more agree- 
 able and interesting subject, the virtues and 
 properties of the White Sulphur Waters, and 
 we do so with the greater pleasure, because we 
 desire to assure our readers that, whatever has 
 been said regarding the course of that individ- 
 ual, we have never, in the most remote degree, 
 disparaged those valuable waters. So far 
 from it, we have always acknowledged their 
 pre-eminent virtues and the capacity of exten- 
 16 
 
182 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 sion which that favoured locality possesses over 
 all the other Mineral Springs in Virginia. 
 There is not at present known, on the broad 
 surface of the United States, any Sulphur wa- 
 ter which, in our estimation, ranks with the 
 White Sulphur. It possesses a happy combi- 
 nation of properties, and is peculiarly adapted 
 to the sequela of those diseases which prevail 
 in Southern latitudes. Public opinion, which 
 in the end seldom judges wrong, has stamped 
 its value, and he is its worst enemy, who 
 would deprive it of a single ingredient for the 
 purpose of impudently palming it. in an altered 
 state, as a panacea, for all diseases. 
 
 These waters are the true remedy, or they 
 are not. If they be. let them be applied : if 
 not, no man. with either a feeling of human- 
 ity in his bosom, or proper professional pride, 
 or a sense of justice to the agent itself, would, 
 under false pretences, persevere in administer- 
 ing them. 
 
 We have learned with no ordinary pleasure, 
 that the late season was profitable. The com- 
 pany is said to have been the largest since 
 1839, and afforded a better average. The es- 
 tablishment continues under the control of 
 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 183 
 
 Wm, B. Calwell. Esq.. whose manager du- 
 ring the last season was Mr. Edwin Porter, so 
 well known as stage contractor. In an es- 
 tablishment so large and unwieldy, there will, 
 and must be abuses ; but it has been univer- 
 sally acknowledged that the comforts of the 
 place were greatly enhanced during the last 
 season. We learn that the Springs, with the 
 great landed estate attached to them, are of- 
 fered for sale at three hundred and fifty 
 thousand dollars, and it is stated that some 
 years ago. the proprietors refused half a million 
 for them. They are well worthy the atten- 
 tion of capitalists. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 
 
 The Red Sulphur Springs are situated in 
 Monroe county, 42 miles from the White Sul- 
 phur, 39 miles from the Sweet Springs, 32 
 miles by the partly-made turnpike road, from 
 the Blue Sulphur, and 17 miles from the Salt 
 Sulphur. 
 
 In extent of accommodations, which is suf- 
 ficient for 350 persons, as well as in the num- 
 ber of visiters and duration of the season, this 
 Spring ranks next to the White Sulphur, 
 The improvements consist of the Hotel, 180 
 feet by 42> two stories, containing dining- 
 room, drawing-rooms, and bar and store-rooms, 
 &c, with a double piazza the whole length ; 
 Alabama Row, 300 feet long, with a piazza the 
 whole length, and a neat two-story building 
 at one end ; Philadelphia Row, 200 feet long, 
 with a piazza ; Batchelor's Row, 104 feet long ; 
 Carolina House, 112 feet long, and two stories 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 185 
 
 high. Between the two last ranges is a house 
 for the reception of visiters on their arrival. 
 There is a continuous piazza from the extreme 
 end of Philadelphia Row to that of Carolina 
 House, 471 feet in length. 
 
 Above Bachelor's Row, on a terrace, is So- 
 ciety Hall, 80 by 42 feet, two stories and a 
 basement, having a portico supported by nine 
 Ionic columns, 25 feet high, and presenting a 
 very imposing front from the valley. Besides 
 these ranges, there are numerous cottages and 
 offices, and at the entrance a mercantile es- 
 tablishment ; but the structure most deserv- 
 ing of notice is the Pavilion over the Springs. 
 
 This beautiful edifice was erected in 1830 
 after a design of Mr. Strickland of Philadel- 
 phia. It is a dome 42 feet in diameter, sup- 
 ported by 12 Ionic columns. The height 
 from the base to the top of the entablature is 
 about 30 feet. The Springs rise 10 feet be- 
 neath the natural level of the valley, and 
 their depth being over 4 feet, you descend 5J 
 feet by circular steps. The whole height 
 from the level of the water to the top of the 
 dome is about 50 feet. The Springs rise ho- 
 rizontally in two marble reservoirs. They 
 16* 
 
186 SPRINGS OP WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 derive their name from a rich lake- colour de- 
 posit which is sometimes seen in large quan- 
 tity on the sides of the fountains. Their 
 waters are conducted into a wooden reservoir 
 in the centre, and thence by pipes to the 
 bathing-house. 
 
 On the summit of the beautiful southern 
 hill that overlooks the village, and which is 
 named Mount Ida, is a handsome octagonal 
 summer house, 45 feet in diameter. It was 
 from near this spot that the view, now to be 
 seen at the Exchange Hotel, Richmond, was 
 taken in 1836 by George Cooke, Esq. It does 
 not, of course, exhibit the subsequent im- 
 provement ; but otherwise gives a most cor- 
 rect idea of the scene. 
 
 The Red Sulphur Springs came into the 
 possession of the author of this work in the 
 autumn of 1832 by purchase. It would be 
 difficult to conceive a spot better calculated 
 to discourage an attempt at improvement, and 
 indeed many had declared it impracticable to 
 any extent. Such, however, was not our opi- 
 nion : we were aware that it was only neces- 
 sary to follow, rather than subdue Nature, 
 and that by doing so we might make some- 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 187 
 
 thing interesting" out of this wild and un- 
 promising gorge. It is not too much to say- 
 that the result has corresponded with our an- 
 ticipations, and that whether as a whole, or 
 in detail, this little valley may compare fa- 
 vourably with any merely rural scene in 
 America. 
 
 It may not be improper to observe that all 
 the arrangements for the accommodation of 
 the guests at this place are calculated to in- 
 sure comfort. The market affords varied and 
 abundant supplies ; a well cultivated garden 
 produces a variety of the finest vegetables. 
 Abundance, neatness, and kind and iaipartial 
 attention, are the order of the establishment. 
 
 When the extraordinary powers and pro- 
 perties claimed for this water as a curative 
 agent are considered, it will readily be con- 
 ceded that a more extensive notice than we 
 have given of the other Springs is not only 
 necessary but indispensable to a just esti- 
 mate of its peculiar action on the human sys- 
 tem. We shall, therefore, without farther 
 apology, treat the subject more in detail, and 
 if we should be so unfortunate as to fatigue the 
 reader by the introduction of collateral sub- 
 
188 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 jects, the error should be imputed to our ear- 
 nest desire to shed upon the subject all the 
 light in our power. 
 
 In Chapter VI. of this work we have given 
 the sketch of Prof. Rogers's analysis furnished 
 to us by that gentleman some years ago ; we 
 now lay before the reader an elaborate ana- 
 lysis by A. A. Hayes, Esq. of Roxbury, Mass. 
 It is impossible to read this paper without 
 perceiving that it is the result of a zealous 
 and patient investigation by a man intimately 
 conversant with the details of his profession. 
 In some particulars, his results are different 
 from those obtained by Professor Rogers ; in 
 others, they correspond very remarkably. 
 The organic substance discovered in the wa- 
 ter so abundantly, supposed by Mr. Rogers to 
 be analogous with glairine, but called by 
 Mr. Hayes sulphur compound, is believed by 
 both to be probably an important cause of the 
 peculiar agency of the water. There can be 
 little doubt, we think, that this property of the 
 water, its extraordinary freedom from saline 
 and earthy impurities, the well adjusted pro- 
 portions of its several gases, and its low tern- 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 189 
 
 perature, are the immediate causes of its 
 remarkable virtues. 
 
 "Roxbury Laboratory, 17th Jan., 1842. 
 " Dr. William Burke : 
 
 " Dear Sir, — Through my friends, J. S. 
 Cook, Esq. and Dr. H. J. Bowditch, I received 
 specimens of the water, red deposit and mud, 
 from the Red Sulphur Springs, in Virginia, 
 for chemical analysis. It was with great in- 
 terest that I engaged in the experiments, as 
 very little was known of the chemical compo- 
 sition of this water, although its medicinal 
 effects had rendered the watering-place a cel- 
 ebrated one. I have sent Mr. Cook an ac- 
 count of the results obtained. Since my 
 observations were communicated, Mr. Cook 
 has allowed me to peruse a copy of a letter 
 from Professor Rogers, dated in May, 1835, 
 in which is contained a notice of a peculiar 
 organic matter contained in the water. He 
 has therefore anticipated my discovery, by 
 some years. I do not, however, consider this 
 substance identical with baragene or glairine 
 of the Warm Springs of Italy and France. 
 It is, so far as I know, new and peculiar, and 
 
190 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 seems to be an azotised base combined with 
 sulphur, and so combined as to neutralize the 
 distinctive characters of the sulphur. The hy- 
 drosulphuric acid gas (sulphuretted hydrogen) 
 found in the water, is produced through the 
 agency of this body ; either by its action on 
 the sulphates present, or more probably the 
 substance itself disengages hydro, sulp. acid, 
 before reaching the surface of the earth, ab- 
 stracting oxygen from air already dissolved 
 in the water. It is in favour of this view that 
 less oxygen is present in this than in common 
 water, the mixture of oxygen and nitrogen in 
 river water often giving 38 per 100 of oxygen. 
 I have minutely examined the saline contents 
 of the water, and the results sent you are 
 those which have been checked by independ- 
 ent experiments. The almost entire absence 
 of chlorine, or muriatic acid, is a singular fact. 
 I examined every bottle for chlorine, and al- 
 though in most of them traces were found, 
 they were not constantly observed, and quite as 
 likely to be derived from accidental sources, as 
 from the water. The largest quantity found 
 would have carried my decimals to four, or 
 five, and is wholly unimportant. The water 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 191 
 
 gives by tests indications like those observed 
 when chlorine is present, but the appearance 
 is fallacious. I have arranged the acids and 
 basis according to the views of Murray and 
 Berzelius, and experiments show that in this 
 case these views are correct. The alkaline 
 action of this water is due to the solution of 
 the carbonate of magnesia in carbonic acid 
 (Murray's fluid magnesia), and the peculiar 
 substance distinctive of this water seems to be 
 dissolved in this solution. 
 
 " You will not fail to observe that the chem- 
 ical history of the peculiar t sulphur com- 
 pound' is incomplete. My principal object in 
 addressing you at this time is to request you 
 to furnish me with more of the ' red deposit/ 
 as a source of it. Professor Rogers supposed 
 the sulphur was deposited and mixed with it. 
 I believe no trace of uncombined sulphur can 
 be found in it, in its fresh state ; and when I 
 fermented it, hydro-sulp. acid was the form 
 it appeared in. I deem this a very important 
 distinction, in a medical point of view, and 
 incline to the opinion that all the sulphur in 
 this compound is in a state fitted to be ab- 
 sorbed in the animal system^ as no other 
 
192 SPRINGS OP WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 known solution, or powder of sulphur, is, ex- 
 cepting perhaps hydro-sulp. acid. The opin- 
 ion that substances of delicately balanced 
 affinities in their changes give rise to changes 
 in other bodies, is gaining ground among the 
 most learned physiologists and chemists, and 
 such a view of the effects of some of the con- 
 stituents of mineral waters is perhaps a cor- 
 rect one. I exclude of course all those wa- 
 ters wherein one stable constituent of great 
 activity gives character to the water, and in- 
 clude those, which differ bat little in saline 
 constitution from well-waters generally, but 
 contain besides, a substance in a state of pass- 
 ing from one form of matter to a new form 
 and constitution of matter. These views 
 would be more acceptable, if experiments had 
 demonstrated their truth : for this we must 
 wait. 
 
 " Chemists are indebted to M. Liebig, for a 
 clear exposition of the phenomena attending 
 fermentation and decay. Many had, doubt- 
 less, entertained similar opinions, but for an 
 explanation of some of the most recondite 
 changes, resulting from chemical action, he 
 was the first to propose the transfer of action, 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 193 
 
 from one changing body, to another which 
 may be alone a stable substance. 
 
 '• The chemical history of the sulphur com- 
 pound, shows that, like yeast, it has the power 
 of inducing changes among the constituents 
 of another body, like those it is itself undergo- 
 ing. Healthy surfaces and tissues may resist 
 its power, and the water in which it is dissolv- 
 ed may not produce any effect of disturbance 
 on a healthy stomach. Waters containing a 
 minute portion of the salt called Hydriodate 
 of Potash, may be used as an ordinary bever- 
 age, without any marked action. But diseas- 
 ed organs and impaired vital action allow of 
 marked effects being produced by such waters. 
 Experiments, made on larger quantities of the 
 deposit from the Spring, demonstrate the exist- 
 ence of phosphates, in small quantity. The 
 origin of this singular substance, which for 
 past ages has been poured out from the strata, 
 is a question of great interest. The quantity 
 w T ould indicate that the source of supply can 
 only be the organic matter of rocks constitu- 
 ting an extensive formation. Its composition 
 leads me to infer that we are drawing curative 
 effects, as we do articles of beauty and luxury, 
 17 
 
194 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 from an older than the present state of crea- 
 tion. 
 
 "The 'red deposit' I inferred from chem- 
 ical observation to be exhibiting signs of vital 
 action. Dr. Rogers had earlier made the ob- 
 servation from inspection. In relation to 
 some compounds referred to above, baragene 
 and glairine, botanists have arranged them 
 as organized beings, in the species Tremulosa, 
 and suppose the seeds to be brought by the 
 water to a suitable place for germination ; so 
 much for the evidence obtained by the aid of 
 lenses and eyes. On the other hand, it has 
 been demonstrated by chemists, that the sub- 
 stance present in the water is not the sub- 
 stance which the botanists have named : 
 lenses and eyes cannot see it ; it unites to 
 other bodies and plays a certain part, can be 
 separated, and retains its former properties. 
 The circumstances, under which substances 
 of this kind are deposited, seem to have been 
 overlooked, or misunderstood. In all cases the 
 waters have been slightly changed in consti- 
 tution, after leaving that point in their courses 
 below which, deposition never takes place. 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 195 
 
 Thus a water highly charged with carbonic 
 acid, losing a part of this, in contact with the 
 atmosphere, will deposit so much of a body 
 held in solution in carbonic acid, as was dis- 
 solved by that part which has passed off. It 
 is always a very small part of the whole quan- 
 tity which is deposited ; the bulk goes forward 
 with the water. Rocky strata change waters 
 in this way, and when several kinds of stone 
 are wetted by the same water, some produce 
 this change, others do not. In the matter 
 thus deposited, the seeds of organic matter 
 vegetate, often with surprising rapidity. I 
 have seen the silicious shells of animalculse, 
 after the death of these active little beings, fall 
 to the bottom of a glass vessel, closely stopper- 
 ed ; and within a week, a close deep-green 
 covering of moss has completely invested and 
 covered the remains. In the Red Sulphur 
 Spring, the red lichen seems to have found in 
 the sulphur compound a congenial soil, for its 
 ramifications extend throughout it. The 
 black mud seems to have changed the sulphur 
 compound, combining through it ferreous salts 
 with the sulphur, and giving oxygen to the 
 
196 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 other constituents of the compound.* I think 
 you will observe that the marble-slabs, pieces 
 of wood, metal, &c. act differently in produc- 
 ing or receiving the deposition, — sunlight and 
 shade often cause different effects. 
 
 " Respectfully, 
 " Aug. A. Hayes." 
 
 * The phenomenon mentioned by Mr. Hayes, has caused 
 much speculation at the Springs. The colour undergoes 
 various changes of hue in an incredibly short space of time. 
 Since the new temple has been erected over the fountain, the 
 rays of light falling differently on them sometimes affect the 
 brilliancy of the colour, but the quantity of the deposit never 
 varies. It is also true that wood is more favourable to the 
 appearance of the deposit than marble. 
 
^- SKAPER'S 
 MINERAL WATER DEPOT, 
 
 ^ 1010 F. STREET, N. W., 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER, VIRGINIA. 
 
 This water is perfectly colorless and 
 transparent; when agitated it has an agreeable 
 sparkling appearance. Its odor is that of 
 hydro-sulphuric acid, mixed with that from 
 earth or clay ; the latter being retained, after 
 the hydro-sulphuric acid is dissipated, or des- 
 troyed. Its taste is hepatic and slightly bit- 
 ter. By ebullition, it does not immediately 
 become turbid, gases escape, and when re- 
 duced in volume by evaporation deposition 
 takes place. 
 
 The specific gravity of this water, com- 
 pared with pure water at the same tempera- 
 ture, and pressure equal, is 100029. Subject- 
 ed to the influence of chemical re-agents, it 
 presents the following characters : 
 With a solution of chromate of potash, the 
 
 yellow color becames greenish 
 
 yellow. 
 
198 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 With a solution of nitrate of mercury, a gray- 
 ish-brown precipitate is formed. 
 
 " acetate of lead ; the first drops give 
 a brown colored precipitate ; an 
 additional quantity of a yellowish 
 white precipitate. 
 
 " bisulphate of copper ; at first brown, 
 succeeded by a bulky greenish- 
 gray precipitate. 
 
 " sulphate of silver, a brown, succeeded 
 by a yellowish white and floccu- 
 lent precipitate. 
 
 " muriate of baryta, a white precipitate, 
 insoluble in acids. 
 
 " oxalate of ammonia, a white precipi- 
 tate. 
 
 " nitrate of silver and ammonia, white 
 precipitate, which becomes brown 
 and purple in sunlight. 
 
 " nitrate of copper and ammonia, a pale 
 bluish-green precipitate is formed, 
 after the first few drops of the re- 
 agent have separated a brown pre- 
 cipitate. 
 
 " tincture of iodine, added to a large 
 bulk of the water, containing starch 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER. 199 
 
 dissolved in it. instantly gives a 
 blue colour to the starch. 
 Analysis. — Indications above described af- 
 ford evidence of hydrosulphuric acid in the 
 water, while the iodine solution shows that it 
 exists in a relatively small proportion. A 
 bottle of the water was mixed, at the moment 
 of taking it from the Spring, with a small 
 quantity of oxide of bismuth, and closely 
 sealed. After the agitation due to carriage, 
 and rest for several weeks, it was found that 
 the particles of oxide of bismuth were render- 
 ed brown superficially, and no traces of hy- 
 dro-sulphuric acid remained in the water. The 
 oxide contained carbonic acid, and less than 
 one-third of a grain of the oxide had absorbed 
 and combined with all the hydro-sulphuric 
 acid, contained in about fourteen thousand 
 grains of the recently drawn water. By care- 
 ful experiments, in which the hydro-sulphuric 
 acid was measured by its action on iodine, 
 and the latter weighed in its silver compound, 
 the bulk of the hydro-sulphuric acid was as- 
 certained. 
 
 50,000 grains (about seven pints) of the 
 water, from which the hydro-sulphuric acid 
 
200 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 had been removed, afforded by the usual pro- 
 cesses 2698 grain measures of gases, or one 
 volume of gases from 18£ volumes of water. 
 1000 parts of the mixed gases are made up of 
 Carbonic acid gas, 4-19 
 
 Nitrogen gas, 4-77 „ 
 
 Oxygen gas, 1-04 
 
 1-000 
 
 The two latter gases form the bulk of oui 
 atmosphere, in the proportion of 79 nitrogen 
 to 21 oxygen — 477 of nitrogen requires 126 
 oxygen, while the analysis gives 104, show- 
 ing that oxygen is abstracted by the constitu- 
 ents of the water. All the well-corked bottles 
 had rarefied atmospheres over the water, and 
 when they were pierced even at 32° F., air 
 would enter. 
 
 A well-sealed bottle, containing the hydro- 
 sulphuric acid gas in the water, afforded for 
 50,000 parts of water 3088 of mixed gases, or 
 one volume of gases from less than 17 volumes 
 of water, consisting of 
 
 Carbonic acid gas, 1245 
 
 Nitrogen gas, 1497 
 
 Oxygen gas, 260 
 
 Hydrosulpburic acid gas, 86 
 
 3008 
 
RED SUPHLUR SPRING WATER. 201 
 
 Gaseous contents of a gallon, or 231 cubic 
 inches of the Red Sulphur Spring water — 
 Carbonic acid, 5-750 
 
 Nitrogen. 6-916 
 
 Oxygen, 1-201 
 
 Hydrosulphuric acid, 397 
 
 14-264 
 
 In this analysis, the proportion of oxygen 
 gas to the nitrogen is still smaller, a result 
 which accords with other observations made at 
 the same time. The hydrosulphuric acid gas 
 is the most active of the gases found ; while 
 the carbonic acid gas acts the part of an 
 acid, in rendering earthy salts soluble in the 
 water. 
 
 50,0§0 grains (about seven pints) of this 
 water afforded by slow evaporation in air 
 at 200° F., a light yellowish-brown matter, 
 which, after it had been carefully dried, 
 weighed 20 T W grs. At the temperature of 
 240 c F.j this residue becomes changed, and 
 suffers a loss of weight, being reduced to 
 17-55 grs. 
 
 This residue contains the saline part of the 
 water, and is composed of — 
 
202 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 Silicious earthy matter, containing 
 traces of oxide of iron and alumina, 
 probably suspended merely, 0.70 
 
 Sulphate of soda in a dry state, 3*55 
 
 which forms with the water 802 grs. 
 Glauber's salts. 
 
 Sulphate of lime, 0-47 
 
 Carbonate of lime, 4-50 
 
 dissolved in carbonic acid. 
 
 Carbonate of magnesia, 4-13 
 
 dissolved in carbonic acid, and form- 
 ing the " Fluid magnesia." 
 A peculiar substance, containing 
 
 Sulphur combined with organic matter, 7*20 
 
 20-55 
 
 There are traces of chlorine, or n^uriatic 
 acid, in some specimens, but at most only 
 0-03 of chloride of silver could be separated 
 from 10,000 grs. of water. This substance is 
 rarely absent from natural waters, which have 
 penetrated the earth. 
 
 The peculiar sulphur compound which 
 forms a part of the saline contents of this 
 water, has never been described, if it has ever 
 before been met with. While in the natural 
 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRIXG WATER. 203 
 
 state, and out of contact with atmospheric air, 
 it is dissolved in the water, and forms a per- 
 manent solution. Air, acids, and other agents, 
 separate it from the water, in the form of a 
 jelly, and alkaline carbonates, alkalies, water, 
 and other agents re-dissolve it. It has no acid 
 action on test fluids, but bears that character 
 with bases, and forms compounds analogous 
 to salts. In its decomposition, ammonia is 
 formed, and hydrosulphuric acid is liberated ; 
 or if heat be employed in the experiment, 
 sulphur is separated. It combines with the 
 oxide of silver, and forms a salt of a reddish 
 purple color, in the form of a flocculent pre- 
 cipitate, which dissolves in pure water ; with 
 the oxide of lead, a yellowish white powder, 
 and with the oxide of copper, a pale blue salt 
 in fine powder. In these compounds it re- 
 mains unaltered, and may be separated from 
 them and transferred to other bases. 
 
 Mixed with a small quantity of water, and 
 exposed to the temperature of SO F., it de- 
 composes, and emits a most offensive odor 
 of putrefying animal matter, with hydrosulp. 
 acid gas. It is to this property that the hydro- 
 sulphuric acid in the water is due, and to the 
 
204 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 oxidation of a part of this compound most of 
 the sulphuric acid found in the water may be 
 referred. 
 
 I have endeavoured to ascertain how its 
 elements are arranged, but so small a quan- 
 tity has been separated, that I could not in- 
 sure the purity of any salt formed with it. 
 l T 4 / grs. gave with oxide of copper 3 T 4 2 grs. 
 of a dry, bluish-green compound. 
 
 With the specimens of water, I received a 
 small quantity of a " red deposit," which in- 
 vests the surfaces of the marble slabs forming 
 the basin of the Spring. It had become 
 changed, although the cork was tightly seal- 
 ed. When opened for examination, a soft, 
 clay-coloured mass, composed of films having 
 a greasy appearance, mixed with some fila- 
 mentous parts, was found. The odour it ex- 
 haled was insupportable ; it blackened metals, 
 and when agitated with water, rendered it 
 viscid. With a solution of carbonate of soda 
 it formed a frothy solution, which while cold 
 had the appearance of a solution of soap, and 
 when heated disengaged some ammoniacal 
 vapours, and formed a solution of all except- 
 ing some earthy and filamentous parts. This 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER. 205 
 
 substance contains the same compound of 
 sulphur and organic matter as that found dis- 
 solved in the water of the Spring. I sepa- 
 rated from the water the peculiar matter it 
 contains, in the form of films, and compared 
 these with those obtained from a soda solution 
 of the altered " red deposit/' by the aid of 
 re-agents, and they proved to be identical. 
 From the examination of this altered matter, 
 I have formed the conclusion, that the red 
 colour of the matter which covers the slabs is 
 that of a moss or lichen, which finds its habi- 
 tat in the viscid covering produced by the 
 deposition of the sulphur compound. 
 
 My early attempts to illustrate this point 
 failed. The substance separated from the 
 water, by uniting it to oxide of copper, and 
 afterwards destroying the union by hydro- 
 sulp. acid, would become after a few days cov- 
 ered with vegetation of mosses, unlike those 
 described as occurring at the Spring, I was led 
 to the conclusion that the spores or seeds of 
 the peculiar " red moss" did not exist in the 
 atmosphere of this place and must be found in 
 the products of warmer climates. After seve- 
 ral trials, I succeeded by treating rice, with a 
 18 
 
206 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 hot dilute solution of carbonate of soda, in 
 obtaining a red coloured moss vegetation, 
 which could be transferred to the decomposing 
 compound on which it flourished. In its 
 union with oxide of copper, no tendency to 
 decay, or the production of vegetation was ob- 
 served, under the most favourable circum- 
 stances ; but when after separation, decompo- 
 sition and decay had progressed, vegetation 
 appeared. I need not ask, if a substance pos- 
 sessing vitality, can be combined with oxide of 
 copper and afterwards eliminated by t^dro. 
 sulp. acid and retain its vital powers ? 
 
 A small specimen of the mud and slime, 
 which appears where the water from the 
 Spring flows, was received. It was a black, 
 tenacious mud, exhaling an odour of hydro- 
 sulphuric acid, mixed with that from earth. 
 The colour is due to the sulphuret of iron, 
 formed by the action of the hydrosulphuric 
 acid on the ferruginous matters contained in 
 the soil, which is a product of a further de- 
 compostion of the sulphur compound con- 
 tained in the water. It forms brown coloured 
 solutions and imperfect salts ; its sulphur ele- 
 ment is retained ; in other respects, it resem- 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER. 207 
 
 bles the brown extracts from soils, or the hu- 
 mus and apocrenic acids of Berzelius. 
 
 Having studied the chemical characters of 
 the sulphur compound imperfectly, I give only 
 those reactions in the following description, 
 which will serve to show its want of identity 
 with any of the various substances which 
 have been found in thermal waters, and in 
 some European hepatic waters. 
 
 Chemical character of the Sulphur 
 Compound. 
 
 I. When separated from a solution by eva- 
 poration, or by drying from a gelatinous state, 
 it forms greasy films, which do not darken 
 solutions of lead or copper. 
 
 II. In pure water they slowly dissolve, and 
 the solution gives salts of the compound, with 
 the bases. 
 
 III. Solution of carbonate of soda dissolves 
 them, and a fluid results which froths by agi- 
 tation. 
 
 IV. In caustic solutions of alkalies, the films 
 dissolve, and the solutions are slightly yellow 
 coloured. These solutions have the peculiar 
 odour of soap-leys. They do not blacken 
 
208 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 metals, nor colour metallic solutions. Acids 
 decompose the solutions, and the sulphur com- 
 pound separates in the form of a bulky jelly- 
 generally ; some oxyacids giving flocks. 
 
 V. Nitric acid dissolves the films, and the 
 salts of baryta and lead do not indicate the 
 presence of sulphuric acid. On heating the 
 acid solution, a yellow matter separates, which 
 resembles that produced by acting on azotized 
 bodies by this agent; sulphuric acid is thus 
 produced, and the yellow precipitate requires 
 a large proportion of nitric acid for its com- 
 plete oxidation. The result of this action is 
 an acid which gives a deep yellow colour, with 
 ammonia in excess. 
 
 VI. Chlorine in muriatic acid separates from 
 the sulphur compound some white flakes, 
 which are finally oxidized, and a colourless 
 solution formed, in which sulphuric acid exists. 
 
 VII. Alcohol did not dissolve the com- 
 pound. 
 
 Chemical experiments do not show the me- 
 dicinal properties of the substances operated 
 on. But when a substance, the result of del- 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER. 209 
 
 icately balanced affinities, gives in its decom- 
 position an agent of powerful action on the 
 animal system, we may conclude that it is an 
 active ingredient, if found in a water possess- 
 ed of high curative powers. I am disposed^ 
 therefore, to consider the sulphur compound 
 in this water as the principal medicinal agent 
 contained in it ; although its action in com- 
 bination with the other constituents may be 
 necessary to produce the effects for which this 
 water is so justly celebrated. 
 
 The following results give in one view the 
 composition of this water. 
 
 Gaseous contents of a gallon, or 231 cubic 
 inches of the Red Sulphur Spring water : 
 
 Carbonic acid, 
 
 5-750 
 
 Nitrogen, 
 
 6-916 
 
 Oxygen, 
 
 1-201 
 
 Hydro-sulphuric acid, 
 
 0-397 
 
 
 14.264 
 
 50,000 grs. (nearly seven pints) of this wa- 
 ter contain dissolved as gases, (grain measure), 
 Carbonic acid, 1245 water 
 
 81* 
 
210 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 Nitrogen, 
 
 1497 
 
 Oxygen, 
 
 260 
 
 Hydro-sulp. acid, 
 
 86 
 
 
 3088 
 
 grain measures of gases. 
 
 50,000 grs. of this water afford of 
 Silicious and earthy matter, 0*70 
 Sulphate of soda, 3*55 
 
 Sulphate of lime, -47 
 
 Carbonate of lime, 4*50 
 
 Carbonate of magnesia, 4*13 
 
 Sulphur compound, 7*20 
 
 Carbonic acid, 2*71 
 
 23-26 
 
 Note. — The carbonic acid which is given 
 with the saline matter, being all which the 
 water contains, includes that which is given 
 off as gas by ebullition. 
 
 Augustus A. Hayes. 
 
 Roxbury Laboratory, Jan. 14, 1842. 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER. 211 
 
 By request of Mr. Hayes, we have ordered 
 a large supply of the " Sulphur Compound" 
 to be sent him for further experiments. We 
 shall publish the result in some form when 
 obtained ; meantime we think it will be con- 
 ceded that the analysis and explanations given 
 above are perfectly satisfactory, and place the 
 claims of the Red Sulphur as a peculiar wa- 
 ter on impregnable grounds. Here we have 
 not only results, but the whole process by 
 which they were obtained. There is no mys- 
 tification ; but at every step of the experi- 
 ment the reader is instructed and interested. 
 We would especially invite his attention to 
 the curious substance in which Mr. Hayes 
 supposes the virtues of the water mainly to 
 consist. 
 
 On this head he makes the following im- 
 portant remark. " I believe no trace of un- 
 combined sulphur can be found in it, in its 
 fresh state, and when I fermented it, hydro- 
 sulp. acid was the form it appeared in. I deem 
 this a very important distinction in a medical 
 point of view, and incline to the opinion that 
 all the sulphur in this compound is in a state 
 fitted to be absorbed into the animal system, 
 
212 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 as no other known solution or powder of 
 sulphur is, excepting perhaps hydro-sulph. 
 acid." 
 
 The introduction of this bland substance in 
 a fluid condition into the system must exert a 
 great influence on the circulation, and conse- 
 quently on the mucous surfaces that are in a 
 morbid condition ; and when we consider 
 that the greater portion of the fluids taken 
 into the stomach is directly conveyed into the 
 circulation by the absorbents, we can at once 
 perceive that the great hygeienic power of 
 this water is dependent on the characteristics 
 enumerated, all of which combined act as a 
 singular alterative in equalizing an excited 
 circulation, in correcting the highly acrid and 
 vitiated secretions of an irritated mucous mem- 
 brane, by modifying the fluid that supplies 
 the matter for that secretion ; and that by 
 sending to the heart and lungs also a diluted 
 instead of a highly concentrated supply of 
 blood, it calms those organs by producing in 
 the latter a condition favourable to the proper 
 performance of their function of oxygenation, 
 and by soothing the irritation of the former, 
 causing it to send forth its stream with a 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER. 213 
 
 milder impetus, and, moreover, by diffusing 
 more equally the capillary circulation, and in 
 return obtaining not only a more moderate, 
 but a more healthy supply. 
 
 Suppose then an irritated feverish condition 
 of the mucous membrane of the bronchi or 
 alimentary canal to exist when this water is 
 taken into the stomach, it is refrigerant, 
 bland, pure, yet abounding in subtle and in- 
 visible power : what is its probable mode of 
 action ? Why, reasoning from analogy, we 
 must conclude that its first impression is on 
 the nervous expansion with which it comes in 
 contact : this sends the pleasurable sensation to 
 the brain ; this urges into activity the absor- 
 bents ; these convey the tranquillizing influ- 
 ence to the circulation ; and this influence is 
 again returned to the modification of the irri 
 tated surfaces. The external capillary cir- 
 culation is restored to its rightful balance ; 
 the skin and the kidneys perform their ap- 
 propriate functions ; in a word, the normal 
 condition is restored, and all is smooth and 
 calm as the unruffled ocean. 
 
 But if, on the contrary, a hard, harsh wa- 
 ter, loaded with saline ingredients, comes in 
 
214 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 contact with a surface in the condition sup- 
 pose^ — what may reasonably be expected ? 
 Why, evidently that the nerves will be dis- 
 tressed, the circulation still further depraved, 
 the heart excited to unnatural action, the ir- 
 ritated surface still further engorged, the ar- 
 terial action increased, respiration hurried, 
 and all the functions of the external and in- 
 ternal organs abnormally performed. 
 
 " Through pervious earth the filter' d surges pass, 
 Rise in sweet springs and lave the freshened grass ; 
 While their smooth seeds an easy passage find, 
 Lodged in the pores, the rough are left behind." 
 
 The process of filtration described by 
 Lucretius gives us a good idea of that effected 
 by the organs of secretion of the human sys- 
 tem. It is not probable that the absorbents 
 of the stomach have the power of discrimi- 
 nating between one fluid and another ; hence 
 it is that, whether pure water or alcohol is 
 presented to its surface, it is thrown into the 
 circulation ; but not so with the kidneys or 
 skin, or mucous surfaces ; they probably resist 
 the obnoxious article, for a while, but when 
 again and again presented, it overpowers 
 their energies, and first, abnormal functions, 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER. 215 
 
 and next, organic lesion, is the consequence. 
 It will readily be seen, then, in chronic affec- 
 tions of the organs of respiration and of the 
 abdominal viscera, if these affections amount 
 to irritation or subacute inflammation, that 
 the Red Sulphur alone, of the Sulphur waters, 
 is admissible. 
 
 From this comparative view of the action 
 of those differently composed sulphur waters 
 some valuable instruction may be derived, 
 and we hope will not be altogether overlook- 
 ed by invalids. It may afford a hint too in 
 the selection of our food, for nothing is more 
 preposterous than to take a minute portion of 
 medicine to effect a certain object, and while 
 under its influence to fill the stomach with 
 substances altogether incompatible with it. 
 What would be said of a physician who 
 would use the lancet to subdue inflammation, 
 and at the same time administer brandy ? 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 We think that a candid review of the ana- 
 lysis of the Red Sulphur and of our remarks 
 on its action, founded on a long observation 
 and experience, will lead every unbiassed 
 mind to conclude that the claims of this wa- 
 ter as a curative agent are well founded ; but 
 we do not mean to rest our case here ; we can 
 prove beyond a doubt that this water exerts 
 an influence over the circulation that no 
 other agent has been known to exert. # The 
 evidences which we have received of this fact 
 in the course of our nine years of ownership, 
 would fill a large volume ; but we will con- 
 tent ourselves with publishing a few recent 
 cases in addition to those given by the late 
 Dr. Huntt in his pamphlet on this Spring. 
 Few persons were better qualified than that 
 lamented physician to make observations on 
 a mineral water. His perception was clear, 
 his observation acute, his discrimination ac- 
 curate, his judgment sound, and his integrity 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER. 217 
 
 incorruptible ; and after witnessing with his 
 own eyes the effects of this water, and reflect- 
 ing well and long* on what he was about to 
 assert, he pays it the following compliment : 
 
 " The Red Sulphur is decidedly sedative 
 in its effects. It subdues chronic inflamma- 
 tion, tranquillizes irritation, and reduces the 
 frequency of the pulse in the most astonishing 
 manner. It has been considered peculiarly 
 adapted to the cure of pulmonary diseases, 
 and it is true that it has a most beneficial 
 effect in most cases of this disease ; but its 
 good effects equally extend to all cases of 
 subacute inflammation, whether seated in the 
 stomach, liver, spleen, intestines, kidneys, 
 bladder, and most particularly in the mucous 
 membrane. In fact, nature never yet gave 
 to man a remedy capable of more extensive 
 application, nor better calculated to relieve 
 a larger class of diseases" 
 
 Such was the testimony of that eminent 
 physician, from personal observation, prompt- 
 ed too by no partiality towards the proprietor, 
 to whom he was an entire stranger ; but 
 purely by a desire to benefit society. Will it 
 be objected, as we are informed it has been 
 19 
 
218 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 objected, that he subsequently died of the dis- 
 ease for the cure of which he had so highly- 
 eulogized this water ? Surely every medical 
 man ought to know that where there is a pre- 
 disposition to disease of any organ, an actual 
 lesion of that organ, though cured, increases 
 that predisposition, and that it is expecting too 
 much of a medicine, not only to cure the ex- 
 isting disease, but to secure the organ from 
 any future recurrence of that disease. 
 
 A man with a chronic affection of the bron- 
 chi or parenchymatous structure of the lungs, 
 is to go to the Red Sulphur and drink the 
 water for 15 or 20 days, and the attack is re- 
 lieved, and he is restored to apparently per- 
 fect health ; but this does not suffice, he must 
 not only be healed, but he must be protected 
 to all future time, not only from the conse- 
 quences of predisposition, but from the effects 
 of imprudent habits of life, exposure, or other 
 source of attack. It is just about as reasona- 
 ble to expect this, as that, being upset in a 
 coach and having a limb fractured, should 
 secure a man from being upset a second time 
 and having his neck broken. We can have 
 patience with such remarks when coming 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRING WATER. 219 
 
 from ordinary men, but when a learned phy- 
 sician puts forth such opinions as arguments 
 for his scepticism, we are forced to infer that 
 he has permitted prejudice to cloud his judg- 
 ment. - 
 
 As we are writing this book for the benefit 
 of the uninitiated in the mysteries of the pro- 
 fession, we have thought it might be expected 
 of us to say something on the diognosis, and 
 treatment of consumption and other diseases, 
 for the relief of which we recommend the 
 Red Sulphur water. 
 
 Of the means of distinguishing affections of 
 the lungs by immediate or mediate consulta- 
 tion or percussion, we will not speak : in the 
 first place, because we do not feel competent 
 to give any instruction in the premises, and 
 in the next place, because no one but a pro- 
 fessional man who has devoted much atten- 
 tion to these methods can obtain any satis- 
 factory result. 
 
 The symptoms of acute or rapid phthisis 
 are, according to Doct. Williams, in the first 
 stage, induration and obstruction. The 
 indurations are generally accompanied by 
 various irritations, both local and general. 
 
220 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 Of the local irritations the earliest is a eouo*h, 
 at first slight, but more or less constant. It is 
 either dry or accompanied by thin transpa- 
 rent expectorations. Another sign of irrita- 
 tion is pain in the chest, a stitch, soreness or 
 sensibility to cold or exertion more than pain. 
 Of the more general irritations, quickness of 
 pulse is most constant, — the quickness not uni- 
 form at first, but dependent upon any acci- 
 dental excitement. As the organic lesion 
 increases, it becomes more constant, and is 
 accompanied by a general febrile state. This 
 febrile condition is aggravated towards night, 
 when the fulness and frequency of the pulse 
 increase, attended with flushing of the face, 
 heat of the palms of the hand, and the soles 
 of the feet. This terminates by perspiration 
 more or less profuse, which, occurring in the 
 night, leaves the pulse lowered, but the frame 
 weakened and exhausted in the morning. 
 The symptoms of obstructions comprehend 
 those from obstructions to the passage of the 
 air, to that of the blood, and to the motions of 
 the lungs in respiration. 
 
 The indurations by obstructing the pas- 
 sage of air to the air-cells cause shortness of 
 
PHTHISIS. 221 
 
 breath. Partial indurations sometimes cause 
 shortness of breath, not only by their impedi- 
 ment, but also by occasioning dilatation of the 
 air-cells. Indurations by obstructing the blood 
 vessels may cause sanguineous congestion, 
 hemorrhage, inflammation, oedema, gangrene, 
 atrophy of the pulmonary texture, haemopty- 
 sis, profuse bronchial secretion, effusion into 
 pleura, disease of the heart, &c. 
 
 Hcemoptysis occurring in the early stages 
 of phthisis is generally from this cause ; and 
 it is a serious symptom, not only because it 
 may endanger life by loss of blood or direct 
 suffocation, but also because it is often accom- 
 panied by hemorrhagic consolidation and rup- 
 ture of the lung, which tend to accelerate the 
 process and promote the further deposition of 
 tubercle. In some instances, however, hae- 
 moptysis is followed by decided relief to the 
 dyspnoea and cough, having removed a con- 
 gested state of the blood-vessels. How true 
 are the following remarks of the same author : 
 " When once the integrity of a nicely ad- 
 justed apparatus like that of respiration is 
 extensively injured^ disorder begets disorder , 
 and unless the counteracting or respiratory 
 19* 
 
222 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 powers soon come into operation, unless the 
 indurations are soon diminished or the 
 blood-vessels closed, the ivhole of that part 
 of the lung may become a solid mass." 
 
 Second Stage. — On the conversion of the 
 gray or dark red indurations into the crude 
 yellow tubercle, and during the original de- 
 position of this matter, besides the symptoms 
 of irritation and obstruction, which still con- 
 tinue, there are indications of loss of flesh 
 and strength, and a general depression of the 
 functions. The pulse loses strength although 
 it is as frequent as before ; the evening chills 
 are more severe ; the sweats are more profuse. 
 
 Third Stage. — The more truly consump- 
 tive symptoms which had begun to manifest 
 themselves in the second stage, are developed 
 fully when the tubercles become soft, par- 
 tially or entirely liquid, and are evacuated by 
 the aid of secretion and ulceration of the ad- 
 joining textures. Then comes on in addition 
 to the symptoms before described, a copious 
 and heterogeneous expectoration of pus, mu- 
 cus, softened and occasionally solid tubercle, 
 blood, shreds of lymph, and, not rarely, por- 
 tions of pulmonary tissue in a sloughy fetid 
 
PHTHISIS. 223 
 
 state. Then occur the usual constitutional 
 concomitants of extensive unhealthy, suppu- 
 rating ulcers, confirmed hectic, with its suc- 
 cessive chills, heats and sweating, occasionally 
 diarrhoea and the increasing marasmus in 
 this case rendered more pronounced, by the 
 importance of the organ affected and the re- 
 lation which it bears to the process of sangui- 
 fication. Then are the dyspnoea and cough 
 increased by the continual discharge of matter 
 into the air-passages, and by the extension of 
 the diseased depositions and ulcerations of 
 the tissue." 
 
 To the preceding extracts of Dr. Williams, 
 a portion of which we have somewhat con- 
 densed, much may be added, but it would 
 answer no good purpose to dwell with mi- 
 nuteness on this part of our subject ; we will 
 therefore hasten to the treatment of the dis- 
 ease, so far as it may be connected with the 
 agent which we have now under considera- 
 tion. 
 
 At the threshold, we have to encounter the 
 objection that tubercular consumption is in- 
 curable. On this subject we ask attention to 
 the following extract of a letter from Dr. 
 
224 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 Thomas D. Mutter, of Philadelphia. The 
 history of the letter is this. He was informed 
 by a friend that he was reported to have spoken 
 disparagingly of the Red Sulphur, and, deny- 
 ing the charge, he wrote to us a letter, dated 
 Philadelphia, Nov. 9th, 1841, from which we 
 extract the following paragraph : 
 
 " I have said to many, as I would say to 
 you or your son, or any well-informed phy- 
 sician, that the Red Sulphur never yet cured 
 a case of tubercular consumption, and you 
 know as well as I do that such is the fact, for 
 there is no cure for this disease ; but I have 
 always said, both privately and publickly, 
 that the Red Sulphur was a most valuable 
 water in many cases resembling consump- 
 tion, and that I had seen many such cases 
 perfectly cured by the use of this water, when 
 all other agents had failed to afford relief. 
 Not only have I said this, but I have sent you 
 many a patient, and hope to send you many 
 more. Very truly, your friend 
 
 and well-wisher, 
 Thos. D. Mutter." 
 
 The above extract is of great interest, be- 
 cause it virtually admits all that the advocates 
 
PHTHISIS. 225 
 
 of the Red Sulphur contend for. viz.. -that it 
 has cured cases resembling consumption, 
 when all other agents had failed to afford 
 relief'- Now this is praise enough, and we 
 might rest the fame of the Red Sulphur on 
 such admission, coming from such a source : 
 but with all deference for the distinguished 
 talents and great experience of that gentle- 
 man, we would suggest that his opinion of 
 the incurability of consumption is too sweep- 
 ing. We think we are fully impressed with 
 the intractable character of the disease in its 
 worst forms, and if our friend. Dr. 3-L. meant 
 to limit his assertion to these, there can be no 
 difference of opinion on the subject : but if he 
 means to assert, as his lancruaofe seems to inti- 
 mate, that tubercular phthisis is altogether in- 
 curable, we must respectfully dissent from his 
 opinion, and offer some of the reasons why 
 we do so. 
 
 In the first place, we ask how has this emi- 
 nent physician discovered that the cases of 
 cure he had witnessed only " resembled" con- 
 sumption ? We imagine this discovery can 
 only be satisfactorily made by a post-mortem 
 examination. Has he made this examina- 
 
226 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 tion ? It is not probable that he had the oppor- 
 tunity, for the cure is declared perfect, and if 
 he did not, how can be certain that his opi- 
 nion is correct ? We are aware that Aven- 
 brugger and Laennec have shed a flood of 
 light on the diagnosis of disease of the chest ; 
 but the latter makes the following admission, 
 which proves that cicatrices may exist with- 
 out being discovered by auscultation. "These 
 cicatrizations, especially when complete, and 
 composed of a substance analogous to other 
 natural tissues, produce no symptoms what- 
 ever that can denote their existence. I have 
 only remarked in some cases, when there was 
 reason to believe their existence, that the 
 respiration was less distinctly audible in the 
 supposed diseased point." 
 
 We shall notice this disease only under 
 two heads—Acute and Chronic. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Acute, or "galloping consumption," as it 
 is frequently called, usually runs its course 
 in from two to nine months, and is wholly un- 
 manageable, and when it fastens on its un- 
 happy victim, there is no alternative but to 
 submit to the decree of that great Being in 
 whose hands are the issues of life and death. 
 It is usually the effect of hereditary taint, 
 roused into morbid action by imperfect nutri- 
 tion, bad air, exposure, disappointed affection, 
 reverse of fortune, fevers, uterine derange- 
 ments, and various other causes. The symp- 
 toms of this condition have already been enu- 
 merated. It is one before which the system 
 falls prostrate, and in which we can do nothing 
 but smooth, as we may by kind and delicate 
 attentions, the passage of our friend to a 
 brighter and better existence. But the chronic 
 form of this disease is happily more under the 
 control of remedies, and therefore should be 
 
228 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 exempted by Dr. Mutter from the unqualified 
 assertion he has made in the letter above 
 quoted. 
 
 As in all diseases there are different grades 
 of intensity, so in tubercular consumption 
 there are grades — 1st, of predisposition ; 2d, 
 of tubercular infiltration or deposition ; 3d, of 
 ^development ; 4th, of ulceration ; 5th, of ma 
 Erasmus ; and lastly, there are grades of the 
 power of resistance in different constitutions. 
 This being the case, it is manifest the chances 
 for recovery, perfect or partial, or of a fatal 
 result, are in proportion to such grades. Now 
 all modern writers agree that cases of recovery 
 are frequent from slight attacks in the latter 
 or suppurative stage. 
 
 The great Laennec makes the following 
 remarks : " But while I admit the incurabili- 
 ty of consumption in the early stages, I am 
 convinced, from a great number of facts, that 
 in some rare cases the disease is curable in 
 the latter stages, that is, after the softening of 
 the tubercles and the formation of an ulcerous 
 excavation." Again, " I have at present under 
 my care several patients affected with chronic 
 catarrh, and who afford distinctly the sign of 
 
IS CONSUMPTION CURABLE ? 229 
 
 pectoriloquism, although they have in no other 
 respect any symptom of consumption. I have 
 met with several other cases, wherein this 
 phenomenon was observable along with a 
 slight habitual cough, very little expectora- 
 tion, and scarcely any marked alteration in 
 the general health. 
 
 " In a lady, formerly a patient of Mr. Bayle, 
 eight years since, and whose case was decid- 
 edly consumption, (as appears from Mr. Bayle's 
 notes in her possession,) the sign of pectorilo- 
 quism is most distinct. This lady recovered 
 beyond all expectation ; she is now stout ; and 
 the only symptom she has at all referable to 
 the lungs is a slight cough. I have no doubt 
 the cartilaginous excavations exist in this 
 person's lungs." 
 
 M. Laennec then gives several cases illus- 
 trative of what he has advanced, from which 
 it appears fully that recovery is not only not 
 impossible, but not unfrequent. Again, " I 
 have often observed the above state of things 
 without knowing to what to attribute it, and 
 without attaching much importance to the ap- 
 pearance ; but after Iivas convinced of the 
 possibility of cure in the case of ulcerations 
 20 
 
230 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 of the lungs, I began to fancy that nature 
 might have more ways than one of accom- 
 plishing this end, and that, in certain cases, 
 the excavations, after the discharge of their 
 contents by expectoration or absorption, might 
 cicatrize in the same manner as solutions of 
 continuity in other organs, without the pre- 
 vious formation of the demi-cartilaginous 
 membrane. In consequence of this idea, I 
 examined these productions more closely, and 
 came to the conclusion, that in every case 
 they might be considered as cicatrices, and 
 that in many cases they could hardly be con- 
 ceived to be any thing else." Again, " In 
 tracing the bronchial tubes near these masses, 
 I have observed that such as held a direc- 
 tion towards them were commonly dilated. 
 In some cases I have been able to trace them, 
 as also blood-vessels, into the fibro-cartilagi- 
 nous mass, with which, although obliterated, 
 they formed but one substance. This fact 
 seems to me to leave no doubt of the nature 
 of these productions, and of the jiossibility of 
 cicatrization in ulcers of the lungsP 
 
 These observations are followed by two re- 
 markable cases, which our limits forbid us 
 
IS CONSUMPTION CURABLE? 231 
 
 from quoting, and the author continues his 
 remarks as follows : 
 
 " The foregoing observations prove, I think, 
 that tubercles in the lungs are not in every 
 case a necessary and inevitable cause of death : 
 and that a cure may take place in two differ- 
 ent ways, after the formation of an ulcerous 
 excavation : first, by the cavity becoming in- 
 vested by a new membrane ; and secondly, 
 by the obliteration of the excavation by means 
 of a cicatrix, more or less complete, consisting 
 of cellular, fibrous, or cartilaginous substance.' 3 
 Again, " When we consider that the formation 
 of tubercles in the lungs seems to be the con- 
 sea uence of a general diathesis ; that these 
 are frequently formed contemporaneously in 
 the intestines, where they ultimately occasion 
 ulceration and colliquative diarrhoea ; and 
 that, in some cases also, they exist in the 
 lymphatic glands, the prostate, the muscles, 
 bones, &c, we must be led to believe that the 
 most perfect cure that can take place in con- 
 sumption is merely temporary. 
 
 " Admitting, however, the justness of this 
 conclusion, in those extreme cases of tuber- 
 cular diathesis, (which after all are but rare } 
 
232 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 when compared with the vast number of con- 
 sumptions.) we are still entitled to hope for 
 the cure of many cases of phthisis, or, at least, 
 for such a suspension of their symptoms as 
 may be $eemed almost equal to a cure, since 
 the individuals may enjoy such a state of 
 health as may enable them to fulfil all the 
 duties of civil life for several years, or until 
 such time as a fresh development of tubercles, 
 at present immature, produces a fresh and 
 final seizure." 
 
 Dr. Williams, in his dissertation on pulmo- 
 nary consumption, says — " Tuberculous con- 
 sumption is in its ordinary career a chronic 
 disease ; but the cases that particularly de- 
 serve this title are those in which the disease 
 lasts for many years. Bayle and Laennec 
 record instances in which patients appear 
 to have had the disease thirty and forty 
 years. But it is not to be supposed that in 
 chronic cases the disease is always progressive. 
 It owes its long duration to its limited extent, 
 and although the lungs are never free from 
 some of the lesions described as characteristic 
 of phthisis, yet the continuance of the disease 
 is chiefly marked by many successive attacks 
 
IS CONSUMPTION CURABLE ? 233 
 
 and recoveries, dependent on the particular 
 development of new tubercles, and their suc- 
 cessive changes and elimination. As the rapid 
 form of the disease occurs chiefly in young 
 subjects, so this in most instances is met with 
 at or after middle age ; but it is by no means 
 confined to any period of life. 
 
 " It is this chronic or limited form of tu- 
 bercular disease that affords the best chance 
 for the remedial poicers of nature and art ; 
 and there can be but little doubt that a con- 
 siderable number of cases are cured. On 
 this paragraph the American editor, Dr. W. 
 W. Gerhard, adds the following note : 'There 
 is no doubt many such cases recover ; cica- 
 trices or calcareous tubercles remain often in 
 healthy persons.'" We might proceed to 
 quote a great number of other authorities on 
 this subject ; but we think that we have al- 
 ready demonstrated that the opinion expressed 
 by Dr. M. on the incurability of this disease 
 is untenable. 
 
 Now, while we think that we have proven 
 
 that the disease is not necessarily incurable in 
 
 all cases, we trust it will not be inferred that 
 
 we hold forth delusive hopes to any poor in- 
 20* 
 
234 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 valid who may place reliance in our opinion. 
 We seek not to deceive a human beingin this 
 matter. We candidly acknowledge that there 
 are annually many persons presenting them- 
 selves at the Red Sulphur, that are not, and 
 cannot be benefitted, and whom, if we could 
 have seen them before they left the comforts 
 of home, and the kind attentions of friends ; 
 we would have advised against the journey ; 
 — but again, we do say, that if there be a hope 
 left, it is in the water of the Red Sulphur. 
 
 We agree altogether with the opinion of 
 Laennec, that it is in the suppurative stage 
 alone that a cure may be looked for. It is 
 evident that if the tubercle be quiescent, there 
 is no inconvenience from it ; when it has be- 
 gun to soften, it progresses in spite of all 
 remedies, and in slight cases, the sooner the 
 better. When it is ripe, and in a condition 
 for absorption, or finds its way into the bron- 
 chus, then is the period for the action of the 
 Red Sulphur. It allays the general febrile 
 condition of the system, without impairing 
 the quality of the nutritive fluid, distributes 
 the latter more equally amongst the different 
 tissues and organs, and not only places the 
 
IS CONSUMPTION CURABLE ? 235 
 
 lungs in the best condition to shake off the 
 existing disease, but also prevents the deposi- 
 tion of other tubercles. If, while the tubercu- 
 lous matter is discharging, the condition of 
 the blood can be improved, so as no longer to 
 form a degraded deposit, and the general 
 powers of the system invigorated ; if, more 
 over, we can find a remedy that will reduce 
 the hurried action of the heart and arteries, 
 without having recourse to depletion ; that 
 will calm the system, whilst it imparts tone 
 and energy to it ; that will restore to the kid- 
 neys their true share in the excretions, and 
 prevent extenuation of the body by colliqua- 
 tive perspiration : then we may hope that we 
 have found an agent that will enable the vital 
 powers to resist and shake off the existing dis- 
 ease, and in a great degree remove the ten- 
 dency to degeneration. Such an agent is the 
 Red Sulphur, 
 
 The great principle upon which the Red 
 Sulphur acts is the sedative principle. From 
 whatever elements this principle has been 
 imparted to it, it is manifest that it is the great 
 lever by which it operates. Is it now denied 
 that it possesses this power ? Some few, who 
 
236 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 are so constituted that they will resist any 
 evidence, have expressed their scepticism ; 
 but they would not believe though one were 
 to rise from the dead. To essay to convince 
 such were a fruitless task, but we think the 
 evidence is now, at least, too strong to be re- 
 jected by any one who is open to conviction. 
 In the pamphlet published by Dr. Huntt on 
 this Spring, and which we adopt as part of 
 our essay, there is evidence enough to satisfy 
 any reasonable person of this and other quali- 
 ties of the water ; but we can furnish other 
 and more recent evidence, and from a source 
 that must command universal confidence. 
 The letter which we subjoin was written to 
 us by Dr. Scott, of Lexington, Kentucky. 
 His motive is explained by himself. The 
 reader will perceive that it bears the impress 
 of truth, and is written for no other object 
 than to do justice to the water, and to benefit 
 the community. He had previously visited 
 all the other Springs ; first the Blue Sulphur, 
 next the White, then the Hot and Warm, at 
 the last of which we think he was seized with 
 hemorrhage. He next visited the Sweet 
 Springs and the Salt Sulphur, and finally 
 
IS CONSUMPTION CURABLE ? 237 
 
 found his way to the Red. Here. then, is a 
 proof beyond cavil, that the waters of all ttiose 
 Springs except the last were, if not actually 
 injurious; certainly not attended with any re- 
 lief : but the result of his experience in this 
 equally demonstrates that he had finally found 
 the appropriate remedy. 
 
 The distinguished reputation of this gen- 
 tleman as a physician, and his great moral 
 worth, entitle his testimony to all confidence. 
 
 •■ Blue Sulphur Springs. Ta.. 
 
 Sept. 3d. 1841. 
 
 " Mr. Burke : 
 
 : - Dear Sir. — On my way to toys place, at a 
 public house where we stopped to dine. I 
 picked up a newspaper, the Western Whig, 
 dated 14th August (last month), in which I 
 find there had been a committee formed to 
 take into consideration a report prevailing 
 prejudicial to the curative qualities of the 
 Mineral Waters at the Red Sulphur Springs. 
 fee., which report was proven to be false 
 id committee, as well as by a number of 
 certificates signed by gentlemen of high repu- 
 tation and intelligence. 
 
 " My object in now addressing you is a 
 
238 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 double one, first to thank you for the very- 
 kind attentions of yourself and family while 
 we remained at your romantic and beautifully 
 secluded village, and add my mite to show 
 that the waters of the Red Sulphur have not 
 lost any of their medicinal and positively good 
 effects in cases such as my own, viz., a vica- 
 rious discharge of blood from the lungs of 
 nearly two years standing. 
 
 " I arrived at your establishment on the 23d 
 or 24th of last month, with but little faith in 
 the efficacy of the waters, yet was determined 
 to give them a fair and impartial trial, divest- 
 ing myself as much as possible from pre- 
 conceived opinions and impressions derived 
 from many reports for and against their me- 
 dicinal qualities. First day, drank nine half- 
 pint tumblers of the water in the course of 
 the day, at different periods, and as it is usu- 
 ally directed to be drank. Second day, twelve, 
 and third day sixteen tumblers full, which 
 last number I continued to take five more suc- 
 cessive days. First and second days, they 
 (the waters) operated profusely as a diuretic ; 
 third day, very delightfully also on my skin 
 as a diaphoretic, preserving my bowels in a 
 
IS CONSUMPTION CURABLE? 239 
 
 healthy state ; on the fifth day, had copious 
 bilious evacuations, as much as I ever expe- 
 rienced from an active portion of calomel. 
 
 " At the commencement, and for three 
 months previous, my pulse had been not less 
 than 100 and 110 distinct pulsations in every 
 minute, that is. 100 beats in the morning, and 
 110 in the afternoon and evening, attended 
 with occasional cough and hemorrhage from 
 my lungs. Using the Red Sulphur waters 
 as above stated, my pulse was gradually less- 
 ened in strength and quickness, on the third 
 day. to 70 beats in the morning, and SO and 
 S4 in the evening, at which it (the pulse) con- 
 tinued regularly, without the variation of a 
 single pulsation, during the five more days I 
 remained with you. I used the waters eight 
 successive days only, and I do assure you. sir, 
 that my health has not been at any time in 
 the last two years so perfectly sfood. and free 
 from all uncomfortable feelings. 
 
 " My statements cannot be any advantage 
 to you amongst strangers to me, but I humbly 
 hope they will be relied on by my friends and 
 acquaintances in the West and North- Wes§ : 
 where I have been known extensively as a 
 
240 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 practitioner of medicine for very near forty 
 years. I am, dear sir, 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 Joseph Scott." 
 
 We subjoin, also, a letter \^e have received 
 from Daniel Gold, Esq., of Washington, which 
 is of great interest, on account of the low con- 
 dition of Mr. Gold's health when he reached 
 the Springs. This case also exhibits an im- 
 portant case of arterial excitement, and we 
 think should satisfy any reasonable person of 
 the value of the water in pulmonary affec- 
 tions. 
 
 "Washington City, Nov. 16th, 1841. 
 
 "My dear sir, — I have purposely delayed 
 advising you of the state of my health since 
 my return to this city. The change which 
 came over me while under the operation of 
 the Red Sulphur water was so sudden, and so 
 great, that I confess I doubted whether the 
 good effects would be permanent. It is now 
 upwards of two months since I left the Red 
 Sulphur Spring, and I am happy to be able 
 to assure you that my health is even better 
 than when I left you. My cough and expec- 
 
IS CONSUMPTION CURABLE ? 241 
 
 toration, which was confined almost entirely 
 to the morning when I returned to this city, 
 has now pretty much subsided, and my lungs 
 are evidently stronger than they were then. 
 I have, moreover, gained some two or three 
 pounds in weight since I returned. 
 
 : -I started for the Red Sulphur with very 
 little faith in the virtue of the water, and the 
 little I had was destroyed before I arrived 
 there, by reports which I had heard injurious 
 to its character. It was represented as being 
 situated in a cold and foggy place, and to 
 have lost all its healing qualities in conse- 
 quence of a vein of common water having re- 
 cently found its way into the Spring- All 
 who went thither with lung complaints were 
 said to die there, or to go away past recovery. 
 The road, also, between the White Sulphur 
 and the Red was spoken of, and 1. with others, 
 was occasionally entertained with accounts 
 of frequent stage accidents which happened 
 thereon, not un frequently attended with 
 broken legs and broken heads, &c, &c. 
 
 " Those things, however, were mentioned, 
 not as if to deter any one from going to the 
 Red Sulphur, but merely for information as 
 21 
 
242 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 to what those might look out for who were 
 hardy enough to venture beyond the White, 
 and particularly beyond the Salt. I went 
 there because my physician, Dr. Miller, of this 
 city, a gentleman eminent in the medical pro- 
 fession, directed me to go ; and I was agree- 
 ably disappointed in finding not only as good 
 roads beyond the White Sulphur as I found 
 this side, but the Red Sulphur Spring situated 
 in a place, to my taste, infinitely more wild, 
 beautiful, and agreeable, than that of either 
 the other Virginia Springs, the Blue excepted, 
 which I did not visit. During four weeks I 
 spent at the Red, I gained thirteen pounds, 
 and strength enough to climb any of your 
 little Alleghanies except that one directly 
 back of your hotel, which is so steep, you 
 know, that it hangs over a little. All soreness 
 about my lungs, which I felt in leaning for- 
 ward, lying down, or inhaling a long respira- 
 tion, and which had grown to be very un- 
 pleasant, vanished entirely. A rattling, as of 
 phlegm in my throat, but which probably was 
 in my lungs, pretty much subsided ; and be- 
 fore I left I could lie without inconvenience 
 upon my right side, or the back of my right 
 
IS CONSUMPTION CURABLE ? 243 
 
 shoulder, which I had not been able to do for 
 many weeks before. 
 
 u My cough was first occasioned by sleep- 
 ing in damp sheets in the berth of a steam- 
 boat at the North, on a chilly night about the 
 last of August, 1840, and it had become very 
 obstinate. I left here after the adjournment 
 of Congress, that summer, worn out with the 
 fatigue and hard labour always consequent 
 upon the close of a session, poor in flesh, and 
 poorer still in health. In short, altogether 
 unfit for official duty, and undoubtedly far 
 more liable to severe injury from such expo- 
 sure than I otherwise should have been. 
 
 < : The day after my unfortunate night's rest, 
 I felt sorely afflicted, and soon my cough 
 commenced. I thought it but the result of a 
 bad cold, which I could easily brave out, and 
 neglected that early attention to it which it 
 required. Bat instead of getting rid of it, I 
 was constantly taking little colds, and the 
 consequence was, that I was unable to attend 
 to business half of last winter. As spring 
 opened I partially recovered, and for a few 
 weeks I was nearly rid of the cough. Early 
 in June last, warm as it was, I was so unfor- 
 
244 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 tunate as to take another cold, which brought 
 on my cough again worse than ever. Soon 
 after, indigestion, which had troubled me 
 slightly during the latter part of the winter 
 and spring, became very severe and destroyed 
 my appetite ; and from that time I wasted ra- 
 pidly. When I left here for the Red Sul- 
 phur, I could hardly pull myself up into a 
 stage-coach, I was so feeble ; and when I ar- 
 rived there I weighed but 105 lbs. My pulse 
 too was on an average above 90, and when I 
 left it was below 70. 
 
 u If I have the good fortune to escape a 
 cold the coming winter, I have no doubt that 
 I shall eventually enjoy as sound health as 
 ever. Very truly, your friend, 
 
 Danl. Gold. 
 " To Mr. Wm. Burke." 
 
 The following extract is from Hare's Che- 
 mistry, an authority always entitled to confi- 
 dence, but especially so when he speaks, as 
 in this instance, from personal experience. 
 He was a visiter at the Red Sulphur in 1832, 
 when we purchased, and experienced in his 
 own family the benefits of that water. 
 
IS CONSUMPTION CURABLE? 245 
 
 u It has already been stated that water im- 
 pregnated with sulphuric acid exists in many 
 natural Springs, which are much frequented 
 by invalids. The celebrated White Sulphur, 
 Salt Sulphur, and Red Sulphur Springs of 
 Virginia are of this nature. They appear 
 particularly efficacious as remedies in cuta- 
 neous diseases. 
 
 " The Red Sulphur Springs are thought to 
 be particularly useful in some pulmonary 
 complaints, and have a surprising and un- 
 accountable influence in lowering the fre- 
 quency and force of the pulse" 
 
 21* 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 (Dr. Huntt*)— In March, 1837, I was at- 
 tacked with a slight hemorrhage from the 
 lungs, attended with other symptoms indicat- 
 ing a diseased state of those important organs. 
 For a time I neglected to resort to medical 
 treatment, and continued to pursue my pro- 
 fessional labours until warned by my failing 
 strength that the disease was gaining ground. 
 By the application of the usual remedies the 
 violence of the symptoms was soon subdued, 
 and in a short time I felt myself sufficiently 
 restored to resume my usual labours ; but 
 with the exercise my wonted strength did not 
 return ; the cough continued, with occasional 
 pain in the chest, and an uneasy sensation of 
 fulness about the liver, stomach, and spleen. 
 These symptoms, after a time, were attended 
 
 * " A Visit to the Red Sulphur Springs of Virginia, du- 
 ring the Summer of 1837 ; with Observations on the 
 Waters. By Henry Huntt, M. D." 
 
DR. HUXTT OX THE RED SULPHUR. 247 
 
 with increased cough, copious, morbid expec- 
 toration, hectic chills, fever, and night sweats : 
 my weight was reduced from 135 to 115 lbs. 
 Such was my situation, when, about the 
 middle of July, I left home for the Red Sul- 
 phur Spring, in Virginia. On the third eve- 
 ning I arrived at the Warm Spring, a distance 
 of 230 miles from Washington, and immedi- 
 ately after getting out of the stage I plunged 
 into the delightful bath of that place, an im- 
 prudence against which I would earnestly cau- 
 tion all invalids, who arrive after a long jour- 
 ney, with the system exhausted by fatigue. 
 The consequences in my own case warrant 
 me in pronouncing it to be fraught with great 
 danger. While in the bath, its effects were 
 very grateful and pleasant ; but shortly after 
 leaving it. I became chillv. and this feeling 
 was followed by a hot skin, intense headache, 
 and pain in the chest. After breakfast the 
 next morning, though still very unwell, I con- 
 tinued my journey, and arrived before night 
 at the White Sulphur Spring, where I remain- 
 ed two days, drinking freely of the water, 
 which seemed only to increase the cousfh and 
 pain in the chest, and produce an aggravation 
 
248 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 of all the other symptoms. Leaving this 
 place on the third morning, I passed Union at 
 noon, dined at the Salt Sulphur, and before 
 sunset arrived at this celebrated fountain, for 
 the benefit of whose waters I had left home. 
 The Red Sulphur Spring is situated in lati- 
 tude 37° 37', in Monroe county, Virginia, 
 about twenty miles south-west of Union, 
 which is the seat of justice for the county. 
 The approach to the village is beautifully ro- 
 mantic and picturesque. Wending his way 
 around a high mountain, the weary traveller 
 is for a moment charmed out of his fatigue 
 by the sudden view of his resting-place, some 
 hundreds of feet immediately beneath him. 
 Continuing the circuitous descent, he at length 
 reaches a ravine, which conducts him, after a 
 few rugged steps, to the entrance of a verdant 
 glen, surrounded on all sides by lofty moun- 
 tains. The south end of this enchanting vale, 
 which is the widest portion of it, is about two 
 hundred yards in width. Its course is nearly 
 north for about one hundred and fifty yards, 
 when it begins gradually to contract and 
 change its direction to the north-west and 
 west, until it terminates in a narrow point. 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 249 
 
 This beautifully secluded Tempe is the chosen 
 site of the village. The north-west portion is 
 occupied by stables, carriage-houses, and shops 
 of various sorts : the southern portion, just at 
 the base of the east and west mountains, is that 
 upon which stand the various edifices for the 
 accommodation of visiters. These buildings 
 are spacious, and conveniently arranged ; the 
 servants are prompt and obedient ; and the 
 " table d'hote" is abundantly supplied with a 
 variety of viands that can tempt the appetite. 
 The promenades, which are neatly enclosed 
 by a white railing, are beautifully embellish- 
 ed, and shaded from the midday sun by in- 
 digenes of the forest, the large umbrageous 
 sugar-maple {acer saccharinnm). The Spring 
 is situated at the south-west point of the val- 
 ley, and the water is collected into two white 
 marble fountains, over which is thrown a sub- 
 stantial cover. 
 
 At the distance of a few hundred yards from 
 the Red Sulphur Spring, up the south ravine, 
 is another Spring, supposed to be a chalybeate 
 of a singular character. My situation did 
 not permit me to make a satisfactory exami- 
 nation of its water, but I should be highly 
 
250 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 gratified to know the particular character of 
 the water of this Spring. 
 
 The forest trees of the eastern and western 
 mountains have been cut down by Mr. Burke, 
 the present worthy proprietor of the Spring, 
 so that this delightful glen enjoys the purify- 
 ing influence of the sun from 7 o'clock in the 
 morning until near 5 in the afternoon, which 
 makes the grounds much drier than they for- 
 merly were, and less liable to morning fogs. 
 Regular stages, or post-coaches, arrive here 
 daily both from the north and south. It is 
 but justice to the amiable and intelligent pro- 
 prietor to say, that the improvements he has 
 made within the short period of four years, 
 since he has had the control, give assurance 
 that, should he live a few years longer, the 
 Red Sulphur Spring will not be excelled by 
 any of the numerous places of resort among 
 the salubrious mountains of the Old Do- 
 minion, either in magnificence of scenery, 
 beauty, taste, comfort, or health. 
 
 On the evening of my arrival at the Spring, 
 I commenced the use of its water. The next 
 day, during a violent paroxysm of coughing, 
 a coagulum of blood was discharged from the 
 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 251 
 
 lungs, which was followed by considerable 
 hemorrhage. After this, the cough became 
 less troublesome, but the evening exacerba- 
 tions of fever and the night sweats continued, 
 ray pulse beating 115 strokes in a minute. I 
 confined myself to a low diet, and drank six 
 glasses of the water during the day, namely, 
 two before breakfast, one at 11 a. m., one at 
 5 p. m., and two at bed-time. The water 
 acted freely on the bowels, and particularly 
 on the secretions of the liver. In ten days, 
 the abdominal viscera were entirely relieved, 
 the pulse reduced to 78, and the fever and 
 night sweats had ceased. The quantity of 
 water was now increased to twelve glasses 
 during the day, taken at the same hours, but 
 in double doses. It acted very gently on the 
 bowels and skin, but most powerfully as a 
 diuretic. Thus it appears that in small quan- 
 tities the water acted freely on the bowels, 
 and but little on the kidneys, while in larger 
 quantities it acted freely on the latter, and 
 scarcely affected the former. In fact, I could 
 direct its action to the one or the other at plea- 
 sure, by increasing or diminishing the quantity. 
 My cough became better, but my strength still 
 
252 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 continued feeble, owing to my extremely low 
 diet, and the copious action of the water. Un- 
 fortunately I took but little exercise, which I 
 deem all-important while using the waters. 
 
 After a residence of three weeks at the 
 Spring, and the constant use of the water dur- 
 ing that time, to the manifest alleviation of 
 the most pressing symptoms of my complaint, 
 I was unexpectedly called home, in conse- 
 quence of the illness of a member of my fami- 
 ly. In the commencement of my homeward 
 journey, my weak state compelled me to make 
 very short stages ; but as soon as I had cross- 
 ed the mountains, and resumed my usual 
 mode of diet, my appetite and strength re- 
 turned rapidly, and I completed the distance 
 of 306 miles in five days, without feeling the 
 slightest inconvenience. The water seemed 
 to produce its good effects in the improvement 
 of my health for months after I had left the 
 Spring. 
 
 In a conversation with Mr. Harvey, a plain, 
 honest, and sensible man, who was the former 
 proprietor of the Red Sulphur Spring, I gather- 
 ed the following facts, which I give in his own 
 words. He stated "that he had lived at and 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 253 
 
 about the place for upwards of forty-three 
 years. The Spring was first visited by the 
 neighbours for itch, sore legs, and other in- 
 veterate diseases of the skin, which were al- 
 ways cured by drinking, and rubbing the 
 parts affected with the muddy deposit. About 
 thirty-six years ago, Dr. John Cabell, of 
 Lynchburg, Va., was the first person who 
 visited the Spring for a cough, and disease of 
 the throat, attended with chills and fevers. 
 He remained here several weeks, and returned 
 home much better. The next season, several 
 other persons came, with cough, and every 
 appearance of consumption. Afterwards, the 
 number of visiters afflicted with this disease 
 increased every year. There are many per- 
 sons now living, within my knowledge, (said 
 Mr. Harvey.) and enjoying excellent health, 
 who visited this Spring many years ago, to 
 all appearance in the last stage of consump- 
 tion. The visiters who were the most bene- 
 1 by the water, remained here five or six 
 weeks, confined themselves to a diet of rye 
 mush and milk, and were industrious in rising* 
 early, drinking the water, and taking exercise. 
 Others, who indulged themselves in eating r 
 22 
 
 
254 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 sleeping late in the morning, and lounging 
 about during the day, derived but little ad- 
 vantage from the use of the water, and gene- 
 rally returned home dissatisfied. The cold 
 plunging, or shock bath, was used in those 
 days with decided advantage. I never knew 
 a case injured by the use of the cold bath. 
 Many cases of dropsy visited the Spring, and 
 I never knew an instance where they were 
 not relieved by the use of the water. One of 
 my neighbours was cured many years ago by 
 the use of this water, and now enjoys excel- 
 lent health. I have known many persons 
 affected with complaints of the liver and 
 bowels completely relieved by the Red Sul- 
 phur water. From the 1st of May to the 
 middle of November, is the proper time for 
 using the water to advantage, but I think it is 
 strongest in its various virtues during- the 
 months of September and October." 
 
 The following was presented to me by Dr. 
 Saunders, the resident physician, as an ana- 
 lysis of the Red Sulphur water, made at the 
 Spring by Professor Rogers, the Geologist of 
 Virginia ; but it certainly does not satisfac- 
 torily account for the wonderful effects of the 
 water. 
 
UR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 255 
 
 " Temperature of the Spring, 54° Fahr. 
 
 Gaseous contents in an imperial gallon : — 
 Sulphuretted hydrogen, 4*54 cub. in. 
 Carbonic acid, 8-75 
 
 Nitrogen, 4-25 
 
 " Solid contents of 32 cubic inches of water, 
 gr. 1-25, consisting of sulphate of soda, lime 
 and magnesia, carbonate of lime and muriate 
 of soda. Besides these ingredients, the water 
 contains, in considerable quantity, a peculiar 
 organic substance, which, mingled with sul- 
 phur, is deposited on the sides of the Spring, 
 and seems to increase by a species of organic 
 growth." 
 
 The Red Sulphur water is decidedly seda- 
 tive in its effects. It subdues chronic inflam- 
 mation, tranquillizes irritation, and reduces 
 the frequency of the pulse in the most as- 
 tonishing manner. 
 
 It has been considered peculiarly adapted 
 to the cure of pulmonary diseases, and it is 
 true that it has a most beneficial influence on 
 most cases of this disease ; but its good effects 
 equally extend to all cases of sub-acute in- 
 flammation, whether seated in the stomach, 
 liver, spleen, intestines, kidneys, bladder, and 
 
256 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 most particularly in the mucous membrane 
 In fact, nature never yet gave to man a reme 
 dy capable of more extensive application, 01 
 better calculated to relieve a larger class of 
 diseases. 
 
 It is not uncommon for persons to arrive at 
 the Spring, who have not been able to sleep 
 during the night, even with the aid of opium, 
 and who, after drinking the water for a few 
 days, find their nervous irritation so soothed 
 and allayed, that no other anodyne is required 
 to procure them full repose for the night. 
 This fact is so striking, that a young lady of 
 this place, in writing to her father from the 
 Red Sulphur, facetiously styles it " Sleepy 
 Hollow." The soporific effect of the water 
 was most forcibly exemplified in the case of 
 Mr. C. Smith, of Georgetown, D. C, a gen- 
 tleman of the highest respectability, who had 
 been for some time labouring under chronic 
 laryngitis, and had not enjoyed sleep for 
 months, even with the aid of large doses of 
 morphia. He arrived at the Red Sulphur a 
 few days after myself, and immediately com- 
 menced a free use of the water. The third 
 night after his arrival, he slept soundly all 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 25? 
 
 night, without either coughing or turning in 
 bed, and not only continued to sleep well every 
 night during the use of the water, but was 
 compelled, from the drowsy feeling which it 
 produced, to indulge himself in more than one 
 nap during the day. 
 
 In a letter, dated some years ago at this Spring, 
 from the late F. W. Gilmer, Esq., professor 
 of law in the University of Virginia, he says : 
 " These waters are far superior to all others. 
 In a few hours they allayed my cough so as 
 to take away all that was unpleasant in it. 
 They diffuse a sense of coolness, freshness, 
 and newer life over the whole system. They 
 abate the pulse most rapidly, remove fever, 
 lubricate and soften whatever is hard and dry, 
 make one sleep as though he had taken an 
 anodyne, are the safest of all waters, and, in- 
 deed, have no ill quality. 77 
 
 The late venerable Dr. R. H. Bradford, of 
 Va., who practised medicine for many years 
 at the Red Sulphur, in a communication on 
 the subject of the water, remarks : " The ef- 
 fects of this water in reducing the frequency 
 of the pulse, is one of the numerous, singular, 
 and powerful properties belonging to it. It 
 22* 
 
258 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 lessens arterial action to such a degree, that 
 it seldom fails to remove fever, difficulty of 
 breathing, and pain in the chest. When the 
 patient is restricted to a proper regimen, this 
 water may be taken with greater advantage, 
 in all pulmonary cases, than any other reme- 
 dy I have ever seen employed for that purpose. 
 It is also an important remedy in enlarged 
 liver and spleen, and in diseases of the mu- 
 cous membrane generally." 
 
 The Rev. W. M. Green, a pious, good man, 
 of Hillsboro', North Carolina, makes the fol- 
 lowing communication, dated October 15th, 
 1837. " In the month of March, 1830, (being 
 then in my 32d year,) I was taken with a dis- 
 tressing cough, which would scarcely permit 
 me to speak half a dozen words successively 
 without interruption. The attack was doubt- 
 less the effect of much exposure in travelling 
 the preceding winters, hastened and aggra- 
 vated by certain symptoms of dyspepsia, 
 which had been increasing upon me for some 
 months previous. The symptoms of my dis- 
 ease, when first taken down, and for a long 
 time after, were an incessant hacking cough, 
 and clearing of the throat without expectora- 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 259 
 
 tion, a sense of choking or suffocation in the 
 lower part of the larynx, which afterwards 
 became inflamed and painful, a pulse varying 
 from 100 to 120 strokes in a minute, a stric- 
 ture across the breast preventing full inspi- 
 ration, dark greenish stools, lateritions urine, 
 copious and exhausting night sweats, sleep- 
 lessness, great nervous irritability, a craving 
 appetite, with oppression after eating, insati- 
 able thirst, frequent involuntary sighing, and 
 more or less fever during the day, especially 
 in the afternoon. 
 
 " The medicines first administered were 
 brown mixture, and other expectorants of a 
 similar kind, together with the free use of 
 tartar emetic ointment. My disease, however, 
 seemed to gather force, until a temporary 
 check was given by the exhibition of calomel 
 in broken doses, until salivation was produced, 
 which alleviated some of the most distressing: 
 symptoms. As soon as I had regained suffi- 
 cient strength for the journey, I set out with 
 a kind friend to spend a few weeks near the 
 sea-coast. The trip, however, was without 
 sensible benefit, owing to the prevalence at 
 the time of raw easterly winds, and I returned 
 
260 SPRTNGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 to all appearance the same, if not worse than 
 on leaving home. 
 
 u Having heard much of the efficacy of the 
 Red Sulphur water, I determined to try it. 
 Accordingly, leaving home early in July, I 
 reached that place about the 10th, confining 
 myself closely to the use of the water, and of 
 the sulphur shower-bath, for nine weeks. I 
 had not been at the Spring more than two 
 days before I began to experience a favourable 
 influence on my system generally, as well as 
 an amelioration of some of the principal symp- 
 toms of my complaint. My pulse soon felt 
 the wonder -working "power of that mysteri- 
 ous tempest-stilling agent which resides in 
 those waters. Arterial action was greatly re- 
 duced, the nervous system composed, the 
 cough brought down to a mere fractional part 
 of its former proportions, digestion improved, 
 sleep restored, urine rendered colourless, the 
 stricture across the breast less oppressive, 
 night sweats lessened ; in a word, every pain- 
 ful and dangerous feature of the disease was 
 moderated, and time allowed to shake off the 
 enemy. The two most striking effects pro- 
 duced by the use of this water were the evident 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 261 
 
 reduction of arterial action, at the same time 
 that the general system was recovering its 
 tone, and the total extinguishment of that 
 burning thirst which had been tormenting me 
 for more than twelve months. I hesitate not 
 to state here, what may appear incredible to 
 many, that for nearly six months after I re- 
 turned home I felt no symptom of thirst, 
 whereas, before my going to the Spring, 
 scarcely fifteen minutes would elapse during 
 the day between my calls for water. This 
 latter effect was still more strikingly experi- 
 enced in the case of the Rev. Mr. H*% of Hali- 
 fax county, Va., who assured me, after visit- 
 ing the Spring a single season, he remained 
 eighteen months a stranger to thirst. As to 
 the effect on my pulse, although it was de- 
 cidedly marked and beneficial, yet there were 
 other cases under my own observation of still 
 more striking character. One I distinctly re- 
 member, that of a Mr. Boal, a young Irishman, 
 residing in Lynchburg, Va. He came to the 
 Spring by the advice of his physicians, who 
 saw in him the well-known symptoms of pul- 
 monary disease. On his arrival, the average 
 stroke of his pulse was from 110 to 120 in a 
 
262 SPRINGS OP WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 minute. In three days, without the aid of 
 any other means than the free use of the water, 
 it was reduced to the healthful beat of 65 
 strokes in a minute. The case of Mrs. B****r, 
 of Raleigh, is no less remarkable; such was 
 the effect of the water on her arterial system, 
 that a single glass was known to reduce the 
 pulse 10 beats in a minute. 
 
 " My usual habit was to drink three or four 
 glasses of the water before breakfast, three at 
 11 or 12 o'clock, two about 5 o'clock in the 
 afternoon, and two on going to bed. I am 
 convinced that what was taken late at night, 
 and very early in the morning, was more effi- 
 cacious than all the rest taken during the day. 
 My exercise consisted in a ride of three miles 
 before breakfast on horseback, another about 
 sunset in my carriage, and in the interval 
 an occasional game at the shuffle-board — a 
 game, though not very refined, unquestion- 
 ably admirably adapted to exercise a weak 
 chest. 
 
 " It may be well to mention here, that on 
 my return home, my appearance was so little 
 improved, as to produce the impression among 
 my friends that my trip had been without 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 263 
 
 benefit. Nor was the improvement which 
 really had been produced, perceived in its 
 extent, even by myself, until I had been at 
 home a week or two. I mention this for the 
 encouragement of other invalids, who return 
 home dejected and hopeless, because they do 
 not experience the immediate g-ood effect of 
 this and other Sulphur waters. The effect is, 
 in many cases, felt only after the fatigue of the 
 journey is over, and the noisy bustle of the 
 watering-place forgotten amidst the comfort 
 and quiet of home. I will only add. that 
 after my return. I was enabled occasionally 
 to occupy my pulpit, and to enjoy the society 
 of my friends. 
 
 ••' The next season I sought the mountains 
 again, but finding my pulmonary symptoms 
 in a great measure removed, and my dyspep- 
 sia but little abated, I spent the greater part 
 of my time at the White Sulphur. A third 
 visit, two years after the second, served to re- 
 move every unpleasant symptom, and put the 
 blessing of health once more in my reach. At 
 this moment, the only remnant of disease, 
 which all my friends, and nearly all my phy- 
 sicians, pronounced to be johthisis pulmonalis^ 
 
264 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 is an appetite which often needs the bridle of 
 just moderation. 
 
 " To Him who preserved me be all honor and praise." 
 
 Mr. James Boa], of Lynchburg, who lost 
 two brothers by pulmonary consumption, in 
 a communication dated Red Sulphur, August 
 5th, 1837, states : "A change of life, from being 
 an active farmer to that of a sedentary store- 
 keeper, produced constipation and general de- 
 bility (especially in my arms and knees,) a 
 dry tickling sensation in the throat, slight 
 cough, and but little expectoration. The 
 tightness increased, until riding a refractory 
 horse, I had an attack of hemorrhage ; the 
 discharge at first was pretty copious, of a 
 scarlet frothy appearance, moderating to a 
 mixture of bloody phlegm. My nights were 
 passed with but little sleep, and that disturbed 
 by troublesome dreams. In the month of June, 
 1828, had an attack of diarrhoea, and was very- 
 much reduced. About the 1st of July, 1828, 
 I visited the Red Sulphur Spring. My pulse 
 on my arriva,, (when free from excitement,) 
 was about 120 pulsations in a minute. Com- 
 menced drinking the water, and in one week 
 
DR. HUXTT OX THE RED SULPHUR. 265 
 
 my pulse was reduced to 65 strokes in a 
 minute, with an improvement in my strength 
 
 and feelings generally. Supposing* my cure 
 effected. I omitted the use of the water for a 
 few days, and found my pulse increasing in 
 frequency. I again used it three weeks longer, 
 when my pulse was reduced to its former 
 standard, of 65 strokes in a minute. My 
 course of diet — for breakfast, dried toast and 
 boiled milk, or black tea : for dinner, a little 
 venison or mutton. rice ; or cold wheat bread : 
 for supper, coid rye mush and milk, always 
 guarding against rich sauces or pastry : took 
 exercise in the open air. My plan was. to 
 drink freely, say six or eight glasses of the 
 water before breakfast, keeping in constant 
 motion. The general operation of the water 
 was that of a diuretic, and by taking exercise. 
 perspiration was very copious. My bowels 
 were regular, once a day, and have continued 
 so (except from casual indisposition) ever 
 since. I visited the Red Sulphur in the sum- 
 mer of 1829. and had my general health so 
 completely restored, that I am now here in 
 August. 1837, on a visit to my old friend and 
 benefactor, in perfect health.'' 
 23 
 
266 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 The following communication is from 
 Chief Justice Taney, of the Supreme Court 
 U. S., dated Baltimore, Jan. 8, 1838 : 
 
 " The information you have received as to 
 the benefit derived from the Red Sulphur 
 Spring by Mrs. Taney and myself, is correct. 
 We spent six weeks or more there, in the 
 summer of 1835, and both of us were in bad 
 health when we went there. The journey, 
 however, was taken on Mrs. Taney's account, 
 and by the advice of Dr. Potter and Dr. Buck- 
 ler. Her health had been failing for several 
 years, and her lungs were supposed to be se- 
 riously threatened. She complained of a pain 
 in her breast, coughed a goocl deal, and had 
 an excited and quick pulse. The alarming 
 symptoms were entirely removed by her visit 
 to the Red Sulphur, and she has since enjoy- 
 ed her ordinary health. It is proper, perhaps, 
 to remark, that although Mrs. Taney felt in 
 some degree the benefit of the water, while 
 she remained at the Spring, yet we were not 
 sensible of the extent of the improvement 
 until some time after our return home. Both 
 of us have since had much better health than 
 we had known for years before, and we both 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 267 
 
 have great confidence in the efficacy of those 
 waters, and, I may add, retain a lively recol- 
 lection of the kind attentions of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Burke while we remained there." 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 {Dr. Huntt.) — The following four cases were 
 communicated by a distinguished physician 
 of South Carolina, who passed the summers of 
 1822-23 and part of '24 at the Red Sulphur 
 Spring, and whose name commands as much 
 respect and confidence as that of any other 
 gentleman in the Southern country : 
 
 " I shall give you a few of the very many 
 cases that have come under my notice, of the 
 efficacy of the Red Sulphur water in pulmo- 
 nary diseases. This is due to the communi- 
 ty, and also to the intelligent proprietor, who 
 unites in himself the good manners and polite- 
 ness of a gentleman, with the capacity and 
 disposition to add all that he can to the com- 
 fort, both of the valetudinarian and traveller 
 who may be in pursuit of pleasure. 
 
 Case 1. — " In the winter of 1821, it became 
 the duty of R. H. to devote himself to his 
 friend, A. B., far advanced in pulmonary dis- 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 269 
 
 ease. B. H. was in good health, and not in 
 the slightest degree predisposed to pulmonary 
 consumption, either by figure or inheritance. 
 
 A. B. died during this winter with the tuber- 
 culous form of this disease. In the spring, 
 
 B. H. began to feel pains in the chest and 
 sides, and frequently to have a tickling sen- 
 sation about the epiglottis. In July, a slight 
 cough made its appearance, and after a week 
 or ten days, was followed by an attack of 
 haemoptysis. The use of the lancet, low 
 diet, and some mild expectorant, afforded so 
 much relief that the usual occupation of B. 
 H. was resumed. In August, another attack, 
 more severe, was experienced, and a trouble- 
 some cough excited more alarm. The usual 
 remedies were used, and with relief. In 
 September ; a severe attack ensued, a large 
 vessel was ruptured, nearly a pint of blood 
 was thrown up from the lungs, and great 
 emaciation took place. The cough could not 
 be checked, and in October B. H. sailed for 
 the Island of Cuba, with little expectation of 
 ever returning ; but his situation was improv- 
 ed by the mild winter of this delightful cli- 
 mate. In April, ] 822, he returned to Caro- 
 
 23* 
 
270 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 lina, still coughing. His situation now be- 
 came very alarming to his friends, and it was 
 decided that a trip to Virginia should be tried. 
 B. H. rode through the western part of North 
 Carolina and East Tennessee, and came into 
 Western Virginia at Abingdon, and reached 
 the Red Sulphur early in June. At this time 
 I was called upon to visit him, and found his 
 pulse 106, cough troublesome, pains in the 
 chest, appetite very variable, tongue preter- 
 naturally clean, bowels much disordered and 
 irregular, skin dry and feverish about noon. 
 I directed three tumblers of water to be taken 
 at bed time, four before breakfast, and as many 
 as were necessary to satisfy thirst during the 
 other times of the day. In two weeks, the 
 pulse was reduced to 84, 78, and then 75 ; 
 the cough very much diminished, the pains 
 in the breast were gradually disappearing. 
 The digestion became good, the bowels regu- 
 lar, the skin comfortable, and the appearance 
 of the patient much improved. The diet was 
 very simple, and the greatest attention was 
 paid both to the quality and quantity of it ; 
 tea and coffee were abandoned ; homony, rice, 
 or rye mush, with milk, constituted the break- 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 271 
 
 fast ; a small portion of mutton or venison, 
 with rice, made the dinner, and dry toast and 
 water the supper. At the end of five weeks, 
 B. H. left the Spring perfectly renovated, and 
 apparently quite well, having gained 15 lbs. 
 in weight. 
 
 " In 1823 and '24, he again visited the 
 Spring, and remained several weeks ; he was 
 not sick, but unwell, and returned to the 
 Spring rather to confirm, than to renew his 
 health. This is a strong case. The circum- 
 stances of it authorize me to make it stronger, 
 but I am unwilling to excite doubts of the 
 value of the Spring, by writing extravagantly 
 of its water." 
 
 Case 2. — " Mr. J. S., of Mississippi, reached 
 the Red Sulphur Spring in July, 1822. I 
 being the only physician on the spot, was re- 
 quested to visit him professionally. I found 
 my patient the most emaciated object I ever 
 saw, to be moving from place to place. The 
 history of his case, as I learned from himself, 
 was very concise. He had been a soldier at 
 New-Orleans, and bore his share in the dan- 
 gers and difficulties of the campaign, had suf- 
 fered much from exposure, and at the close of 
 
272 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 the war, was, like the rest of the volunteers, 
 sent home, and like many others, was the 
 worse for the services he had rendered. His 
 constitution was shattered, and he had been, 
 more or less, an invalid, until within a few 
 months of his arrival at the Red Sulphur. A 
 severe cold had left him with a cough, and 
 after a while, this had been succeeded by 
 haemoptysis of a most alarming character ; 
 repeated attacks left him without strength, 
 and without hope. He had no hereditary 
 predisposition to pulmonary disease. He had 
 been on the road for some time, and seldom 
 travelled more than five miles a day. His 
 cough was very distressing, pulse quick to the 
 touch, and counting 125 in a minute, night 
 sweats and diarrhoea, pains in the chest, and 
 very hurried respiration, with profuse expec- 
 toration, all presented themselves. To me 
 this seemed a hopeless case, and, as I thought, 
 beyond the reach of the profession. A large 
 blister was applied to the chest, an expec- 
 torant mixture was prescribed, a table spoon- 
 ful to be taken whenever the cough was 
 troublesome. He was directed to commence 
 with the water in small quantities, (for I was 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 273 
 
 fearful of increasing the diarrhoea.) He took 
 two tumblers at bed-time, and two in the 
 morning early. Upon visiting him the next 
 day, I was informed that he had passed a com- 
 fortable night, comparatively speaking, had 
 slept several hours, and was not as much 
 harassed as usual, either by the bowels or 
 cough. He was directed to live upon rice 
 and milk, dry toast, and weak tea. This plan 
 was persisted in, as my notes show, for ten or 
 twelve days, with a gradual improvement in 
 the case. After this time, the water was in- 
 creased to eight, and sometimes ten tumblers 
 in the day. The pulse was soon reduced in 
 force and frequency, and the cough much 
 mitigated. The sweats at length ceased, and 
 the diarrhoea disappeared. The effect of the 
 water upon the pulse in this case was very 
 remarkable ; it seemed to control it as you 
 would the horse with the bridle ; the patient 
 was so sensible of this, that he used to laugh, 
 and say, if he took an over-dose of the water, 
 his pulse, he believed, would cease entirely. 
 He rode on horseback at the end of a few 
 weeks, ten miles, without inconvenience ; his 
 weight was very much increased, and he 
 
274 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 thought himself well. In six weeks after his 
 arrival, he left the Spring, certainly more im- 
 proved than any one I had ever seen, with no 
 symptoms of disease remaining except the 
 cough> and that very much mitigated. In 
 1823, Mr. J. S. returned to the Spring, and I 
 saw him daily ; he stated that he had con- 
 tinued well until March, when a sudden 
 change of weather, for which he was not pre- 
 pared, brought on a catarrhal affection, upon 
 the subsidence of which, a cough, and much 
 debility ensued. He remained for three weeks, 
 and again left us in good health, with the ex- 
 ception of a cough, which was by no means 
 troublesome. From this period I have heard 
 nothing of Mr. J. S. ? but am persuaded that 
 he recovered entirely/' 
 
 Case 3.—" Mr. J. C, of North Carolina, was 
 directed to go to the Virginia Springs by his 
 medical adviser, in 1823 ; but was left to find 
 out the particular Spring that was adapted to 
 
 his case. I was on a visit to the Spring, 
 
 and found Mr. J. C, who, upon hearing that 
 I was a medical man, asked for advice. He 
 was of a robust habit originally, (as he stated,) 
 and was most unexpectedly attacked by hae- 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 275 
 
 moptysis, whilst in the midst of his usual 
 occupations; which were mercantile. His 
 strength was at this time considerable, his 
 pulse full and strong, respiration laborious 
 and painful, skin dry, appetite inordinate, and 
 the cough allowing him no rest at night. I 
 used the lancet very freely, limited the diet to 
 bread and milk, and water, and desired him 
 to remain quiet. Upon the ensuing day, the 
 lancet was again used freely, the symptoms 
 not being mitigated ; on the third day, there 
 was little or no improvement, and I desired 
 him to proceed to the Red Sulphur, and to 
 use the water in full doses, say, four tumblers 
 before bed-time, and four before breakfast, to 
 live low, to take no exercise, and be as quiet 
 as possible. In a week or ten days I returned 
 to the Red Sulphur, and the first person that 
 greeted me was Mr. J. C. ; his symptoms had 
 all subsided, which the lancet failed to con- 
 trol, and yielded at once to the use of the 
 water. This is certainly a most remarkable 
 property in this water, but it is so well known 
 to the surrounding country, as well as to nu- 
 merous persons who have visited the Spring, 
 that we incur no risk in making the statement 
 
276 
 
 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 we have. It is also peculiar to the water, that 
 although on the lowest diet, the strength im- 
 proves, and the weight is uniformy increased. 
 After some few weeks Mr. J. C. returned 
 home, restored to the enjoyment of health, and 
 I have never heard of his return to the Spring, 
 which he would certainly have done had it 
 been necessary to do so. I could go on, my 
 dear sir, and add case after case ; but it is 
 unnecessary to do so, the reputation of the 
 Spring is too well established to require any 
 eulogy. I will add one more case, and that 
 not of a pulmonary character, in which the 
 water of the Red Sulphur evinced all the vir- 
 tues that I have attributed to it in the cases 
 stated." 
 
 Case 4. — " General B., from Prince Edward 
 county, in Virginia, arrived at the Red Sul- 
 phur Spring in August, 1823, so much swollen 
 as to be taken from his carriage with difficul- 
 ty. The face, hands, feet, and legs, were 
 swollen to an enormous size ; the abdomen 
 was absolutely pendulous, and the whole ap- 
 pearance indicated dropsy in its most terrible 
 form. The bowels were torpid, the urine 
 scanty and high-coloured, the appetite bad, 
 
DR. HUXTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 27? 
 
 and the digestion worse, sleep was disturbed 
 and painful, from the inability to lay down, 
 and the strength reduced, and daily becoming- 
 less. 
 
 ■ ; The General seemed in much better spirits 
 than could have been expected, and stated, 
 that he had come there on a former occasion 
 quite as sick as we then saw him. and that he 
 had reason to have all confidence in the water. 
 No medicine was taken, but the water was 
 used in such quantities as the stomach would 
 In a few days the bowels became loose. 
 and at the same time the kidneys began to se- 
 crete and pour forth urine in large quantities. 
 The swelling of course began to subside, and 
 all the functions to assume a more healthy 
 tone and character. The General remained 
 until the latter end of September, and returned 
 home apparently in ^ood health. The patient 
 whose case has been stated, lived in a fever 
 and aofue country, and had suffered much from 
 this disease : his liver was certainly very much 
 deranged in function, if not in structure : his 
 physicians at home had pronounced it an in- 
 curable case of hepatitis, and did not think he 
 
 could reach the Spring. 
 24 
 
278 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 " In '24 I saw the General at the Spring 
 again ; his health was apparently good, but he 
 complained of indisposition, and certainly im- 
 proved during his residence at the Red Sul- 
 phur. I have thus, my dear sir, made from 
 my notes the statements herewith sent you. 
 I could multiply them to a considerable ex- 
 tent, but it is useless, as they all go to prove 
 the same thing, viz., the influence that the 
 Red Sulphur water exercises over the arterial 
 system. I shall not attempt to reason the sub- 
 ject ; it would be satisfactory to me if I could 
 account for the facts, but it is sufficient for me 
 that the facts do exist. 
 
 " I do not wish to be understood as stating 
 that the water of the Red Sulphur will cure 
 confirmed phthisis, or tuberculous consump- 
 tion ; but I believe that we are very often mis- 
 taken, in supposing a case of pulmonary irri- 
 tation more desperate and hopeless than it 
 really is, and I believe that in most cases, if 
 this Spring is resorted to early, and the cloth- 
 ing, and diet, and exercise, duly attended to, 
 its waters will be found a most powerful ad- 
 junct and assistant in the management of these 
 hitherto unmanageable cases." 
 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 279 
 
 During my visit to the Red Sulphur, every 
 day was devoted to the investigation of the 
 various diseases which afflicted the visiters at 
 that place ; noting particularly the effects of 
 the water in the different diseases. 
 
 Most of the cases were various forms of 
 pulmonary consumption. In the earliest stage 
 of tuberculous disease, the patients generally 
 complained of abdominal plethora, with cough, 
 some oppression, and restless nights, with fre- 
 quent pulse. In all these cases, where the 
 water was taken in such quantities as to 
 operate on the bowels for a week or ten days, 
 and afterwards increasing the quantity so as 
 to act freely as a diuretic, and the patients 
 were abstemious in their diet, and took exer- 
 cise regularly, a rapid improvement was most 
 generally the consequence. On the contrary, 
 those who used but little exercise, and indulg- 
 ed their appetite without restraint, were slow 
 and tedious in their convalescence. Let it be 
 impressed on the minds of all tuberculous 
 patients, that sedentary habits are among the 
 most powerful causes of tuberculous diseases. 
 
 Many persons arrive at the Red Sulphur, 
 who are not prepared to use the water, in con- 
 
280 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 sequence of high inflammation, or congestion 
 of the lungs or other organs, attended with 
 pain in the side, constriction at the breast, or 
 hot and restless nights, with a quick, sharp 
 pulse ; all such cases must have the vascular 
 excitement subdued, before the water can be 
 taken to advantage. I saw several of those 
 cases under the management of Dr. Saunders, 
 the resident physician of the place, who treated 
 them very successfully, by means of bleeding, 
 local and general, emetics of ipecac before 
 bed-time, blisters, and occasionally the blue 
 pill. 
 
 Most of the visiters at the Red Sulphur this 
 season were labouring under tuberculous con- 
 sumption, of the second, or middle stage; many 
 of them had visited the Spring one or two 
 seasons, and there was scarcely an exception 
 among them, who had not experienced one or 
 more attacks of haemoptysis ; and hcemoptysis 
 may generally be considered as an indication 
 of tubercles in the lungs. Those who had 
 visited the Spring before, would say, that they 
 returned home apparently cured, cough, night 
 sweats, expectoration, frequent pulse, all re- 
 lieved, a good appetite restored, and flesh in- 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 281 
 
 creasing daily. Towards the spring season, 
 the pulmonary symptoms would commence to 
 kindle up again, and by June or July it would 
 become necessary to repeat the visit to the 
 Red Sulphur, although the symptoms were 
 much less aggravated, and the constitution 
 much less enfeebled than during the previous 
 season. 
 
 The water of the Red Sulphur seems to act 
 by soothing irritation, lessening the frequency 
 of the pulse, and by subduing the inflamma- 
 tion of the tissues in contact with the tu- 
 bercles, and thereby rendering the tubercles 
 harmless ; and also by suspending that ten- 
 dency of the system to generate or deposit 
 tuberculous matter. It is not unusual in post- 
 mortem examinations to discover tubercles in 
 the lungs of subjects who had never exhibited 
 any signs of pulmonary disease during their 
 lifetime ; and in visiting the slaughter-houses 
 of butchers, we have been astonished to ob- 
 serve numerous tubercles in the liver and 
 lungs of animals, particularly the hog, and 
 the sheep, which were fat, and otherwise in a 
 healthy condition. 
 
 " Dr. Carswell," says Dr. James Clark, " has 
 24* 
 
282 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 remarked it as an important fact, that the mu- 
 cous and serous tissues in contact with the 
 tuberculous matter, are often found in a 
 healthy condition ; while this continues, tu- 
 bercles may remain an indefinite length of 
 time in their original state, or the softer part 
 of the tubercle may be absorbed, leaving the 
 more solid calcareous portion on its site, — a 
 termination which occurs more commonly, I 
 believe, than is generally supposed." 
 
 Among this description of patients who had 
 visited the Red Sulphur two seasons, was Mr. 
 Jacob S. King, of Henry county, Va., who 
 stated he was taken ill with influenza in Feb- 
 ruary, 1835, followed by pulmonary symp- 
 toms of a serious character. " About the 7th 
 of August following," says Mr. King, " I ar- 
 rived at the Red Sulphur Spring, labouring 
 under diarrhoea, with acute pain in both sides, 
 so much so that I could not remain on either 
 side for one minute at a time without great 
 suffering. My pulse was from 120 to 130 in 
 a minute, and my cough very troublesome. 
 The second day after my arrival at the Red 
 Sulphur, I was freely cupped and leeched on 
 both sides, and at night took a pill composed 
 
DR. HUXTT OX THE RED SULPHUR. 2S3 
 
 of morphine, ipecac, and blue mass. The 
 third morning I took an emetic of ipecacuan- 
 ha. My diet was simply one glass of milk, 
 and a piece of stale light bread, three times a 
 day for fourteen days, and drank the water 
 freely during this period. I gained a pound 
 of flesh daily, and my pulse was reduced to 
 76 in a minute : my cough, strength, and gene- 
 ral feelings were very much improved : bowels 
 entirely regular, and in good condition. 
 
 " I am now at the Red Sulphur, August, 
 1S37, enjoying much better health than in 
 1S35, my cough being very slight, although 
 my health is not entirely restored.' 7 
 
 The cases, generally, labouring under this 
 stage of pulmonary disease, improved in their 
 health, particularly if they remained long 
 enough at the Spring, restricted themselves to 
 proper diet, and took sufficient exercise : but 
 there were a few among them who took little 
 or no exercise, and gave unlimited indulgence 
 to an inordinate appetite. In such cases I 
 took no interest, and observed but little change 
 in their appearance. 
 
 On examining the visiters labouring under 
 pulmonary disease, I observed that all those 
 
284 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 patients who drank the water so as to act free- 
 ly on the bowels, for any length of time, did 
 aot improve in their health, because active 
 purging is not proper for the lungs in this 
 disease. The water must be drank in such 
 quantities as to act freely on the kidneys. 
 There seems to be an intimate association* 
 between the lungs and the kidneys, and the 
 kidneys seem to be the great emunctories by 
 which the lungs are relieved in all pulmonary 
 diseases. This idea has been repeatedly sug- 
 gested to me, in my attendance on patients 
 labouring under this disease ; on inquiring 
 into their condition, they frequently said, " I 
 feel much better to-day ; I have had a copious 
 flow of urine, which has afforded me great 
 relief." This view of the connexion between 
 the lungs and the kidneys has been confirm- 
 ed by witnessing the diuretic effects of the 
 Red Sulphur water in pulmonary diseases. I 
 have a friend who is a physician, and who has 
 laboured more or less under pulmonary dis- 
 ease for twenty years. He informed me that 
 
 * This association seems to exist also between the 
 heart and the kidneys, as manifested during the use of 
 the water in several cases of diseases of the heart. 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 285 
 
 when his lungs were disturbed by irritation, 
 he always resorted to " cooling diuretic medi- 
 cines for relief." 
 
 There are but few persons labouring under 
 the third or last stage of tuberculous diseases, 
 who visited the Red Sulphur this season, and 
 among those few there was scarcely a case 
 that derived any advantage from the use of 
 the water. When tuberculous disease arrives 
 at this stage, and the constitution is broken 
 down, it is not only useless but cruel to send 
 the patient to the Red Sulphur. I am sorry 
 to say, that several of my patients in this con- 
 dition, by my advice, visited the Red Sulphur 
 this season, and I witnessed the bad effects of 
 the water in their cases, as well as in the cases 
 of others of a similar character. They were 
 labouring under that peculiar irritation, and 
 perhaps ulceration of the bowels, so common 
 in this stage of the disease. They were un- 
 able to drink but a small quantity of the water, 
 and the consequence was, that the bowels were 
 purged and griped, the secretion of the kid- 
 neys was not increased, and the patient grew 
 worse daily. 
 
 The following case of rheumatism of the 
 
286 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 heart was communicated by Wallace Allen, 
 Esq., of Richmond, Va., dated Feb. 15th, 
 1838: 
 
 " For some years I was a martyr to rheu- 
 matic affections, and finding no permanent 
 relief from the various remedies proposed 
 either by my friends or attending physicians, 
 I was induced, as a dernier resort, to visit the 
 Hot Springs in the summer of 1831. After 
 remaining there eighteen days, I found my 
 health so far restored as to deem a longer stay 
 unnecessary. From that period, my health, 
 though not robust, suffered little apparent de- 
 clension until 1835, when I began to expe- 
 rience a change of feeling, commencing with 
 irregular and inordinate action of the heart : 
 that organ being evidently enlarged, and its 
 vessels, together with the arterial system, suf- 
 fering great derangement, and producing vio- 
 lent palpitations. During the latter part of 
 that year, and beginning of the next, my dis- 
 ease gained ground to an alarming extent. I 
 became listless and inactive. My mental 
 faculties seemed obscured in a cloud, and my 
 physical energies so prostrated, that an entire 
 suspension of my regular pursuits became 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 287 
 
 imperious. Under these circumstances. I con- 
 sulted a medical gentleman of great eminence 
 residing in Philadelphia, who, after minute 
 investigation, pronounced my disease rheu- 
 matism of the heart* and prescribed, as the 
 only means of cure, moderate exercise, meagre 
 diet, and a trip to the Hot Spring. At this 
 time, the symptoms were so severe as almost 
 to threaten the extinction of life ; intense 
 throbbing of the temporal arteries, great de- 
 bility, and depression of spirits, were the cha- 
 racteristic features of my complaint. In the 
 month of July, 1837, 1 visited the Hot Spring, 
 where I remained thirty days, and experienced 
 considerable alleviation. I then determined 
 on removing to the Red Sulphur, thinking to 
 test by my own observation and experience 
 the high renown of their medical properties, 
 as famed for allaying arterial excitement. Ac- 
 cordingly, early in September, with some 
 agreeable companions, (which formed a great 
 inducement,) I wended my way to that beau- 
 tiful valley, where health and pleasure seem 
 to dwell as tutelar guardians of the lovely 
 spot. There I determined to remain some 
 days, that I might inhale the invigorating 
 
288 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 freshness of the mountain air, and luxuriate 
 in the delights of the mountain scenery. Ana 
 well was I repaid, not only in the happy re- 
 sults of the experiment, as it regarded my 
 health, but further, as it enabled me to culti- 
 vate some valuable acquaintances recently 
 formed, among whom I am pleased to recog- 
 nize a physician, who evinced no common 
 interest and sympathy in my case. By his 
 advice I remained three weeks, making free 
 use of this health-restoring fluid, and receiv- 
 ing therefrom benefit transcending my most 
 sanguine expectations. During my stay at 
 this Spring, I found each painful and alarm- 
 ing symptom gradually subsiding, and the 
 pulsations of the heart and greater arteries de- 
 creased from 96 to 72 vibrations in a minute, 
 the throbbing of the head ceased to annoy me, 
 and I have every reason to consider myself 
 convalescent. The last week in September I 
 returned home with renewed health and in- 
 vigorated feelings, and am now daily growing 
 better. My usual amount of strength has re- 
 turned, and I am confirmed in the opinion, 
 that the malady under which I had so long 
 laboured, and all its consecutives, have been 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 289 
 
 totally eradicated by the free use of the Red 
 Sulphur water. 
 
 " Here let me bear testimony to the polite 
 kindness of the worthy proprietor of that cele- 
 brated watering-place, whose unceasing atten- 
 tions to the wants and comforts of his guests 
 call for high eulogium." 
 
 The Red Sulphur water maybe used with 
 the most decided benefit in obstinate cases of 
 bowel complaints, gleet, leucorrhoea, catarrh 
 of the bladder, and uterine derangement. 
 
 It is not unusual for persons w r hile using 
 this water to pass calculi from the bladder, 
 some specimens of which are in my posses- 
 sion, about the size of common beans. I do 
 not pretend to assert that the water has any 
 specific action on the stone ; but by its power- 
 ful diuretic effects, by allajdng irritation, and 
 probably by relaxing the urethra, the calculi 
 are washed from the bladder as it were with- 
 out pain. This fact is worthy the considera- 
 tion of all persons labouring under affections 
 of the kidneys or bladder. 
 
 The general instructions which have been 
 given regarding the mode of using the Red 
 Sulphur water, may not be considered suffi- 
 25 
 
290 SPRTNGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 ciently condensed to meet the view of the 
 general reader ; I will, therefore, recapitulate 
 the directions. Begin the use of the water 
 with great caution. If the system should be 
 too plethoric, or too much excited, the use of 
 the water should be postponed until the ex- 
 citement shall be reduced to a proper state. 
 Commence by taking one glass of water at bed- 
 time, and one before breakfast ; after a few 
 days, take two glasses at bed-time, and two 
 before breakfast, one at 11 a. m., and one at 
 5 p. m. This quantity will generally operate 
 freely on the bowels ; if it should fail to pro- 
 duce this effect, a little common salt, magnesia, 
 or cream of tartar, may be added. If it is de- 
 sired to act on the kidneys, increase the quan- 
 tity of water to three or four glasses between 
 a light supper and bed-time, and the same 
 quantity between daylight and breakfast time, 
 two glasses at noon, and one or two glasses 
 about 5 o'clock p. m., taking care to exercise 
 freely after drinking. The most proper pe- 
 riods for using the water are at night before 
 bed-time, and in the morning before breakfast 
 time. 
 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Having now, we think, conclusively prov- 
 ed, not only that tubercular consumption is 
 not incurable, but that the Red Sulphur water 
 affords the best chances for cure or relief, we 
 feel it incumbent upon us to make a few ob- 
 servations on the treatment of that disease. 
 
 We have always been of the opinion that 
 too much practice has been the great error of 
 the profession, in their attempt to counteract 
 its progress. Gentlemen of the Sangrado 
 family, yielding too readily to the specious 
 theories of Broussais and others, seem to think 
 that while there is an ounce of blood in the 
 body, they must continue to cup, and leech, and 
 phlebotomize their unfortunate patient, when, 
 in fact, it is for want of blood, and from the 
 defective quality o? what he has, his life is 
 ebbing away to its kindred earth, as the tide 
 returns to the bosom of the ocean. We do 
 not say that this is so in all cases ; but we 
 
292 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 maintain that the vast majority of cases of tu- 
 bercular consumption are dependent on con- 
 stitutional debility, and that, if you impru- 
 dently add to this condition by untimely 
 depletion, you at once prostrate those vital 
 powers which otherwise might have made 
 some struggle against the enemy. Do we 
 then deny the utility of depletion altogether? 
 By no means. If there be a congested state 
 of the blood-vessels, or any other indication 
 absolutely demanding blood-letting, it should 
 not be delayed. We are not arguing against 
 a cautious and judicious depletion, but we 
 protest against the practice of some physicians 
 in sticking their lancet, upon all and every oc- 
 casion, into their unfortunate patients. 
 
 The attention should first be directed to the 
 cause of the patient's condition, and to the re- 
 moval or modification of that cause. Nature 
 having a horror of dissolution, struggles to 
 maintain herself against the foe ; a feather 
 thrown into the balance for or against her, 
 may decide her fate. Oh what a responsibili- 
 ty rests upon him who undertakes to correct 
 her aberrations, and lead her back to the way 
 she should go ! It is not to be denied that 
 
 
DR. HUNTT ON THE RED SULPHUR. 293 
 
 tuberculous or calculous deposits in the lungs 
 produce inflammation, and that sometimes it 
 is so serious as to demand depleting remedies ; 
 but here we should stop, else we throw open 
 the gates that otherwise may have opposed 
 some resistance, however feeble, to the assail- 
 ant. It is agreed by all, that in the early stages 
 of chronic consumption a change to country 
 air is proper. Now it is evident, that if any lo- 
 cation combines all the advantages of a good 
 climate with an agent whose power in this 
 disease has been well ascertained, it affords all 
 the chances which a change of residence can 
 offer. 
 
 In an early part of this work, we took occa- 
 sion to give our own experience of the climate 
 of the mountains of Virginia ; and we here re- 
 peat, it cannot be surpassed from the 1st of 
 June to the 15th November. In some cases 
 of asthma it is unsuited, on account of its ele- 
 vation ; but, sheltered as it is from the north- 
 easterly winds of our sea-board, it scarcely 
 feels the equinoctial tempests, and the air is 
 always pure, balmy, and invigorating. 
 
 We have already given our views of the spe- 
 cies of diet which generally suits those who 
 25* 
 
294 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 use mineral waters. At this Spring, there can 
 be no doubt that an act of imprudence in diet 
 may be more detrimental than at any other. 
 Itself a sedative, if, under its use, the invalid 
 gorges himself with a stimulating diet, it is 
 disturbed in its operations, and from being 
 originally a sedative, may, by abuse, be con- 
 verted into a stimulant. In the first stage, 
 mild farinacious diet is that pointed out by 
 nature ; in the latter stages more nutriment, 
 and sometimes even a stimulant, is admissible. 
 The use of the Red Sulphur water, as we have 
 recommended it, under the best circumstances 
 of judicious management, suitable exercise, 
 prudence in diet, and a residence during the 
 winter in a mild climate, may, under Provi- 
 dence, restore many interesting persons to 
 usefulness and their friends. 
 
 While some have been sceptical as to the 
 value of the Red Sulphur water in tubercular 
 consumption, others seem desirous to make the 
 impression that it is good for nothing else. 
 
 Now we think we have already demon- 
 strated, not only that it is valuable in con- 
 sumption, but that, acting on the human sys- 
 tem not as a specific, but on great general 
 
LARYNGITIS. 295 
 
 principles, it is equally available in all cases 
 of subacute inflammation and irritable condi- 
 tion of the system, whether produced by mor- 
 bid function or organic lesion of some organ. 
 That man, therefore, who acknowledges its 
 value in diseases of the chest, and refuses his 
 confidence in kindred diseases, can have but 
 a faint idea of the nice physiological relations 
 of the human body, of the pathological changes 
 and complications induced by abnormal func- 
 tion, or of the influences exerted by remedial 
 agents in restoring the balances that had more 
 or less varied from the healthy standard. We 
 shall conclude our notice of this water by 
 taking a cursory view of the more important 
 diseases to which it is applicable, and shall 
 then leave its reputation to the great arbiter 
 of all such questions — public opinion. 
 
 Laryngitis may be divided into acute and 
 chronic. The former does not fall within the 
 scope of our design in writing this work ; but 
 as we think we can make a useful suggestion 
 in this formidable disease, we will be excused 
 for occupying the attention of the reader for a 
 short time. 
 
 Acute Laryngitis usually commences with 
 
296 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 inflammation of the tonsils, and of the fauces 
 generally, and is ushered in by chills and 
 fevers ; inflammation progresses rapidly, and 
 unless relief is quickly obtained the patient 
 lapses into the asthenic stage, and the painful 
 scene soon closes. Now if the patient is seen 
 whilst depletion is yet admissible, how may it 
 be effected with the greatest chances of suc- 
 cess ? The mode of operation we shall sug- 
 gest is so obviously the proper one, that it is 
 matter of surprise it has not been in general 
 use for centuries in this and other acute inflam- 
 mations of the fauces, such as tonsilitis, &c. 
 Yet except the few physicians we have in- 
 formed of the operation, and shown how to 
 perform it, we have known of no solitary in- 
 stance in which it has been practised in this 
 country. The operation we refer to is bleed- 
 ing the sublingual vein. Not only in acute 
 laryngitis, but more especially in putrid sore 
 throat, have we seen instantaneous relief from 
 this operation. 
 
 The operation is thus performed : Place the 
 patient in a chair in a reclining posture, seize 
 the tip of his tongue by the medium of a towel, 
 strike the vein with a spring lancet, and the 
 
LARYNGITIS. 297 
 
 operation is over. Now, on account of the 
 muscular contractibility of the tongue, it will 
 not bleed, unless we use warm water, which 
 must therefore be sipped and spat out, and 
 with it the blood will flow freely for any 
 length of time you please. The temperature 
 of the water had better be about 112°. If you 
 desire to stop it, you have but to substitute 
 cold water instead of warm. If one bleeding 
 does not suffice, the opposite vein can be 
 treated in like manner. Now it will strike 
 every man of common sense at once, that this 
 operation possesses vast advantage over that 
 by leeches, cupping, or general blood-letting. 
 It immediately relieves the congested vessels 
 in contact with the inflamed part, and enables 
 the salivary and other glands to perform their 
 functions. It can be performed at all times, 
 and in every place, and by every one who can 
 recognize the vein. No time need be lost m 
 town or country, for the moment the alarm 
 arises it can be resorted to. In putrid sore 
 throat, we will pledge our lives, that if per- 
 formed early, and followed by an emetic 
 and brisk purgative, and an antiseptic gar- 
 gle, say 12 grains chlorate of soda to a half- 
 
298 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 pint of water, the life of the patient will be 
 secure. 
 
 The only difficulty in performing the opera- 
 tion is with infants. With children of four 
 years old we have succeeded, as follows : We 
 apply a powerful mustard plaster to the throat, 
 and when it stings severely, we make a bar- 
 gain with the child to take it off, provided he 
 will put out his tongue and permit us to per- 
 form the operation — he promises, and we re- 
 move the plaster, with the understanding that 
 if he breaks his promise we again put it on. 
 We soothe the irritated surface by cooling 
 applications, gain the child's confidence, and 
 he thrusts out his little tongue without hesi- 
 tation. In order to gargle in such a case, we 
 use an ivory pipe terminating in a perforated 
 bulb, fitted to a pint syringe, and placing the 
 child on the knee of its nurse, with the head 
 inclining forward, we inject the gargle, and 
 completely cleanse the mouth and fauces of 
 the child. And this we repeat according to 
 the urgency of the case. We also repeat 
 emetics of ipecac once in six hours, until the 
 danger is over. 
 
 Sometimes, in chronic laryngitis, the acute 
 
LARYNGITIS. 299 
 
 form supervenes, and then this operation is 
 available. In inflammation of the tongue it- 
 self, of the tonsils or epiglottis, it may be used 
 with advantage, and we would practise it also 
 in the early stage of croup, for the very obvi- 
 ous purpose of restoring the normal secretion 
 of the glands and mucous membrane. 
 
 Chronic laryngitis may range from simple 
 inflammation to ulceration of the mucous 
 membrane, cartilages, and vocal ligaments, 
 and even to the destruction of these parts. It 
 sometimes attends tubercular disease of the 
 lungs, and sometimes the larynx itself is the 
 original seat of deposition of tubercles. The 
 prognosis is of course dependent on the mild- 
 ness or intensity of the disease, and on the 
 constitutional ability to resist its progress. 
 The Red Sulphur water will be found a 
 powerful auxiliary in this disease. We have 
 witnessed many most interesting recoveries 
 by the use of this water, in apparently very 
 bad cases. It seems, from the following in- 
 teresting extract from MM. Trosseau & Bel- 
 loc, the distinguished authors of a prize essay 
 on Laryngeal Phthisis, &c, before the Royal 
 Academy of France, that the waters of Bonnes 
 
300 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 and Cauterets, in the Pyrenees, are also cele- 
 brated for the cure of this disease. 
 
 " Sulphur ; Sulphurous Mineral Waters. 
 — Many physicians, chiefly those who have 
 embraced the opinions of the new French 
 school, consider as almost fabulous the cases 
 of cure reported by Borden and many others, 
 effected by the waters of Bonnes and Cauterets. 
 But they who have studied the effects of the 
 Pyrenean waters upon the spot, they who 
 have often sent to them their patients evident- 
 ly attacked with pulmonary tubercles, will ac- 
 knowledge the admirable cures which have 
 been annually effected by this powerful means. 
 Therefore we should never neglect the use of 
 Sulphurous Mineral Waters, whether natural 
 or artificial, in the treatment of various forms 
 of laryngeal phthisis. Although secondary, 
 they may, unaided, effect a cure in the early 
 stages of the disease. We select the following 
 case from a host of others. 
 
 " Mr. D., captain of artillery, thirty-four 
 years old, was born of tuberculous parents. 
 His voice is rather grave, and not very strong, 
 except in the high notes. He attended balls 
 and soirees, and was much in the world for 
 
 / / 
 
LARYNGITIS. 301 
 
 three months, when he perceived that his voice 
 was hoarse, and complete aphonia soon fol- 
 lowed. There was no expectoration or pain 
 in the larynx, and the general health con- 
 tinued excellent, only he was greatly fatigued 
 by the severe efforts that were necessary to 
 make himself understood. There was nothing 
 to induce a suspicion of disease in his lungs, he 
 had never had haemoptysis, catarrh, or angina. 
 He used as a gargle, one ounce of alum to a 
 pound of water, for a fortnight, without amend- 
 ment. Milk diet was then prescribed, with 
 some advantage ; to this was added one bottle 
 of Bonnes waters per day. This soon effected 
 an improvement, and a complete cure at the 
 end of two months." 
 
 We see from the foregoing extract, that 
 scepticism is not confined to the physicians 
 of this country : it is, indeed, the natural re- 
 sult of medical research and experience, for 
 no man can appreciate the difficulties of a 
 science so well as he who has encountered 
 them. But while, on the one hand, the phy- 
 sician should be slow to believe, on the other, 
 he should not lapse into absolute incredulity. 
 To him may be applied with propriety the 
 26 
 
302 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 general maxim so elegantly expressed by the 
 Latin poet : 
 
 Est modus in rebus ; sunt certi denique fines, 
 Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum. 
 
 We have ourselves lived long enough to 
 have observed that valuable hints may be 
 gathered from the very haunts of ignorance. 
 Utility is not only the mother of justice and 
 equity, but also, and more especially, of inven- 
 tion. We doubt not many "old worrier? in 
 the interior of our country have cured dis- 
 eases by some simple infusion or decoction, 
 that would have resisted all the science of 
 Broussais. Had man continued to live in his 
 original simplicity, the trade of the druggist 
 would not be so profitable as it is at this time. 
 We firmly believe that the Almighty has sent 
 no disease to afflict his creatures, for the cure 
 of which he has not appointed some remedy, 
 subject, however, to that immutable law which 
 has allotted to man a certain amount of vital 
 power which he cannot exceed, but which he 
 may be deprived of by some disturbing force 
 from without, or by the misapplication of 
 agents intended as remedial. 
 
 Bronchitis. — Acute bronchitis, [Herbert 
 
BRONCHITIS. 303 
 
 Mayo,) inflammation (ordinarily following 
 cold in the head) of the lining membrane of 
 the trachea and bronchi, which become red 
 and slightly thickened, sometimes softer than 
 natural, attended with a sense of dryness or 
 roughness behind the sternum, and extending 
 into one or both lungs ; cough at first dry, soon 
 accompanied by a serous expectoration, which 
 is saltish, and slightly glutinous, but not dis- 
 tinguishable from the saliva with which it is 
 intermixed. As the disease advances, the ex- 
 pectoration becomes thicker and more yellow. 
 and is mingled with particles of an opaque 
 whitish colour ; by degrees the whole becomes 
 opaque, of a pale yellow or slightly greenish 
 hue, viscid, inclosing air-bubbles, tasteless or 
 somewhat saltish, and occasionally marked 
 with dots or small specks of blood. When 
 the sputae are very large, they frequently leave 
 after expectoration a dull pain about the root 
 of the bronchi, indicating the place whence 
 they have been detached. The cough occurs 
 in fits, on waking, after a meal, and on lying 
 down to rest. 
 
 Chronic Bronchitis. — The expectoration 
 sometimes precisely similar to that of the lat- 
 
304 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 ter stage of the acute, but most commonly less 
 glutinous, more opaque, and nearly puriform 
 Occasionally it is of a dirty-grayish or green- 
 ish hue, from an admixture of the black pul- 
 monary matter. It is usually inodorous ; but 
 sometimes becomes more or less fetid, and as- 
 sumes the smell as well as the other physical 
 qualities of the different kinds of pus. This 
 disease frequently follows acute bronchitis, 
 and is liable to persist, with remission, for 
 years. 
 
 During the remission, the appetite and 
 strength return ; but the patient commonly 
 loses a little flesh, and remains paler than 
 usual. During repose there is no oppression 
 on the chest, but exercise soon brings on dysp- 
 noea. The complaint remits in the summer, 
 and returns in the winter, frequently attended 
 with fever. In some rare cases, hectic fever 
 comes on, with rapid emaciation, and the dis~ 
 ease terminates fatally, with all the usual 
 symptoms of phthisis pulmonalis. In fact, 
 the most perfect similarity exists between the 
 two diseases as far as regards the expectora- 
 tion, the emaciation, and all the other general 
 symptoms. 
 
BRONCHITIS. 305 
 
 Such are the characteristics of a disease 
 which is becoming every year more prevalent 
 in our variable climate, and which has assum- 
 ed vast importance, not only on account of 
 its frequency, but also on account of the evils 
 which a continued impediment to respiration 
 may cause, by producing congestion of the 
 lungs and heart, and organic disease of the 
 latter. This disease, when not the accom- 
 paniment of pulmonary phthisis, is usually 
 manageable by proper treatment, and early 
 removal to a mild climate. The waters of 
 the Red Sulphur seldom fail to relieve it, by 
 removing the irritated condition of the mem- 
 brane, and restoring a healthy secretion, and 
 by imparting tone to the constitution. When 
 this disease is attended with suffocative secre- 
 tions, producing periodically great distress of 
 respiration, much benefit will be derived, ac- 
 cording to our own experience, in occasional 
 emetics of ipecac. 
 
 Having directed no supper to be taken, 
 cause the patient to drink from half a pint 
 to a pint of warm water, then give 15 to 20 
 grains of ipecac. At bed-time give a tum- 
 bler or two of Sulphur water. This treat- 
 26* 
 
306 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 mentj in many cases, may be repeated every 
 48 hours with advantage. We have found 
 emetics used in this manner also valuable in 
 many cases of tubercular disease of the lungs. 
 Nothing prostrates the bodily powers more 
 rapidly than the constant attempt to expec- 
 torate, and indeed the hectic fever and sweats 
 are greatly aggravated by this cause. 
 
 Our advice to a person afflicted with bron- 
 chitis would be to visit the Red Sulphur about 
 the 1 5th of June, and use the water until to- 
 wards the close of the Indian Summer, (say 
 1st to 15th November,) and travelling thence 
 southwards, on horseback if possible, spend 
 the winter and spring in Cuba. 
 
 Most invalids from the northern States re- 
 turn too soon, and proceed directly home. 
 Now this is wrong ; they should land at the 
 southern extremity of the Union, and advance 
 homeward according to the natural progress 
 of the season. It is evident that a sudden 
 transition from the climate of Cuba to that of 
 Massachusetts is imprudent, and if made be- 
 fore the summer fairly sets in, may be hazard- 
 ous ; whereas there would be little danger in 
 arriving in New-Orleans in April, and thence 
 
 
 
BRONCHITIS. 307 
 
 travelling northward, so as to find somewhat 
 of the same temperature in one's progress. 
 
 Chronic Pleurisy and Pneumonia. — We 
 designed to say something on these and other 
 affections of the organs of respiration, but we 
 find we have already exceeded our limits, and 
 we do not know that it would be attended with 
 any practical good. Suffice it to say, that the 
 Red Sulphur water is a highly important agent 
 in these diseases, and that, by improving the 
 general health, it increases the power of the 
 absorbents in removing the effusions. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Hypertrophy of the Heart. — The heart, 
 (H Mayo,) comprising the auricles, ought to 
 have a size either equal to, or a little less, or 
 but a little larger, than the fist of the subject. 
 
 A straight line drawn across the breast 
 bone uniting the lower edges of the cartilages 
 of the third ribs at their sternal insertions, 
 passes before the valves of the pulmonary 
 artery a little to the left of the mesial line. 
 The valves of the aorta are situated directly 
 behind the pulmonary veins. From this point 
 the aorta and pulmonary artery ascend, the 
 former inclining forwards and to the right, so 
 as upon emerging from behind the pulmonary 
 artery to come in contact with the sternum, 
 and to the right of the mesial line, the latter, 
 which is from the first in contact with the 
 sternum, inclining more considerably to the 
 left till it arrives at the margin of the inter- 
 space between the insertion of the second and 
 third ribs. 
 
HYPERTROPHY OF THE HEART. 309 
 
 A vertical line coinciding with the left mar- 
 gin of the sternum, has about one third of the 
 heart, consisting of the basial portion of the 
 right auricle, and the whole of the left, on its 
 left. The left auricle is situated deep behind, 
 and to the left of the heart at its upper part, 
 opposite to the interval between the cartilages 
 of the third and fourth ribs. The apex of the 
 heart beats against the cartilage of the fifth 
 rib, or against the interval between the fifth 
 and sixth. 
 
 The heart rests on the tendinous centre of 
 the diaphragm, which is stretched horizontal- 
 ly to form the floor of the chest, at or little 
 below the level of the lowest part of the fifth 
 rib. The lungs descend along the margin of 
 the sternum, about two inches apart, and over- 
 lap the base of the heart slightly on the right 
 side, and more extensively on the left : then 
 receding from each other, they leave a con- 
 siderable portion of the right ventricle, and a 
 less extent of the lower part of the left, in im- 
 mediate contact with the sternum and fourth 
 and fifth costal cartilages. 
 
 From the above account of the structure 
 and position of the heart, as well as from 
 
310 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 our remarks on indigestion in a former chap- 
 ter, it will be readily seen what a vast influ- 
 ence is exerted over that organ by the stomach 
 and lungs, both by the quality of the blood, 
 as produced by a healthy or vitiated chyle, 
 or by a perfect or imperfect oxygenation de- 
 pendent on the function of respiration. 
 
 And, moreover, we think the reader can be 
 at no loss to comprehend the modus oper- 
 andi of the Red Sulphur in restoring the 
 functions of this organ to a normal condi- 
 tion. The most conclusive evidence of its 
 power in disease of the heart, maybe adduced 
 in several cases, in which the action of the 
 arteries and heart has been reduced in fre- 
 quency from 30 to 40 pulsations in a minute. 
 Is there any other agent known to science 
 that will do this ? We humbly conceive there 
 is not ; and therefore we venture to promise 
 patients affected with functional disease of 
 the heart, the best results from a judicious use 
 of this water. 
 
 The Kidneys and Bladder. — We shall 
 touch upon the diseases of these organs, from 
 which relief may be expected at the Mineral 
 Waters of Virginia. All the Sulphur waters 
 
KIDNEYS AND BLADDER. 311 
 
 claim to be beneficial in grave], and we think 
 they are so in a greater or less degree. 
 
 That form of disease in which they are 
 most useful is lithic-acid gravel. " Sand 
 (Civiale) is understood to be a powdery de- 
 posit, which takes sometimes the form of a 
 very fine powder, and sometimes, or more fre- 
 quently, of grains, caused by the agglomera- 
 tion of little crystals, which are easily distin- 
 guished with the lens , or that are sometimes 
 perceptible to the naked eye. This deposit is 
 most frequently of a bright red colour, though, 
 in certain cases, it resembles that of brick- 
 dust, or is gray, ash-coloured, black, or dusky." 
 
 " Gravel (says Dr. Christison) may be de- 
 fined the discharge of pulverulent or gritty 
 matter with the urine, occasioning symptoms 
 of irritation in the kidneys and urethra." 
 
 The most frequent cause of gravel is indi- 
 gestion, especially that species of it attended 
 by acidity. When the fluid, overcharged with 
 acid, is presented to the kidneys, it is secreted 
 in excess ; the lithate of ammonia is decom- 
 posed, and the acid precipitated. Another and 
 very extensive cause of gravel is hard water. 
 Of this fact we can speak experimentally. 
 
312 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 When riding through the mountainous region 
 west of the Alleghany, and using the water 
 in most districts of that region, we never have 
 escaped with impunity, and we have uniform- 
 ly suffered from using the strong limestone 
 water of a village in our country. It is on 
 this account that in this form of the disease, 
 (lithic-acid gravel,) we should be doubtful 
 whether the water of the Sweet Springs may 
 be used with safety, abounding as it does with 
 calcareous matter. The White Sulphur, Blue 
 Sulphur, and Salt Sulphur, would be more 
 likely to suit the invalid, more especially the 
 last, as it is certainly more anti-acid than the 
 others ; but they have all to contend with the 
 hard, harsh quality imparted by the sulphate 
 of lime, and therefore, if there should be an 
 irritated condition of the kidneys, which is 
 almost certain to be the case in a greater or 
 less degree, the use of the Red Sulphur alter- 
 nately with the Spout bath at the Hot Springs 
 will be found the most efficient treatment. 
 We have already intimated that a little bi- 
 carbonate of soda may be used with advan- 
 tage, in connexion with the Sulphur waters. 
 Candour requires us, however, to confess, that 
 
UTERUS. 313 
 
 relief from this complaint must necessarily be 
 temporary, from any remedy but a strict regi- 
 men, and abstinence from whatever may have 
 produced the predisposition. Irritation of the 
 bladder, when produced only by functional 
 disturbance, or an excitable nervous tempera 
 ment, will be relieved by the waters of the 
 Red Sulphur. 
 
 Uterus. — In a work which is intended for 
 the eye of the general reader, it will only 
 be necessary to touch lightly on the diseases 
 of this organ. Those which may be consider- 
 ed under the remedial power of mineral waters 
 are Amenorrhaia, or obstructed menstruation, 
 Dysmenorrhea, or painful menstruation, and 
 Menorrhagia, or excessive menstruation. 
 
 Amenorrhoea is of two kinds ; one depend- 
 ent on constitutional debility, and the other 
 attended by the appearance of good health. 
 
 In the former, according to Drs. Ferguson 
 and Simpson, the symptoms are languid cir- 
 culation, muscular debility, torpor, or inequali- 
 ties of the nervous function, defective nutri- 
 tion. When allowed to proceed uninterrupt- 
 edly, amenorrhoea terminates in chlorosis. In 
 this condition of the system, that mineral 
 27 
 
314 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 water will be the most useful which will 
 arouse its torpid energies. Presupposing there 
 is no organic lesion, such as a tuberculous 
 condition of the lungs, the bath at the Sweet 
 Springs will be found the greatest remedy in 
 this disease ; but if it be complicated with dis- 
 eased lungs or bronchi, then the invalid's 
 hope is the Red Sulphur. In the form accom- 
 panied by plethora, Dr. Goode's Spout-bath ; 
 under his advice, is the appropriate remedy. 
 
 Dysmenorrhea. — In this form of disease, 
 we recommend Dr. Goode's Spout-bath, as 
 the best remedy known to us. In all cases, 
 this remedy must be used under advice. The 
 Red Sulphur, as a sedative, may with great 
 advantage be alternated with the Hot Springs. 
 
 Menorrhagia. — It is clear that no agent 
 that excites the system is admissible in this 
 disease. Females labouring under this form 
 of uterine affection, will therefore find the Red 
 Sulphur alone appropriate, connected with a 
 mild unexciting regimen. We venture to say, 
 that if the distinctions we have pointed out be 
 observed, most of the cases of diseased uterine 
 function attending the Virginia Springs will 
 obtain relief, and that many a charming 
 
DISEASES OF THE LIVER. 315 
 
 woman, whose hopes of fruitfulness have 
 been blighted, will present her lord, not her 
 master ', with a new and improved edition of 
 him or herself. We have seen some striking 
 instances of this kind at the Red Sulphur 
 within a few years. 
 
 Diseases of the Liver. — This important 
 organ is the seat of numerous deviations from 
 a healthy condition, and seems especially to 
 suffer from high atmospheric temperature. 
 Accordingly we find that in the southern lati- 
 tudes, and in locations subject to noxious ex- 
 halations, that class of diseases usually de- 
 nominated bilious, is most frequent. The 
 forms of disease of this organ, with which we 
 have to do, are its functional aberrations, and 
 chronic hepatitis. 
 
 The secretions of bile may be redundant or 
 defective, or they may be acrid, or deficient 
 in stimulative properties. These conditions 
 are dependent, in all probability, on the quan- 
 tity and quality of the blood presented for 
 secretion, and that is affected by the digestion 
 and chylification, and finally by the poison- 
 ous effluvia of a corrupted atmosphere. 
 
 In no disease may more be expected from 
 
316 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 change of climate and habits of life than in 
 diseased functions of the liver, and in no re- 
 gion of the United States is there a summer 
 climate more favourable than the transmon- 
 tane division of Virginia. Independent, then, 
 of all mineral waters, much may be expected 
 from visiting this region ; but when the 
 agency of the greatest variety of Mineral 
 Springs in the world may be obtained in con- 
 nexion with climate, our southern friends 
 have inducements to visit us, which are not 
 presented by any other region of the Union. 
 
 Now, to say that any one of the Sulphur 
 Springs is a specific, in all varieties of func 
 tional diseases of the liver, is to display great 
 ignorance of the action of those agents. We 
 would desire to impress upon the reader that 
 it is not a purgative effect that is desirable in 
 those cases. If it were, those waters that act 
 most freely on the bowels would be the most 
 prompt to relieve this disease, and Saratoga 
 water would claim preference over all other 
 waters in the United States, in those condi- 
 tions of the system ; but such is not the case. 
 We want an agent that will, in the first place, 
 modify the original causes of the hepatic affec- 
 
DISEASES OF THE LIVER. 317 
 
 tion, and produce thereon an alterative effect ; 
 and this agent, we have already demonstrated, 
 is sulphuretted hydrogen, combined with 
 warm bathing. We agree with Dr. Goode, 
 that there are cases of hepatic functional dis- 
 ease that may be, and are relieved by the Hot 
 Springs alone ; but we are also certain that 
 the surest plan is to visit first a Sulphur water, 
 using at the same time the artificial bath, and 
 to spend the latter portion of the season at the 
 Hot Springs, or ; which in our view is better, 
 to alternate these remedies through the season. 
 
 We repeat here, what we have already in- 
 timated in treating of the White Sulphur, that 
 minute portions of blue mass should be used 
 in connexion with the Sulphur waters and 
 warm bathing in hepatic diseases. It may be 
 used with great safety, as the sulphuretted hy- 
 drogen prevents any permanent constitutional 
 effect, and it will be found a most valuable 
 auxiliary. 
 
 From what we have said on this subject, it 
 will be seen that we claim for all the Sulphur 
 waters decided power over functional disease 
 of the liver. It is difficult to say which is en- 
 titled to a preference. Idiosyncracy has some- 
 27* 
 
318 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 thing to do with it ; but there is evidently no 
 important difference in their action on this 
 organ. In setting forth the claim of the Red 
 Sulphur for equality with the others, we only 
 do that which experience justifies, and in the 
 second form, at the head of this article, (Chro- 
 nic Hepatitis,) it is the only water which will 
 fulfil the indications required. 
 
 We will notice in this place Chronic Di- 
 arrhoea, connected with functional disease of 
 the liver, which will close our remarks on the 
 internal organs. This disease is extensive in 
 our country, on account of the variability of 
 the climate, which acts unfavourably on a 
 system previously disposed to it. The most 
 common forms of diarrhoea are bilious diar- 
 rhoea and mucous diarrhoea. The former is 
 more generally, in warm climates, consequent 
 on hepatic disease ; the latter may either be 
 symptomatic of inflammation of the intestines, 
 or may be idiopathic, arising from congestion 
 or irritation of the mucous membrane. When 
 this affection becomes chronic, it is frequently 
 difficult to manage, and requires great care 
 and judgment. Drastic remedies of every kind 
 do mischief, and we should find a mild altera- 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 319 
 
 live, which, combining with change of air, free 
 exercise, prudent diet, and the warm bath, 
 give the greatest chance of relieving the dis- 
 ease. There can be no doubt of the value of 
 the warm bath in this disease, as proven in 
 our article on the Hot Springs. 
 
 We have never seen a case that was not re- 
 lieved at the Red Sulphur. The White suc- 
 ceeds in some cases, when it is produced by 
 congestion of the membrane : but in many- 
 cases it is of too stimulating a nature. Alter- 
 nating the Red Sulphur and Hot Springs will 
 be the surest plan. There are cases of this 
 disease in which the Sweet Spring bath also 
 acts with very decided and admirable effects. 
 
 The account already given of these Springs 
 has been so minute that little remains now to 
 be said as to their remedial properties. After 
 the book appeared, it was alleged, by one in- 
 dividual at least, that we had written what he 
 termed an elaborate puff of a water, in the 
 success of which we were interested. In our 
 remarks on Dr. M. we have proved that we 
 had no interest such as was ascribed to us. 
 We confess we did take more than ordinary 
 pains to inform ourselves of all that could elu- 
 
320 SPRINGS OP WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 cidate the virtues of the Red Sulphur, and 
 now that no human being can suppose we 
 have any interest, immediate or incidental, in 
 its success, we re-affirm all we have said, and 
 declare that not only is our faith undiminished ; 
 but that every year, since 1829, when we first 
 visited it, our confidence has, if possible, been 
 more firmly rooted. Whatever, therefore, has 
 been given to the public by us, was conscien- 
 tiously believed by ourself, and if we have in 
 aught deceived them, we also are deceived. 
 The analysis has undergone the correction of 
 its author, and we beg leave to call the atten- 
 tion of the reader to this portion of the work. 
 It will convince any candid man that the com- 
 position of this water is essentially different 
 from all the others, and we think it establishes 
 beyond doubt the possession of curative pow- 
 ers previously ascertained by experience. 
 
 The estate on which these Springs are sit- 
 uated, consisting of about 1350 acres, was sold 
 in 1843, under a Deed in Trust, to Andrew 
 Beirne and James A. Dunlap, and by them 
 purchased at less than one fourth its cost to 
 the former proprietor. Both of the purchasers 
 are since deceased, and the property is now 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 321 
 
 held by their heirs. We visited the place last 
 season. It was kept as well as might be ex- 
 pected under the circumstances, and seemed to 
 receive its proportion of patronage. The 
 houses and grounds have been kept in pretty 
 good repair, but yet it did not look as spruce, 
 and trim, and gay, as of yore. This, how- 
 ever, may have been imagination. Painting 
 and whitewashing contrast so beautifully with 
 the green sward and trees, we could have 
 wished they had received more attention. The 
 Temple over the Springs remains in an un- 
 finished state, and we fear will so remain. 
 The beautiful Summer-house on Mount Ida is 
 a ruin. Nought remains but some eglantines 
 which we planted with our own hands in by- 
 gone days. Oh ! how sweet was their fra- 
 grance, with the dew-drops resting upon them ! 
 What a train of thoughts rushed upon our 
 mind as we stood upon that mound and con- 
 templated the peaceful and lovely villa be- 
 neath ! How strange are the incidents crowd- 
 ed into a few years ! It appears as yesterday, 
 when we entered, at early candle-light, a 
 gloomy gorge skirted by dense forests and torn 
 by contending torrents. A few comfortless 
 
322 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 cabins studded the little glen. No light was 
 to be seen, for those cabins had no windows. 
 A solitary light gleamed under the rude shel- 
 ter that covered the Springs. All around 
 seemed desolate and cheerless. Nor did the 
 morn bring on its wings a brighter prospect : 
 it only served to make darkness visible. The 
 sun shone brilliantly, but it shone not upon 
 the inhabitants of that valley. When it near- 
 ly reached its meridian, then only did it 
 vouchsafe its rays, and before the afternoon 
 meal was ended, it again disappeared behind 
 the Western forests. Three or four years 
 passed away, and a visiter who had seen it in 
 its period of gloom, again entered that valley, 
 and he said : Where am I ? No, no, it is not 
 possible ! This is not the place I once knew. 
 Behold those ranges of beautiful building, and 
 the white railings, and the green-sward, and 
 the smooth walks, and the noble trees, and the 
 playful fawns and timid deer, and civilization, 
 and beauty, and elegance. Again behold ! and 
 he who planned and perfected the lovely scene, 
 is gone to toil for his daily bread, and his rich 
 neighbour enjoys his life's labours — and the rich 
 man dies — and the poor man returns — and he 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 323 
 
 plucks the sweet eglantine, and he enjoys its 
 fragrance — and he is filled with gratitude to 
 that great Being who has suffered him to come 
 hither again, and look on that peaceful vale 
 — and quaff the limpid fountain — and recall 
 visions of the past. 
 
 The kind reader will pardon the apostrophe 
 produced by feelings we could not control. 
 And now. to return to things tangible : we 
 shall simply remark, that the idle stories which 
 he will hear that this water has been injured 
 by the writer, by blowing the rock with gun- 
 powder, is a base fabrication, and that there is 
 no depreciation, as a glance at the analysis 
 will show ; but that it is pure and unadulter- 
 ated as the virgin snow on the summit of the 
 Andes. We. who know, assert this ; and we 
 are, surely, as worthy of credit as the misera- 
 ble retailers of such wicked falsehoods. 
 
 Some distance up the branch is a little 
 spring which we discovered in 1840, and 
 which is now called Hicks' Spring — a gentle- 
 man by the name of Hicks from Mecklen- 
 burg having ascribed his cure from chronic 
 diarrhoea to its use. The general charac- 
 ter of the water is the same as that of the 
 
324 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 great Spring ; but it is weaker, and the tem- 
 perature higher, by several degrees. It has 
 this advantage, that it requires exercise in go- 
 ing and returning ; but we would not recom- 
 mend to invalids to rely exclusively upon it. 
 The stream is exceedingly feeble. The road 
 between the Red and Blue Sulphur is now, or 
 certainly will be completed before the next 
 season. It is one of the best and most beau- 
 tiful roads in the mountains, crossing the 
 Greenbrier River at a very interesting spot. It 
 will be a drive of five or six hours, permitting 
 the traveller to breakfast at one Spring and 
 dine at the other. In the whole round of the 
 Western Springs, there now remain nine 
 miles to be turn piked, and these are the first 
 nine miles from the Salt to the Red. The 
 proprietors of both should unite and complete 
 this link. 
 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 
 
 We should have taken great pleasure in 
 presenting our views on the Mineral Waters 
 of the Salt Sulphur, but we deem that it would 
 be presumptive in us to treat of a subject that 
 has been pre-occupied by a very distinguished 
 physician and surgeon of Philadelphia. Dr. 
 Thomas D. Mutter. We feel that it is more 
 consistent with a due sense of that gentlemairs 
 superiority, as we are sure it will be more 
 agreeable to the proprietors, and profitable to 
 the public, that we should substitute his ob- 
 servations for our own, and therefore subjoin 
 so much of his pamphlet as has immediate re- 
 ference to this watering-place. 
 
 We would do violence to our own feelings, 
 however, were we to pass over unnoticed the 
 claims of the amiable proprietors, Messrs. Ers- 
 kine and Caruthers, upon the public, for the 
 sumptuous provision they make for the ac- 
 commodation and comfort of their guests, and 
 
 the uniform kindness that marks all their in- 
 
 28 
 
326 SPRINGS OP WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 tercourse with them. Mr. Erskine attends in 
 person to the location of visiters, and gives 
 universal satisfaction. He is always kind, al- 
 ways amiable, always agreeable, never obtru- 
 sive. All the arrangements of this establish- 
 ment deserve commendation, and we sincerely 
 hope its success will realize the just expecta- 
 tion of those worthy gentlemen. 
 
 " The Salt Sulphur Sprifigs* three in 
 number, are situated in the county of Monroe, 
 in 37J° north latitude, and 5° longitude west 
 of Philadelphia, and at an elevation of about 
 1400 feet above tide-water. All the Springs 
 are situated on < Indian Creek,' a small lime- 
 stone stream which rises in a valley a few 
 hundred yards above the Old or Sweet Spring, 
 and pursuing its l devious way' for about 23 
 miles in a south-west direction, finally empties 
 into New River, in Monroe county. It derives 
 its name from the circumstance of the Indians, 
 who in former times were in the habit of en- 
 tering the valley of Virginia from Kentucky 
 and Ohio, almost invariably making it their 
 ' camping stream. 1 Their graves, along with 
 other traces of their frequent resort to this par- 
 
 * The Salt Sulphur Springs, Monroe county, Va. 
 Thomas D. Mutter, M.D. 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 327 
 
 ticular spot, are occasionally met with at the 
 present day. 
 
 " The Salt Sulphur is hemmed in on every 
 side by mountains. To the south and east, 
 in full view, and about ten miles distant, is 
 Peter's Mountain ; due north, and about four- 
 teen miles distant, is a low spur of the Alle- 
 ghany; and west it is bounded by Swope's 
 Mountain, at or near the base of which are 
 the two principal Springs. 
 
 " It appears from the statement of some of 
 the • oldest inhabitants,' that the Old or Sweet 
 Spring was discovered in 1S02 or 1S03, by 
 Alexander Hutchison, Esq., who was engaged 
 in boring for salt along- Indian Creek. For 
 several years it enjoyed much celebrity, and 
 was annually the resort of a large company. 
 The house occupied as the hotel, and several 
 of the old cabins, are still standing. The 
 opening of the Salt Sulphur Spring, the 
 medical properties of which are so much more 
 strongly marked, and the erection of commo- 
 dious buildings near it, soon destroyed the 
 fame of the Sweet, the water of which is at 
 the present time used almost exclusively for 
 the baths, although there are some individuals 
 who still prefer it to that of either the Salt or 
 
328 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 New Spring. To gratify such, and at the 
 same time to test the value of the water, the 
 enterprising proprietors, in the summer of 
 1839, caused the Spring to be deepened and 
 thoroughly repaired. At present, it is enclosed 
 in a white marble reservoir, two feet square 
 by two feet four inches in depth, over which 
 is erected a neat wooden edifice, of an order 
 c sui generis? In taste, smell, colour, and 
 constituents, it strongly resembles the Salt 
 Spring, but it is much more feeble as a reme- 
 dial agent, which is to be attributed to its con- 
 taining a smaller quantity of the active prin- 
 ciples common to both. 
 
 " The second Spring, or the Salt Sulphur 
 proper, was discovered in 1805, by Erwin 
 Benson, Esq. He was induced to believe that 
 either sulphur water or salt might be found in 
 considerable quantities at the spot now occu- 
 pied by the Spring, from the fact of its being 
 the favourite ' Lick' of immense herds of buf- 
 falo and deer. Under this impression he began 
 boring, and had penetrated but a short distance 
 below the surface, when he struck the vein of 
 Sulphur water now constituting the Spring. 
 Like the Old, this Spring is enclosed in a mar- 
 ble reservoir, two feet square, and about two 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 329 
 
 feet ten inches deep, but from the boldness of its 
 sources, it is probable that this Spring will be 
 enlarged. It is protected from the influence of 
 the weather by a neat and appropriate edifice, 
 furnished with seats. The water possesses all 
 the sensible properties of the Sulphur waters 
 in general. Its odor, for instance, is very like 
 that of a ' tolerable egg,' and may, in certain 
 states of the atmosphere, be perceived at some 
 distance from the Spring ; and in taste it is 
 cousin-german to a strong solution of Epsom 
 salts and magnesia. In a short time, however, 
 strange to say, these disagreeable properties 
 are either not observed, or become on the 
 other hand attractive ; indeed, there is hardly 
 an instance of an individual's retaining his 
 original repugnance to them longer than three 
 or four days, and some there are who become 
 so excessively fond of the water, as to give it 
 the preference over any other liquid. Like 
 most of the Sulphurous, this water is perfectly 
 transparent, and deposits a whitish sediment, 
 composed of its various saline ingredients, 
 mingled with sulphur. It is also for the most 
 part placid ; occasionally, however, it is dis- 
 turbed by a bubble of gas, which steals slowly 
 to the surface, where it either explodes with 
 
330 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 a timid and dimpling smack, or is eagerly- 
 caught up by some care-worn and almost 
 world-weary invalid, as a gem from the trea- 
 sury of Hygeia! 
 
 " The following analysis of this Spring is 
 furnished by Professor Rogers, of the Univer- 
 sity of Virginia : 
 
 " { Solid ingredients. — Sulphate of lime ; 
 sulphate of magnesia ; sulphate of soda ; car- 
 bonate of lime ; carbonate of magnesia ; chlo- 
 ride of sodium ; chloride of magnesium ; 
 chloride of calcium ; iodine, probably com- 
 bined with sodium ; sulpho-hydrate of sodium 
 and magnesium ; sulphur, mingled with a 
 peculiar organic matter ; peroxide of iron, de- 
 rived from proto-sulphate. 
 
 " c Gaseous ingredients. — Sulphuretted hy- 
 drogen ; nitrogen ; oxygen ; carbonic acid. 
 
 " < The bubbles of gas that are seen adher- 
 ing to the sides of the Spring, are composed 
 almost entirely of nitrogen.' 
 
 " The precise proportions of the solid in- 
 gredients will shortly appear in the ' Report 
 on the Geology of Virginia,' which Professor 
 Rogers is at the present moment preparing for 
 the press, and for the appearance of which the 
 medical profession has been for some time 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 331 
 
 anxiously waiting. The temperature of this 
 water is 50° Fahr. 
 
 " The third, or New Spring, was discovered 
 in 1838 by the proprietors, while engaged in 
 cutting a drain for the water of the i Salt, 5 and 
 was immediately deepened, and furnished 
 with a marble reservoir, similar to those of 
 the other Springs, over which a frame build- 
 ing has been erected. Its water is not as 
 limpid as that of the other Springs, in conse- 
 quence of the excessive deposit of sulphur, in 
 combination with some organic element which 
 floats as a pellicle on the surface of the Spring. 
 Frequently when the heat of the sun is intense, 
 a beautiful pink deposit, resembling in appear- 
 ance that met with in the : Red Sulphur,' is 
 discovered upon the sides and bottom of the 
 reservoir. In taste and smell, it resembles very 
 much the water of the other Springs, but, from 
 being ten degrees warmer \ is to some persons 
 less palatable. It contains but a small portion 
 of free gas, and hence presents a sluggish, and 
 when covered by the pellicle alluded to, rather 
 a disagreeable aspect. In chemical composi- 
 tion it resembles the Salt, as the following ex- 
 tract from a letter of Professor Rogers will 
 show : 1 1 enclose you a list of the ingredients 
 
332 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 in the Salt Sulphur water, which applies to 
 the New as well as the Old Spring, the former 
 having rather a smaller amount of saline mat- 
 ter in general, though in some ingredients 
 surpassing the other. It has been very minute- 
 ly analyzed, and is the first of all the waters 
 in which I was able to detect traces of iodine, 
 which it contains in larger amount than the 
 Old Spring, and indeed most of the other wa- 
 ters in which I have been so fortunate as to 
 discover this material.' Its temperature ranges 
 from 62° to 68° Fahr. 
 
 " Comparing the water of the Salt Sulphur 
 with the Sulphur waters of Europe, we shall 
 find that it corresponds most nearly with those 
 of Harrowgate and Dinsdale Springs in 
 England. In this country there are several 
 Springs, the waters of which resemble it in 
 many respects. The White Sulphur ; (Green- 
 brier county, Va.,) the Big Bone, (Ky.,) and 
 the Olympian, (Ky.,) are of this class. 
 
 " The New Spring, although it resembles 
 in most respects the Salt, contains, according 
 to the analysis of Professor Rogers, a much 
 larger proportion of iodine. The presence of 
 this ingredient will render this water, in all 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 333 
 
 probability, highly useful in many cases in 
 which the other would prove either a feeble 
 agent, or produce no effect whatever : scrofu- 
 la, some diseases of the skin, goitre, and the 
 affections for which iodine is generally given, 
 are among them. Having had but little ex- 
 perience in the use of this Spring, from the 
 fact that it had but recently been opened when 
 I visited the place, I will not hazard a posi- 
 tive opinion relative to its therapeutic virtues. 
 I have little doubt, however, that it will speedi- 
 ly become a favourite, as well as eminently 
 useful water. 
 
 u The Old Spring contains most of the in- 
 gredients of the other two, but in smaller 
 quantity, and hence may be useful in cases in 
 which the latter operates too powerfully. My 
 experience with this water being also limited, 
 I must forbear, until a future occasion, saying 
 much about its powers as a remedial agent. 
 
 " In the exhibition of these waters, the rules 
 laid down as applicable to the administration 
 of all others may be adhered to. When it 
 becomes necessary to change the water, or 
 alternate it with another, I would recommend, 
 from its great similarity, that of the White 
 Sulphur" 
 
334 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 The analysis of this water made by Pro- 
 fessor Rogers, proves that it contains a large 
 amount of saline ingredients, which impart to 
 it greater purgative power than is possessed by 
 any of the Sulphur Springs, and also render 
 it in some degree more stimulant than the 
 White Sulphur. The diseases to which it is 
 applicable have been so minutely detailed by 
 Dr. Mutter that we can add very little of in- 
 terest. It appears from the letter accompany- 
 ing the analysis that Professor Rogers declares 
 he has met with a much larger quantity of 
 Iodine in the lower spring, than in any water 
 in which it has been his good fortune to find 
 this substance. (We quote from memory, not 
 having the analysis by us.) In the analysis he 
 gives : Iodine — a trace ! We confess we can- 
 not understand how a trace can be much 
 greater than the quantity he has been so for- 
 tunate as to find in other waters. It may be 
 owing to our obtuseness in not being able to ' 
 distinguish between a large trace and a small 
 trace ; but we have always considered the dif- 
 ference to be about the same as between the 
 big end of nothing, and the little end of no- 
 thing-at-all. Taking it for granted, how T ever, 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 335 
 
 that a trace is not next to nothing- : it may be 
 interesting to call the attention of the reader to 
 the opinion of another great chemist, with re- 
 gard to the presence of this salt in water. 
 We sent Mr. Hayes, for correction, the sheets 
 containing" his Analysis of the Red Sulphur, 
 and he has just returned them with some ad- 
 ditional remarks, among which we find the fol- 
 lowing : " Waters containing minute por- 
 tions of the salt called Hydriodate of Potash, 
 may be used as an ordinary beverage without 
 any marked action. But diseased organs and 
 impaired vital action allow of marked effects 
 being produced by such waters/' This is an 
 important opinion, and bearing very favourably 
 upon the Salt Sulphur: if it. indeed, contains 
 this salt in any appreciable quantity. Be this 
 as it may, however, experience and analysis 
 both prove that the Salt Sulphur is a very val- 
 uable water, and there can be little doubt that 
 as its properties become better understood and it 
 is judiciously prescribed, it will do much good. 
 All those valuable springs have been improper- 
 ly used in many instances, and the conse- 
 quence has been disappointment and failure. 
 But the reign of empiricism, in this respect, is 
 
336 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 drawing to a close ; and selfishness and im- 
 posture will fall into merited neglect and con- 
 tempt. If we shall, in any degree, have con- 
 tributed to such a result, we shall think we 
 have not lived altogether in vain. 
 
 It will be gratifying to the friends of the 
 Salt Sulphur to learn, that it received, during 
 last season, a large proportion of custom, and 
 did a more profitable business than it has done 
 for years. It richly deserves patronage ; for 
 besides the value of the water, which is beyond 
 cavil, visiters are treated with uniform kind- 
 ness and civility, and sumptuously feasted, 
 upon all the luxuries of an abundant market, 
 an unrivalled dairy, and a well-cultivated gar- 
 den. Here are not doled out short, thick mor- 
 sels of meat ; but fine slices of juicy beef or 
 mutton, or tender venison, and with as good a 
 will as Joseph helped Benjamin. If, then, our 
 readers wish to be treated as princes, let them 
 hie to the Salt Sulphur. 
 
 J 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 DISEASES TO WHICH THE SALT SULPHUR IS 
 APPLICABLE.* 
 
 The Salt Sulphur, like almost all the 
 Sulphurous waters, being a stimulant, should 
 consequently not be employed in acute or 
 highly inflammatory affections ; nor in those 
 in which there exists much active determina- 
 tion of blood to the head, or at least not until 
 this determination has been guarded against 
 by previous diet, purgation, and if necessary, 
 blood-letting. But in all chronic affections 
 of the brain, nervous system, some diseases 
 of the Inngs, stomach, bowels, liver, spleen, 
 kidneys, and bladder, it is one of the most 
 valuable of our remedial agents. In diseases 
 of the joints (gout and rheumatism) and skin : 
 in mercurial sequelce : in hemorrhoidal affec- 
 tions : and in chronic diseases of the womb, 
 it is also a remedy of immense importance. 
 
 1. Of Chronic Disease of the Brain! — 
 In no class of diseases, probably, is there re- 
 
 * Dr. Thomas D. Mutter. 
 
 29 
 
338 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 quired more caution in the exhibition of a 
 mineral water, and especially of one which, 
 under ordinary circumstances, excites the 
 system at large. Many persons on this ac- 
 count have prohibited its use ; but experience, 
 the only sure guide, has shown that many a 
 case of chronic headache, incipient mania, 
 and local palsy, dependent upon congestion or 
 chronic inflammation of the brain, will yield 
 to the steady use of a cathartic mineral water, 
 when almost every other agent has failed. 
 For such cases the Salt Sulphur seems pecu- 
 liarly adapted ; but it must be used with cau- 
 tion, and assisted, if necessary, by local deple- 
 tion, counter-irritation, and diet. 
 
 2. Neuralgia. — It is well known to the 
 profession, that neuralgic affections are often 
 dependent upon a deranged condition of the 
 chylopoietic viscera. The habitually costive, 
 or those who have suffered from repeated at- 
 tacks of miasmatic diseases, and the dyspep- 
 tic, are generally most liable to attacks of 
 neuralgia. In such cases, I have known the 
 Salt Sulphur prove highly beneficial. 
 
 3. Nervous Diseases. — The various affec- 
 tions termed nervous, such as hypochondria, 
 hysteria, catalepsy, chorea, &c, are also fre- 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 339 
 
 quently dependent upon disorder of the diges- 
 tive apparatus, and resist all our remedies for 
 months or years. In such cases a trip to a 
 Mineral Spring is generally recommended, 
 not so much for the waters, probably, as for 
 the change of air, scene, mode of life, &c, 
 which it entails. Making all due allowances 
 for the beneficial action of the last-named 
 agents, I am confident that the steady cathar- 
 tic action of the water is of infinite benefit. 
 Two cases of chorea, and one of hysteria, I 
 saw completely relieved in the course of six 
 weeks, by the use of the Salt Sulphur water. 
 4. Chronic Diseases of Chest. — Diseases 
 of the thoracic viscera are unfortunately too 
 common in our country s and hence we find 
 crowds of their unfortunate victims at nearly 
 every watering-place, seeking, and too often 
 but vainly, some relief from their distressing 
 condition. In some cases, those, for example, 
 in which the irritation is dependent upon the 
 retrocession of some habitual discharge, and 
 those, too, in which the skin is dry and cool. 
 and the indication is to produce a revulsion to 
 the surface by directing the fluids from the 
 centre to the circumference, which will also 
 
340 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 facilitate expectoration, the cautious adminis- 
 tration of the Salt Sulphur water will be use- 
 ful. In those cases, also, in which the cough 
 is sympathetic or dependent upon some lesion 
 of the chylopoietic viscera, it maybe employed. 
 But in every instance where it can be traced 
 to an organic affection of the heart or large 
 blood vessels, and if there be fever, emacia- 
 tion, tubercles with cavities in the lung, hae- 
 moptysis, or diarrhoea, the death of the patient 
 will be hastened by the employment of a 
 stimulant so active as the Salt Sulphur. For 
 pulmonary cases,* the Salt Sulphur offers the 
 advantage of an agreeable temperature, and 
 a dryness of atmosphere not possessed by 
 the other Springs in the mountains of Vir- 
 ginia. During the season, which continues 
 from the 1st of June to the middle of Septem- 
 ber, the thermometer ranges from 70° to 85° 
 Fahrenheit, and there is little or no fog in the 
 morning. 
 
 5. Disease of the Heart. — The following 
 certificate is published by Mr. H. McF., of 
 
 * There appears to be some inconsistency here with the 
 foregoing paragraph, unless the Doctor means that the 
 patient shall abstain from the use of the water ; the alleged 
 superiority of climate is altogether imaginary. 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 341 
 
 Williamsburg district, South Carolina. I can- 
 not suppose, however, that the affection of the 
 heart was organic ; it must have been one of 
 those cases of functional disturbance depend- 
 ent upon disorder of the digestive apparatus : 
 
 " September 4th, 1838. 
 " Mr. Erskine : — Having been a sufferer for more than 
 three years, from organic disease of the heart, connected 
 with bronchitis, pronounced so by eminent physicians of S. 
 Carolina, I had the good fortune to visit your Spring, and 
 using the water freely for nearly two weeks, with a decided- 
 ly good effect upon my obstinate disease, I feel it a duty I 
 owe to the public, and to other sufferers like myself, to say, 
 that I find it to possess none of the irritating quality that 
 some persons suppose. So highly have I been pleased with 
 the medicinal qualities of the water of your Spring, that I 
 beg you will send me a barrel of it containing 30 or 35 gal- 
 lons. H. McF." 
 
 6. Chronic Diseases of the Abdominal 
 Viscera. — In making an estimate of the cases 
 of disease one meets with at a watering-place, 
 it will not, I think, be going too far to say, 
 that two-thirds at least are referable to some 
 affection of the abdominal viscera. Hepatitis, 
 jaundice, splenitis, gastritis, gastralgia, pyro- 
 sis, dyspepsia, enteritis, diarrhoea, &c, are 
 encountered at every turn. 
 
 In hepatic affections, or those commonly 
 called bilious, the Salt Sulphur water is, with- 
 out doubt, one of the most powerful and effi- 
 29* 
 
342 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 cient remedies we possess. When taken in a 
 proper manner, its sanative influence is speedi- 
 ly manifested by a change in the biliary se- 
 cretion. Constipation, the usual attendant 
 upon such cases, is relieved, the sallowness of 
 the skin disappears, and in the course of a few 
 weeks a complete and radical cure is often 
 accomplished. 
 
 Chronic Splenitis. — One of the most com- 
 mon, and at the same time one of the most 
 obstinate, of the sequel as of the fevers of the 
 south, I have known frequently relieved by 
 the use of this water, as well as by that of the 
 White Sulphur. 
 
 Chronic Gastric Irritation, it is well known, 
 is often relieved by the administration of an 
 agent calculated to set up a new action in the 
 mucous coat, and those cases of dyspepsia 
 which depend upon such a condition of the 
 stomach, are often relieved by the use of a 
 Sulphur water. A number of such are annu- 
 ally met with at the Salt Sulphur, many of 
 which leave the Spring perfectly cured. 
 
 Gastralgia, or Nervous Dyspepsia, is also 
 occasionally met with, and may depend upon 
 a variety of causes, When it is purely a func- 
 tional disease, unaccompanied by organic 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 343 
 
 lesion, a Sulphur water, along with Sulphur 
 baths, will sometimes produce a very happy- 
 effect. 
 
 Pyrosis, or Water-brash, is another disease 
 in which the Salt Sulphur proves pre-emi- 
 nently useful. I have known cases in which 
 a pint or more of a secretion so acid as to set 
 the teeth on edge, was daily thrown up, radi- 
 cally cured by the use of this water in the 
 course of six or eight weeks. (Mr. F., of 
 Princeton, is an example of this.) 
 
 When dyspepsia is known to be dependent 
 upon scirrhus or cancer of the stomach, I would 
 strenuously advise the patient to abstain from 
 the use of the Salt Sulphur, and indeed from 
 that of any mineral water. Mrs. C — , of North 
 Carolina, was, I am convinced, destroyed by it. 
 
 Chronic Irritation of the Bowels, giving 
 rise to chronic diarrhoea, or dysentery, upon 
 the principle of a new action being set up, are 
 frequently cured by the use of the Salt Sul- 
 phur. I wish this statement to be borne in 
 mind, for it is usual to decry the use of a Sul- 
 phur water in such cases ; but the experience 
 of those who have paid attention to the subject, 
 will bear me out in the assertion. Mr. T., of 
 Philadelphia, who for three years laboured 
 
344 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 under chronic diarrhoea, and who was sup- 
 posed to have ulceration of the mucous mem- 
 brane of the bowels, was radically cured by a 
 few weeks' use of the water. 
 
 Constipation. — Habitual costiveness is an- 
 other affection for which the Salt Sulphur 
 water is an excellent remedy. 
 
 Hemorrhoids. — The use of laxatives in 
 piles is a treatment so long in use that nothing 
 need be said in its favour but that Sulphur 
 water operates much more beneficially than 
 any other agent, inasmuch as in nearly every 
 case of chronic piles we find the liver more or 
 less affected. This fact, first observed by Arm- 
 strong, is so universally admitted, that I shall 
 not stop to say anything towards its farther 
 substantiation. 
 
 7. Chronic Diseases of the Urinary Or- 
 gans. — From the fact that nearly all mineral 
 waters, either from the quantity usually taken, 
 or from some peculiarity of their ingredients, 
 prove diuretic, they have always been favour- 
 ite remedies in diseases of the urinary organs. 
 Those which contain an excess of alkaline 
 ingredients, have without doubt proved re- 
 markably serviceable in cases of acid calcu- 
 
SALT SULPHUR, SPRINGS. 345 
 
 lous diathesis, but it must be confessed that 
 as a general rule, and always where the stone 
 is large, they prove but a doubtful remedy. 
 In the incipient stages of calculous disease, 
 however, and those especially in which the 
 formation of stone is dependent upon some 
 disease of the digestive apparatus, the Sul- 
 phur waters are often useful. Many such 
 cases have been benefitted at the Salt Sul- 
 phur. When this water fails to accomplish 
 the desired object, I have seen that of the 
 Siveet Springs productive of much good. 
 
 Although this water may be considered as 
 a somewhat doubtful remedy in calculous dis- 
 ease of any duration, it must be allowed to 
 possess astonishing sanative properties in 
 chronic irritation of the mucous membrane 
 of the kidneys, bladder, prostate gland r , and 
 urethra. Many cases of chronic nephritis, 
 vesical catarrh, prostatic irritation and gleet, 
 are annually cured by its employment. 
 
 8. Chronic Diseases of the Genitals. — 
 Like all Sulphur waters, those of the Salt 
 Sulphur are often very useful in obstinate 
 cases of general or local debility, the result of 
 previous excessive indulgence. They are also 
 
346 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 remarkably beneficial in atonic leucorrhoea, 
 amenorrhoea, and dysmenorrhea ; but when 
 either of these complaints is dependent upon 
 local or general plethora, the use of the water 
 must be preceded by depletion, either local or 
 general, according to circumstances. 
 
 9. Chronic Rheumatism, and Gout. — The 
 diseases most frequently met with after those 
 of the digestive organs, at our different water- 
 ing-places, are rheumatism and gout. In all 
 such the alterative influence of a Sulphur 
 water is invariably, I believe, more or less 
 useful ; but to receive full benefit from its 
 use, the warm or hot mineral bath should be 
 resorted to, and the diet, clothing, and exer- 
 cise, properly regulated. With many others, 
 I cheerfully acknowledge the immense benefit 
 derived from the use of the Salt Sulphur. 
 
 10. Mercurial Rheumatism, Periostitis, 
 and Inflammation of the Bones, are also very 
 much relieved (in most cases) by the use of 
 the Salt Sulphur. Along with the water, it 
 will be well to use the Hot Baths. 
 
 11. Chronic Diseases of the Skin. — When 
 judiciously administered, no remedy is pro- 
 ductive of more permanent benefit in all cuta- 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 347 
 
 neous affections; than the Sulphur waters, but 
 unfortunately they are but too often abused. 
 They are only suitable when the eruptions 
 are of long duration, and unaccompanied by 
 inflammation. Used in the acute stages, they 
 aggravate the symptoms. It is always proper, 
 moreover, to employ the warm or hot baths 
 during the use of the water. The Salt Sul- 
 phur is often eminently successful in relieving 
 cases of this kind. 
 
 I have thus briefly sketched the principal 
 affections to which the water of the Salt Sul- 
 phur is applicable, and to show that my asser- 
 tions are borne out by facts, I insert the certi- 
 ficates of several persons, who, with myself, 
 were very much benefitted by its use : 
 
 Salt Sulphur Springs, July 29th, 1835. 
 To Messrs. Erskine and Caruthers : 
 
 Gentlemen, — The undersigned, visiters at the Salt 
 Sulphur Springs, prompted by a sense of grateful respect 
 for your kind and unwearied attentions to ourselves and 
 families, beg leave to convey to you our assurance of en- 
 tire satisfaction with the arrangements of your establish- 
 ment. Such have been the cordial hospitalities and ample 
 and varied accommodations of your house, that we shall 
 ever look back to our temporary residence with you with 
 pleasure and delight. 
 
 Experience, which is the best analysis your Spring can 
 have, justifies us in recommending it as an invaluable anti- 
 
348 SPRTNGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 dyspeptic water, relieving the liver, bowels, and vascular sys- 
 tem, and acting very kindly upon the secretions generally. 
 
 If order, abundant and well prepared fare, excellent 
 bedding, quiet and obliging domestics, impartial and 
 gentlemanly efforts to promote health and comfort, have 
 any influence upon public favor, the proprietors of the 
 Salt Sulphur will certainly secure it. 
 
 With sentiments of respectful regard, 
 
 Your obedient servants, 
 
 Rev. Benjamin M. Palmer, Charleston, S. C; James 
 Chestnut, Camden, S. C. ; Jos. Otis, New York ; Rev. 
 John Johns, D. D., Baltimore, Md. ; Alfred Leyburn, 
 M. D., Lexington, Va. ; Rev. Henry V. D. Johns, 
 Fredericktown, Md.; H. V. Levis, Philadelphia ; Wm. 
 H. Hubbard, Richmond, Va. ; Thomas Wilson, Baltimore ; 
 Thomas Easley, Halifax co., Va. ; A. Sebrell, Kanawha, 
 Va. ; William Eilicott, Ellicott's Mills, Md. ; Willis Jones, 
 M. D., Milton, N. C; Henry P. Norris, Baltimore ; R. 
 Jones, U. S. A., Washington ; W. B. Meacham, Missis- 
 sippi ; Peter H. Dilliard, Rockingham co., N. C. ; James 
 V. Toby, New Orleans ; Geo. L. Twiggs, Ge6rgia ; Richard 
 Tubman, Georgia ; S. T. Gaillard, South Carolina ; P. A. 
 Clay, Bedford, Va. ; Jacob G. Davies, Baltimore ; Samuel 
 R. Smith, Baltimore; Robert M. R. Smith, Baltimore; J. 
 B. Grimball, South Carolina ; Oliver Norris, Baltimore; A. 
 K. Brown, Petersburg ; Wm. A. Caruthers, M. D., New 
 York; Jno. Clark, M. D., New York ; Samuel St. John, 
 Jun., Mobile ; William Wilson, Lexington, Va. ; Charles S. 
 Richards, New York ; Olio Dyer, Mobile ; William Bones, 
 Charleston, S. C. ; John P. Staples, Patrick co., Va. ; Geo. 
 Walton, Lynchburg, Va. ; John T. E. Lewis, Brunswick, 
 Va. ; James Greenlee, Rockbridge co., Va. ; Benj. B. Duke, 
 Louisa co., Va. ; M. H. Dosson, Louisiana ; Wm. Brown, 
 North Carolina ; John Harleston, South Carolina ; Francis 
 D. Quash, South Carolina ; S. Garland, Lynchburg, Va. ; 
 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 349 
 
 Geo. C. Friend, Charlotte co., Va. ; Edward Wilkins, North 
 Carolina ; Orlando S. Rees, South Carolina ; J. B. Billysley, 
 South Carolina ; Thomas Shivers, Philadelphia ; F. Pinck- 
 ney Lowndes, Charleston, S. C. ; Thomas W. White, Hal 
 ifax county, Va. ; Burwell Basset, Williamsburg ; C. P. 
 Dorman, Lexington, Va. ; Charles H. Robertson, Charlotte 
 county, Va. ; Henry Robertson, Charlotte county, Va. ; 
 Samuel N. Stevens, Charleston, S. C. 
 
 Salt Sulphur Spring, August 13th, 1838. 
 Messrs. Erskine and Caruthers : 
 
 Gentlemen, — Having been greatly benefitted by drink- 
 ing the waters of your valuable Spring, I deem it a duty 
 to my fellow-beings to leave this statement of my case in 
 your hands. — For six months previous to my coming here, 
 I had been suffering with a most obstinate constipation of 
 the bowels, which I had tried in vain to remove by medi- 
 cine, diet, and exercise ; and during that time I could not 
 obtain a stool without the aid of an injection, and great 
 pain attending it. After being here ten days, the Salt Sul- 
 phur water began to act freely on my bowels, and now, at 
 the expiration of a month, I am glad to inform you that the 
 constipation is entirely removed, my health and strength 
 restored, and I am now going home in cheerful spirits to 
 my friends. Yours, truly, 
 
 George A. Butt, New York. 
 
 Salt Sulphur Springs, August 10th, 1836. 
 
 Mrs. left her house in a state of great debility, 
 
 scarcely able to walk, and was but little recruited by the 
 journey. She reached the Salt Sulphur on the 20th July 
 having stopped a week at the White Sulphur on the way 
 but without using the water. After remaining three days 
 at the Salt Sulphur, and partaking of the waters there 
 she proceeded to the Red Sulphur, and staid there six days 
 
 30 
 
350 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 returning on the 29th July to the Salt, having, while at the 
 Red, used two or three tumblers of the water per diem ; re- 
 mained at the Salt Sulphur until the 9th of August. When 
 
 Mrs. arrived first at the Salt Sulphur, she weighed 91 
 
 pounds, and was unable to walk any distance, or use any 
 degree of exercise, without suffering greatly. 
 
 In thirteen days after her arrival at the Salt Sulphur, she 
 was again weighed in the same scales, and had increased to 
 95J pounds, making a gain of 4j pounds in weight, while 
 the circumference of her waist had been reduced nearly five 
 inches. In the interim, her countenance and eyes had un- 
 dergone an essential change for the better, her spirits and 
 strength restored, so as to take any ordinary exercise of 
 riding or walking without inconvenience. The quantity of 
 water which she ordinarily took was from three to four 
 glasses per diem, and she was careful in her diet, avoiding 
 all warm bread, and principally using bran bread, hominy, 
 mutton, &c. &c. 
 
 Stanton, March, 1822. 
 Some years since I was afflicted with an obstinate and 
 dangerous disease, from which I was unable to obtain relief 
 until I visited the Salt Sulphur Spring, near Union, in the 
 county of Monroe. The use of that water restored me to 
 perfect health ; which makes it my duty to state, at the re- 
 quest of the proprietors, the high opinion I have formed of 
 its medicinal efficacy. I consider the Salt Sulphur water 
 eminently useful in all cases that require cathartic remedies, 
 particularly such diseases of the liver and stomach as pro- 
 ceed from biliary obstructions. The operation upon the 
 bowels is active, but not violent ; cleansing effectually the 
 alimentary canal, and promoting digestion in a remarkable 
 degree. The cathartic tendency of the water is so mild and 
 certain, that the stomach and bowels are never oppressed 
 or irritated ; and whilst the healthy functions of the system 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 351 
 
 are enabled to take their course, the suspended causes of 
 disease are gradually worn away. 
 
 Briscoe G. Baldwin. 
 
 In the year 1812 I visited the Sweet and Sulphur Springs. 
 I was then laboring under a nervous debility and extreme 
 costiveness. I derived much benefit from the use of all 
 those waters, but found none so strong and active as the 
 Salt Sulphur. I concur in the opinion with many, that this 
 is a valuable water, and should.be more sought after. 
 
 Certified this 6th day of May, 1823. 
 
 S. B. Chapman. 
 
 Salt Sulphur Springs, August 31st, 1836. 
 Messrs. Erskine and Caruthers : 
 
 Gentlemen, — Intending to leave your excellent and 
 perfectly arranged establishment to-mcrrow on my return 
 home, I cannot, however, do so without expressing my 
 thanks to you for your politeness and attention to myself, 
 (and I observed the same attention to others,) during my 
 stay at the Salt Sulphur ; and I have much pleasure in say- 
 ing, that the use of the Salt Sulphur Spring water has been 
 eminently beneficial to me, for, prior to my coming here, I 
 had been suffering for upwards of eighteen months from a 
 total derangement of stomach from a long residence in a 
 warm climate (Bermuda), say, bad bile, great acidity of 
 stomach, and an overflow of mucus to the lungs ; in short, 
 I had the dyspepsia with all its disagreeables, accompanied 
 with debility of body. Having tried the White Sulphur for 
 ten days without benefit, I came here, and in a week I 
 found relief from all my complaints ; but my medical advi- 
 ser, who practised at the White, recommended me to try 
 the Red Sulphur, notwithstanding my having written to 
 him of my improved state, — my pulse, for one thing, being 
 reduced from 80 to 73 beats. I went to the Red, and staid 
 
352 SPRINGS OP WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 there eight days ;* my pulse rose on the third day to 82, the 
 fifth day 89, the sixth day to 96 and 100. I was obliged to 
 be leeched,which reduced my pulse to 84. I had three head- 
 aches and great dryness of tongue ; so on the 9th day in 
 the morning, I returned to the Salt, where, on the fourth 
 day, my pulse was again at 73, on the sixth day at 71, and 
 has continued from that day to this, varying only from 71 
 to 72, night and morning. 
 
 I always counted my pulse in bed, when quiet, before 
 drinking the water ; for, after drinking the Spring water, 
 my pulse latterly came down to 68 beats. I was attentive 
 to my diet, taking only stale bread or dry toast, with 
 scarcely any butter, two cups of tea with milk (no cream) 
 for breakfast ; my dinner was mutton (no gravy) with rice 
 and stale bread, no other vegetable — sometimes I took roast 
 fowl, but no pudding or pies ; at tea-time, I took one cup 
 of tea and stale bread, no butter, I found grease so bad for 
 me. The quantity of water taken by me was two half-pint 
 tumblers at half past 5 o'clock in the morning in bed ; one 
 tumbler at 12 o'clock ; sometimes one at 5 o'clock ; and 
 when in bed at night I took one more tumbler of the water, 
 but if I wished to perspire a little more freely, I took two 
 tumblers of it. I found the water determine gently to the 
 bowels, rather than to the kidneys. What I took produced 
 a full movement of the bowels. Before breakfast I walked 
 a quarter of an hour ; between breakfast and dinner I walked 
 about five miles, often going to Union ; between dinner and 
 
 * We have a distinct recollection of this gentleman's case. He had 
 been laboring under chronic irritation of the stomach, which, by too 
 free use of the Sulphur waters, and perhaps imprudence in diet, was 
 converted into an acute form, about the time he reached the Red Sul- . 
 phur. Dr. Saunders, then resident physician at the Red, instituted a 
 vigorous treatment, which in a few days subdued the attack, and the 
 patient's system was now in a condition to receive all the benefit 
 which he subsequently derived from the Salt Sulphur. 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 353 
 
 bed-time I think I walked about two miles more. I used to 
 calculate about seven miles a day. For one hour after din- 
 ner I remained quiet in my room. I ate fruit once, and it 
 gave me such a lesson I never tried it again. I am thus 
 particular ; for it may be of benefit to some one else next 
 year, and you are quite welcome to show this letter if you 
 wish it. 
 
 Wishing you your health, not forgetting Mrs. Erskine, 
 I remain, gentlemen, your obedient servant, 
 
 W. H. Burnaby, Baronet. 
 
 Salt Sulphur Springs, September 22d, 1839. 
 Messrs. Erskine & Caruthers : 
 
 I have been affected for five or six years with an obsti- 
 nate disease of the liver, and dyspepsia, and have visited 
 nearly all the Springs in the mountains without having ex- 
 perienced any material benefit, until I came to this place. 
 I have applied to some of the best physicians without being 
 relieved, but am happy to state, that the Salt Sulphur water 
 has had a most beneficial effect in removing many of the 
 inconveniences attending my disease, insomuch that I am 
 induced to carry a portion of it home with me. 
 Yours most respectfully, 
 
 Joseph E. Garratt. 
 
 P. S. — I am a resident of Knoxville, Frederick county, 
 Maryland. J. E. G. 
 
 A true copy of the original, 
 
 E. & Caruthers. 
 
 30* 
 
354 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS, 
 
 By Prof. Wm. B. Rogers. 
 
 Temperature variable from 49° to 56°. 
 Solid matter procured by evaporation from 100 
 cubic inches, weighed after being dried at 212°, 
 81-41 grains. 
 
 Quantity of each solid ingredient in 100 
 cubic inches, estimated as perfectly free from 
 water. 
 
 1 Sulphate of Lime, 
 
 2 Sulphate of Magnesia, 
 
 3 Sulphate of Soda, 
 
 4 Carbonate of Lime, 
 
 5 Carbonate of Magnesia, 
 
 6 Chloride of Magnesium, 
 
 7 Chloride of Sodium, 
 
 8 Chloride of Calcium, 
 
 9 Peroxide of Iron derived from 
 
 Proto-Sulphate, 0-042 
 
 10 An azotized organic matter 
 
 blended with Sulphur, about 4 
 
 36-755 
 
 grains. 
 
 7-883 
 
 u 
 
 9-682 
 
 u 
 
 4-445 
 
 u 
 
 1-434 
 
 it 
 
 0116 
 
 a 
 
 0-683 
 
 a 
 
 0-025 
 
 u 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 355 
 
 11 Earthy Phosphates, a trace. 
 
 12 Iodine, " 
 Volume of each of the gases contained in a 
 
 free state in 100 cubic inches. 
 Sulphuretted Hydrogen, 1*10 to 1-50 cubic in. 
 Nitrogen, 2*05 " " 
 
 Oxygen, 0-27 " " 
 
 Carbonic acid, 5*75 " " 
 
 "I enclose you a list of the ingredients in 
 the Salt Sulphur water, which applies to the 
 New as well as the Old Spring, the former 
 having rather a smaller amount of saline mat- 
 ter in general, though in some ingredients sur- 
 passing the other. It has been very minutely 
 analyzed, and is the first of all the waters in 
 which I was able to detect traces of Iodine, 
 which it contains in larger amount than the 
 Old Spring, and indeed most of the other wa- 
 ters in which I have been so fortunate as to 
 discover this material.*' 
 
 In connection with the claim of the agency 
 of Iodine in the New Spring, we give insertion 
 to the following interesting certificate. 
 
356 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 Union, Monroe County, Va. t 
 15th December, 1845. 
 During the summer of 1845 I was induced to try the Iodine 
 Spring, at the Salt Sulphur Springs, in Monroe, for an obsti- 
 nate and (as I then supposed) incurable eruption on the skin 
 of one of my children. The disease first appeared, at the age 
 of three weeks, in the shape of small red spots upon the cheeks, 
 succeeded very soon by little watery pimples, which rose and 
 broke continually, but without healing. In a short time the 
 affected parts increased in size as well as quantity, until they 
 extended from the face to the head and neck, and thence over 
 the entire body — presenting one uniform and consolidated ap- 
 pearance of disease over the whole surface. The neck, head, 
 and face discharged matter from the scabs, and the legs from 
 the knee down. For fourteen months I kept the child con- 
 stantly under medical treatment, but without any permanent 
 benefit, or any prospect of recovery, until, at the instance of 
 
 Dr. M. (who at that time was residing at the Salt,) I was 
 
 induced to make a trial of its waters. He represented the 
 disease as a constitutional affection of the blood which could 
 not be relieved, and which ought not to be arrested very sud- 
 denly, but assured me, very confidently, that it would yield to 
 nothing with so much certainty and success as to the exter- 
 nal application of the Iodine water at the Salt. The child 
 was bathed twice a day in the water made gently tepid, of 
 which it drank pretty copiously during the ceremony. About 
 the fourth day there was an evident change for the better, and 
 the child from that time continued to improve daily, until at 
 the expiration of six weeks, the sores had healed, the scabs 
 had disappeared, the pimples and splotches had subsided, and 
 the skin for the first time for more than fourteen months as- 
 sumed a natural and healthy appearance. I have no doubt 
 
SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. 357 
 
 by remaining a few weeks longer every vestige of the erup- 
 tion would have been removed. But I consider the disease 
 at this time as effectually conquered, and as having changed 
 its type completely. Indeed, the only indications ever visible 
 are an occasional roughness on the skin. As we used no 
 medicine, except occasionally some mild cathartic, I feel no 
 hesitation in ascribing all the results that I have stated to the 
 effects of the Iodine water. 
 
 WILLIAM G. CAPERTON. 
 
 3AFBB 5 S 
 ERAL* WATER DSP 
 
 TTBEST, N. W. f 
 WASHINGTON, 0. C. 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 BLUE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 
 
 The Blue Sulphur Spring is situated in the 
 County of Greenbrier, in a beautiful valley, 
 through which flows a streamlet bearing the 
 unclassical name of Muddy Creek. It is 
 twenty-two miles, in nearly a western direc- 
 tion, from the White Sulphur, on the road to 
 Guyandotte, and thirty-two miles north by 
 east of the Red Sulphur, with which it is now 
 connected by a fine turnpike road. The im- 
 provements consist of a brick Hotel — 180 feet 
 long, and 50 feet wide, 100 feet of which is 
 three stories, the remainder two stories, with a 
 portico 12 feet wide the whole length. At- 
 tached to this building is another, two stories 
 high, 90 by 32 feet ; and adjoining this latter 
 is a two story brick building, 150 by 17 feet, 
 also having a two story piazza. The whole 
 of these piazzas connect ; making a contin- 
 uous piazza of 420 feet. This range of build- 
 ings affords a dining-room 180 by 30 feet, two 
 
BLUE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 359 
 
 large receiving rooms, a ball and drawing- 
 room, bar-room, counting-room, and a large 
 number of very comfortable chambers, most 
 of them having fireplaces. At the north end 
 of the Hotel are several brick cottages contain- 
 ing two and three rooms each, for families ; 
 and several frame cabins in the lawn. We 
 think the establishment can comfortably ac- 
 commodate 220 persons. We said that this 
 valley is beautiful ; we should, perhaps, have 
 said, it has been. Fuit Ilium. Never have 
 we ^een bad taste more unfortunately illustra- 
 ted than here. It seems as if the designer 
 had his brain obfuscated by mint-julap. 
 What man in his sober senses could have ever 
 thought of spoiling a lovely valley like this, 
 admitting a prospect of several miles, by throw- 
 ing across it from hill to hill a long line of 
 buildings which could have been so easily and 
 so gracefully ranged along the sides ; not only 
 obstructing the view, but also preventing the 
 delightful current of air which otherwise 
 would have fanned it in the dog-days? Not 
 content even with this piece of botching, they 
 must permit Dr. Martin to erect his tartare- 
 an ovens also across the valley, leaving the 
 
360 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 Temple containing the Spring, and the lawn 
 in which it stands, bounded by brick walls 
 and mountains. We found Dr. Martin a po- 
 lite old gentleman; but we wished he had 
 been a bird of passage, and could have car- 
 ried his nest in his bill, never again to mar 
 this charming valley. We were angry enough 
 to throw him into his own boiler, or worse, to 
 consign him to the care of Dr. Moorman, who 
 might cause him to evolve gas in the stomach, 
 for such an act of barbaric taste. Notwith- 
 standing all that has been done to spoil this 
 place, it is still interesting and beautiful : in- 
 deed it will compare favourably with any of 
 the watering places in this region. The Spring 
 rises in the centre of the vale, and is covered 
 by a well-designed but badly executed Temple. 
 The fountain is enclosed in marble slabs, is 
 five feet in diameter, and one of the most 
 beautiful objects imaginable. The sides are 
 covered with a brilliant pink deposit, and the 
 clear, cool, crystalline water seems to say, 
 " Come and drink me." It flows off in a large 
 stream, and is conveyed by pipes to Dr. Mar- 
 tin's baths. It appears that after the Temple 
 was built, our old friend Major Vass (our in- 
 
BLUE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 361 
 
 form ant is Dr. Martin) undertook to arrange 
 the fountain so as to square with the build- 
 ing ; but at that very time, a hail-storm. 
 mingled with mountain- dew ox fog. happened 
 to set in. which so blinded himself and work- 
 men, that notwithstanding the remonstrances 
 of the said Dr. Martin, (who happened to be 
 sheltered from the storm by one of the columns, 
 and could, therefore, see the work was not 
 square.) the angles of the fountain were made 
 to deflect some 18 or 29 degrees from their in- 
 tended position ; the Major, all the time, swear- 
 ing all was as straight as a shingle. 
 
 This, with a little embellishment, is Dr. 
 Martin's version of the story, which he nar- 
 rated with the grace of a French comedian ; 
 if the worthy Major give his version in time 
 for the next edition, we shall insert it with 
 pleasure. The temperature of this water is 
 about 53 degrees : it is pleasant to the palate, 
 but it is a heavy water : it imparts not the 
 agreeable feeling to the stomach which is im- 
 parted by the White Sulphur : nor does it pos- 
 sess that light tranquillizing property that 
 characterizes the Red Sulphur. Our opin- 
 ion of this water is founded on a slight ae- 
 31 
 
362 
 
 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 quaintance, and therefore we desire that it may 
 be taken only for what it may be deemed 
 worth ; but we have taken this impression 
 with regard to it, that it cannot be drunk in 
 as large quantity as either the White, or Red, 
 or Salt, with equal advantage. We are per- 
 fectly satisfied it is a valuable water ; but dys- 
 peptics, especially, may do well to begin, at 
 least, with small potations, and if they find it 
 agree, it is easy enough to increase the quan- 
 tity. Indeed, it would be well if this course 
 were pursued with all those waters ; but un- 
 happily this view is taken by a very limited 
 number of those who visit mineral waters. A 
 peculiar merit is claimed for this water in reg- 
 ulating certain periodical secretions ; but we 
 are disposed to think its power in this respect 
 is exaggerated ; at least, that it has no specific 
 action different from other sulphur waters. 
 Let the ladies try. though, and judge for 
 themselves. 
 
 Dr. Martin, a Frenchman, has, as the read- 
 er is already aware, erected a Bathing establish- 
 ment at this place. His arrangements are 
 quite extensive and well contrived, and ena- 
 ble him to give plain or medicated baths of 
 
RED SULPHUR SPRINGS. 363 
 
 any temperature. There can be no question 
 of the utility of these baths, if judiciously ad- 
 ministered : they would be equally deleterious 
 in the hands of an empiric or a selfish, disin- 
 genuous man. The only knowledge we 
 have of Dr. Martin is derived from a brief ac- 
 quaintance, during which he was most agree- 
 able and attentive, and we understand this is 
 his uniform manner. He is courteous, affa- 
 ble, communicative, and on the subject of Va- 
 pour Baths he is always fluent, nay, some- 
 times eloquent. We could perceive he was an 
 especial favourite with the ladies. And. now, 
 we owe the Dr. an apology for being so rude 
 as to wish him subjected to the manipulations 
 of Dr. Moorman. Indeed, Dr., we were jo- 
 king ! We are sure you prefer your own 
 odoriferous vapours to those evolved by your 
 learned neighbour. 
 
 The Blue Sulphur property is owned by a 
 company of gentlemen, one of whom, George 
 Buster, Esq.. resides at the place, and conducts 
 the establishment. It would be doing great 
 injustice not to say that the style of living 
 here is more elegant than we have met with at 
 any of the Springs. The furniture is better, 
 
364 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 the appearance of the table is neater, and 
 every thing bespeaks comfort and attention. 
 We have seen quite as good things at other 
 Springs, but nowhere as well served, except, 
 perhaps, at the Warm Springs and Salt Sul- 
 phur. Mr. Buster himself made a favourable 
 impression on us, and our inquiries sat- 
 isfied us that our prepossession was justified, 
 by his uniformly estimable deportment. We 
 trust he will reap the just reward of his atten- 
 tion in an annually increasing company. 
 
DAGGERS 
 
 OR DIBRELLS SPRING. 
 
 Dagger's, or Dibrell's Spring, is situated in 
 a glade near the western base of the Garden 
 Mountain, on the main road from Lynchburg 
 to the White Sulphur, via the Natural Bridge, 
 from which it is distant about 14 miles. 
 
 "We were informed by the worthy proprie- 
 tor, Charles L. Dibrell, that the number of 
 visiters sometimes reached 200 : but we should 
 think 1 50 as large a number as could be ac- 
 commodated with any degree of comfort. The 
 buildings are well arranged for convenience 
 and effect. The lawn is a very beautiful 
 slope, descending from the Hotel to the Spring 
 some 300 yards, and is well shaded by fine 
 indigenous trees. Altogether, it is an interest- 
 ing spot, and affords to the weary traveller, 
 after a long day's journey, a sweet haven of 
 repose and quietude, from whence he may re- 
 trace, with his mind's eye, the magnificent 
 scenery he has just passed, and especially that 
 most sublime of all the creations of Nature in 
 31* 
 
366 SPRINGS OP WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 Virginia — the passage of the James River 
 through the Blue Ridge Mountain. This 
 scene is incomparably finer than that at Har- 
 per's Ferry ; but magnificent as it appears 
 from the road, it must be inconceivably more 
 so from the bed of the river. It is through 
 this wonderful gorge that the great James 
 River and Kanawha Canal is to pass, and we 
 venture to predict that this scene alone will be 
 worth to the company tens of thousands. 
 
 In our enthusiasm we had almost forgotten 
 the Natural Bridge. Of the latter it is impos- 
 sible to convey any adequate description ; it 
 must be seen to be appreciated ; but let the 
 reader loiter under or over this great arch for 
 an hour or two, and after partaking of a sub- 
 stantial dinner with the Pontifex, if so we 
 may call the important personage who sup- 
 plies bacon and beans, let him wind his on- 
 ward way under the cone of the Garden Moun- 
 tain, and our word for it, he will find the kind 
 attentions, the delightful fare, and comfortable 
 lodgings of our friend, Mr. Dibrell, irresistible 
 inducements to rest for a few days. 
 
 The Sulphur water at this place is said to 
 be efficacious in several diseases, but on this 
 
DAGGER'S, OR D1BRELI/S SPRING. 367 
 
 head we have no information within our reach 
 on which reliance may be placed. It bears 
 some similarity to the White and Blue Sul- 
 phur waters, and is probably in some degree 
 applicable to the same class of diseases. 
 
 Within the last three years, this Spring has 
 reverted to Mr. Watkins, from whom, we be- 
 lieve, it was purchased by Mr. Dibrell. We 
 hear it is well kept, and attracts a due share 
 of custom. 
 
368 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 ALUM SPRINGS. 
 
 These Springs are situated in Rockbridge 
 County, on the main road from Lexington to 
 the Warm Springs, about 17 miles from the 
 former, and 20 miles from the latter. The lo- 
 cation is a narrow valley, between the North 
 Mountain on the east, and the Mill Mountain 
 on the west. You descend into it, from the 
 high-road, by a steep and narrow road, and 
 you think you are then fairly within the south 
 pole, for if you desire to emerge again, you 
 must come out through the same hole by 
 which you entered. The cleared space, in- 
 cluding a meadow to the north of the build- 
 ings, is fifteen acres ; so, it will be perceived, 
 there is not much room for circumambulation, 
 unless, indeed, you are as fond of climbing as 
 the caprine race. 
 
 The buildings for the accommodation of 
 visiters are a frame house of two stories, con- 
 taining a dining-room, a parlour, dancing-hall, 
 and several lodging-rooms, and at either end 
 
ALUM SPRINGS. 369 
 
 are six cabins, containing each two rooms. 
 The centre building immediately fronts the 
 Springs, and is about sixty yards distant. 
 There is a broad walk from one to the other, 
 and a circular road or walk for carriages to ap- 
 proach the door ; but, with these exceptions, 
 the grounds are pretty much as they came 
 from the hands of nature. The hill, at the 
 base of which are the Springs, forms a grace- 
 ful curve of almost mathematical regularity, 
 and is about 100 feet high. It was so nearly 
 perpendicular at some former time as to have 
 produced an avalanche of the soil, which de- 
 nuded a stratum of slate-rock some sixty feet 
 in height, with a north-eastern dip. At the 
 bottom, three basins have been picked out, 
 and into these, inaptly called Springs, oozes 
 the water through the interstices of the rock. 
 
 In dry weather, the supply is very scanty. 
 A hundred persons might drink them dry ; but 
 in wet weather they afford an abundance, and, 
 contrary to all other waters, are then strong- 
 est; for the rain water acts as a solvent of 
 the mineral which seems incorporated with 
 the whole formation. The water is in de- 
 mand from a distance, and is sold by the pro- 
 
370 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 prietors at $4 per bbl. Some take selected 
 pieces of the rock, which they pound and put 
 into rain water. By this process, it is said, a 
 water equally efficient is prepared, and we 
 doubt not such is the fact. Pills are also made 
 of the residuum after boiling, which seem to 
 possess most of the virtues of the water. 
 They dissolve slowly in the mouth, and it ap- 
 pears to us this would be a more judicious 
 mode of using them than swallowing them 
 entire. No analysis has yet appeared of this 
 water. Besides alum, it certainly contains 
 copperas, and is supposed also to contain 
 magnesia. Many wonderful tales are told 
 of cases of scrofula cured by the water. Ma- 
 king due allowance for exaggeration, (and 
 we imagine there has been a good deal of it 
 in this case,) there must have been several 
 well-authenticated cases of relief, if not of 
 cure ; and to persons afflicted with that un- 
 manageable disease, it is certainly worthy of a 
 trial. We met there an able physician of the 
 U. S. Navy, who expressed confidence in its 
 powers. We also saw a friend who has vis- 
 ited the place annually, for several years, with 
 his family, members of whom had derived 
 
ALUM SPRINGS. 371 
 
 great benefit. We can readily believe that it 
 would be a useful remedy in cutaneous erup- 
 tions, and in some forms of diarrhoea ; but it 
 is now recommended for liver complaints, and 
 all other complaints, from the beginning to the 
 end of the catalogue. So far from being gen- 
 eral in its application, we should consider it as 
 the water least capable of being profitably em- 
 ployed in any variety of diseases, of all the 
 waters in the mountains. Here we found 
 persons who were drinking twenty or more 
 glasses a day of an agent confessedly very 
 powerful for good or for evil. Surely this is an 
 abuse, and can result in no advantage. 
 
 The establishment, which is calculated to 
 accommodate about eighty persons', (though 
 the number has exceeded a hundred,) is owned 
 by a family of the name of Campbell. Two 
 brothers leased the ground for a term of 
 years, at the expiration of which it reverts, 
 with all the improvements, to the heirs, of 
 whom we learn there are eight. It is not prob- 
 able that the improvements will ever be much 
 more extensive than they are at present ; in- 
 deed, the character of the locality, the want 
 of arable or pasture land, and the difficulty of 
 
372 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 procuring supplies, will prevent its growth. 
 The Mill Mountain, eight miles on one side 
 without a habitation, and the North Mountain 
 on the other, have to be crossed in order to 
 hunt up supplies for the company that now 
 frequents it. The fare is wholesome, but plain, 
 and indifferently served. It is the old style of 
 mountain cooking ; well enough for a hungry 
 hearty man, but not very inviting to an in- 
 valid. The private cook of a plain farmer in 
 the mountains of Virginia cannot be supposed 
 competent to cook for 100 persons, who have 
 been accustomed to neat and comfortable liv- 
 ing. We would therefore urge upon the 
 Messrs. Campbell the importance of making a 
 change in this department of their household ; 
 and we hope they will not take it amiss, when 
 we advise a little more care in helping their 
 guests. No matter how good the meat may 
 be, nor how well cooked, if you cut it as you 
 would for a dog, you get no credit for its qual- 
 ity ; indeed, we noticed this to be a very gen- 
 eral fault at the Springs we visited, and we 
 desire to be understood as throwing out the 
 hint for all such as are careless in this partic- 
 ular. They have fallen on another plan, too. 
 
ALUM SPRINGS. 373 
 
 of helping a man so scantily that a very mod- 
 erate eater can dispose of the whole in one 
 morsel : this is ridiculous and annoying. A 
 man dislikes to be sending his plate repeatedly 
 away, and is justly irritated. 
 
 We found the Messrs. Campbell sufficiently 
 obliging, and their sister, who attended to the 
 female department; seemed a kind, motherly 
 woman. The plan on which the establish- 
 ment seems to be conducted is to do all they can 
 within themselves. It is the true plan, and the 
 only one by which money can be saved : but 
 yetj there are certain things indispensable, and 
 if they cannot be supplied from within, they 
 should be sought for abroad. We have very 
 little doubt that this place has made more 
 clear money than places of much greater pre- 
 tension. If these gentlemen keep a neat, com- 
 fortable house, we are sure they will do a 
 profitable business. 
 
 32 
 
374 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 FAUGIUIER WHITE SULPHUR SPRING. 
 
 As the epicure leaves the most delicate mor- 
 sel for the last, so we have reserved for the 
 last place in our book the description of this 
 most charming establishment ; and having 
 thus, contrary to our original design, entered 
 upon the Springs of Eastern Virginia, we 
 will probably, at some future day, embrace all 
 the others, and perhaps the Bedford Springs of 
 Pennsylvania. On the 19th of July, 1844, 
 after an early breakfast, a horseman, accompa- 
 nied by a young lady, also mounted on her pal- 
 frey, left the comfortable Hotel at Fredericks- 
 burg, and crossing the Bridge to Falmouth, 
 took the road leading to the Springs. The 
 road for several miles from Falmouth was 
 rough and the scenery uninteresting. At the 
 end of twelve miles, they reached a very plain 
 frame house, whitewashed, and, at some little 
 distance, looking as if the occupant had, be- 
 nevolently, bored holes all over it, for those 
 gay little annual visiters, the martens. A 
 
FAUaiTIER WHITE SULPHUR SPRING. 375 
 
 nearer view, however, exhibited the reality, 
 which was nothing more than circular black 
 spots made with lampblack, on the whitewash- 
 ed boards. The notion was queer, and the 
 travellers deeming it probable that the Spotted 
 Tavern might not only afford them shelter 
 from a burning sun, but also some amusement, 
 determined to dismount, and explore the prem- 
 ises. Reining up their steeds, two lusty ne- 
 gresses, who had been scouring the porch with 
 all their might, came forward and took charge 
 of the horses, and a blast from a horn soon 
 brought up the ostler. Entering the house, 
 the travellers were agreeably surprised by the 
 neat appearance of every thing around them. 
 The floor, the furniture, the snow-white table- 
 cloth, the clean tea-things, the nice biscuits 
 and cool, fresh butter, all, all were most invit- 
 ing. The travellers did ample justice to a sec- 
 ond breakfast. How refreshing it is to one, 
 who has been living in the city, to get into a 
 nice country house. You are so much at your 
 ease, your spirits are so calmed and tranquil- 
 lized. Where, too, but in the country, can 
 you get a draught of clear, cool water from the 
 limpid spring, or deep well ? Certainly, not 
 
376 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 in Richmond, where you have to pay ten dol- 
 lars a year for the privilege of swallowing 
 mud. A well-bred horse, in the country, 
 would refuse to drink such water as a Christian 
 people are taxed for in the metropolis of Vir- 
 ginia. 
 
 After a day spent most agreeably, partly 
 under a beautiful arbour, the travellers mount- 
 ed for White Ridge, distant about eight miles. 
 The view of the mountains in approaching 
 this place was pleasing, and they had formed 
 altogether favourable anticipations. The host 
 and hostess were kind, but not very well pre- 
 pared to entertain travellers. The little up- 
 stairs rooms in which they were sent to lodge 
 were so suffocating, that after throwing open 
 his window, the elder traveller lay across his 
 bed, with his head on the window-sill, to try 
 and inhale a little fresh air ; while his more 
 delicate companion was suffering all the tor- 
 tures which such an atmosphere could inflict. 
 How they rejoiced at " the morning's first 
 beam." How hurriedly they huddled on their 
 clothes, and descended to the porch, and look- 
 ed out upon the distant hills, and inhaled the 
 balmy air. Here, too, they exclaimed, is the 
 
FAUQUIER WHITE SULPHUR SPRING. 377 
 
 lovely country ; but it is distance alone that 
 lends it enchantment ; so, let us mount and 
 bieakfast in Germantown. The travellers 
 did mount, and entertained themselves by 
 speculating on the subject of Germantown : 
 how many stores and blacksmiths' shops and 
 taverns were in this imaginary village. They 
 were told that after riding ten miles they must 
 turn off a little from the main road, and hav- 
 ing followed directions, they arrived in due 
 time at Germantown. Suddenly burst upon 
 the view the Germantown Inn, alone in its 
 glory. It was a frame house, Low Dutch in 
 appearance, having a neglected air, and the best- 
 looking furniture it possessed seemed to consist 
 of white-headed children. The travellers or- 
 dered breakfast, paid for it, ate nothing ', and 
 again to horse and away ten miles, under a 
 scorching sun, for the White Sulphur ; where 
 they arrived about noon, hungry, thirsty, and 
 exhausted. It is only adventures and contrasts, 
 such as those travellers encountered, that 
 can give zest to country excursions. A cit. 
 leaves Boston and is whirled along with his 
 head swimming all the time, and though he 
 passes magnificent scenery and lovely villages, 
 32* 
 
378 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 so far as enjoyment is concerned, he had as 
 well be blind. In a few hours, he reaches Al- 
 bany, is treading upon India matting, sipping 
 sherbet, smoking his cigar, and looking dig- 
 nity. Again, crack goes the driver's whip, 
 and he is rolled along in a fine coach, and 
 struts his little hour upon the stage at Sarato- 
 ga. Who meets him here? The same man 
 to whom, two days ago, he sold $10,000 worth 
 of rail-road stock, in Boston. Ha ! Smart, 
 are yon here ? spending your profits on that 
 speculation, I suppose ? $500 — that is all I 
 made — Gulley, nothing to talk about. What 
 news ? eh ! the Great Western arrived — 
 cotton flat — bread-stuffs looking up — rail-roads 
 in England all the rage — and here ? Oh ! 
 here, the centre of attraction is Miss Flora 
 Roseneath— cool $250,000, and 150 darkies ; 
 and Miss Julia Winterblossom, sole heiress to 
 a great shoe-manufacturer at Lynn — only 
 half a million ! Ton my soul, Smart, good 
 stock this! Suppose, we try a hand — have 
 you any qualms about the woollies? You 
 know I am somewhat of an abolitionist ; so, 
 here is for Lynn and Julia. She has, indeed, a 
 few carbuncles on her cheeks, but the essence 
 
FAUQUIER WHITE SULPHUR SPRING. 379 
 
 of gold-dust is a fine cosmetic, and will pre- 
 sently heal them. Well, Gulley, agreed : 
 Miss Flora and the darkies, against Julia and 
 the brogans. A pair of pumps to the winner, 
 eh ! a bargain, a bargain : and thus the spec- 
 ulators in stocks become speculators in matri- 
 mony. Such is Saratoga, and such a great 
 portion of the materiel of which its society is 
 made up. That materiel wants, and ever 
 will want, the enchanting simplicity of man- 
 ner, dignity of deportment, and air of true 
 gentility, founded on benevolence and forget- 
 fulness of self, which distinguish nature's gen- 
 tleman from the mere cockney and pretender. 
 We are fully aware that the elite of American 
 society annually assemble, in large numbers, 
 at Saratoga. From all points of the compass 
 they flock to that fashionable resort. But we 
 assert that there is more of the pure ore, and 
 less alloy to be met with, in the society annu- 
 ally visiting our watering-places, than is to be 
 met with north of the Susquehanna. The 
 day may come when, through the agency of 
 rail-roads, it will be otherwise ; but, sufficient 
 for the day is the evil thereof; meantime, let 
 us enjoy the blessings within our reach, and 
 
380 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 not forget the claims of the beautiful Fauquier 
 Springs. 
 
 It appears from a report now before us, that 
 the "medicinal qualities of the Mineral Spring 
 were known and highly appreciated in the 
 neighbourhood, long before it became an ob- 
 ject of general resort. The resort of the 
 neighbourhood was constant and persevering, 
 and caused such interruption to the farm 
 operations of the former proprieters as in- 
 duced one of them to fill up the Spring ; but 
 so clearly had its value been established, as in- 
 duced Mr. Lee to purchase it with a view to 
 open it to the public. His experiment was at 
 first on a small scale, but the throng of visiters 
 soon demonstrated the expediency of more ex- 
 tended operations, and a greater outlay of cap- 
 ital. Mr. Green united with Mr. Lee in the 
 enterprise. They have planned and executed 
 improvements, better calculated to promote the 
 comfort and please the taste of visiters, than 
 are to be found at any other watering-place in 
 the State. The buildings already constructed 
 might accommodate 800 guests, and are so 
 contrived as to admit of indefinite enlargement 
 without deranging the symmetry of the plan. 7 ' 
 
FAUQUIER WHITE SULPHUR SPRING. 381 
 
 The improvements are — a Pavilion, 188 
 feet long and four stories high, with a grand 
 Portico on its western aspect, overlooking the 
 lawn and a long line of diversified country. 
 We have seen nothing of the kind to compare 
 with this magnificent promenade ; we mean, 
 of course, in the country. On the eastern as- 
 pect, it was the design of the proprietors to 
 erect a similar Portico, and to connect that 
 front by means of an arch with another Pa- 
 vilion east of it, 100 feet long and four stories 
 high ; but when the timbers were all ready, 
 the workshop was destroyed by fire, and this 
 part of the design remaining unexecuted, 
 gives an unfinished appearance to this front 
 of the great Pavilion. We trust that, one 
 day or other, the original plan will be carried 
 out, and sure we are, that if its projector, 
 Thomas Green, Esq., becomes again largely 
 interested in the property, his fine taste as 
 well as good judgment will insure its com- 
 pletion. Besides the two great pavilions just 
 described, there are two large brick buildings, 
 three stories high — two others, 56 feet long 
 each, and two stories high — and twelve other 
 brick buildings, 56 feet long each — (all covered 
 
382 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 with slate except one) — the Bath-house and 
 the Spring House. All these improvements 
 and 1184 acres of land, together with a 
 tract of 1750 acres, lying south of the Rap- 
 pahannock River, were conveyed in August, 
 1837, to a company in 2500 shares at $68 
 per share, making for the whole $170,000, 
 by the then proprietors, Thomas Green 
 and Hancock Lee. By this company it 
 has since been held. They have made 
 no important improvements since that peri- 
 od, and their policy seems to have been to 
 keep free of debt and wait for better times. 
 Such times are now fast approaching, if 
 no wicked experiments again dash the 
 cup from the lips, and there is little doubt 
 that the investment in this property will 
 yield a fair return. The arrangements have 
 been much and justly praised. If one who 
 can lay but little claim to taste in landscape 
 may venture an opinion, he would suggest 
 that the grounds are too much broken up 
 by walks and shrubbery. The parterre 
 style of laying out grounds is now properly 
 abandoned. A beautifully green and shaven 
 
FAUQJJIER WHITE SULPHUR SPRING. 383 
 
 sward, with a great centre-walk, as now, and 
 other walks such as convenience might dictate, 
 with, here and there, a rose-bush or shrub, 
 would be infinitely more pleasing to a cultiva- 
 ted taste, than all the superfluous ornaments, 
 that now, like flounces and French millinery, 
 hide its symmetry and elegance. If the com- 
 pany would act upon this hint, and, placing a 
 simple but beautiful Pagoda on the summit 
 of the lovely western hill, immediately in 
 front of the centre of the Pavilion, would 
 transfer to that place some of the shrubbery 
 now in the way, and improve the grounds in 
 that direction by well-graded walks, furnished 
 with rustic lounges and resting-places for pe- 
 destrians, and make a handsome drive for 
 those who are ambitious to display a fine 
 equipage, all which could be done at a mod- 
 erate expense, we know of no place that may 
 vie with the Fauquier Springs. 
 
 The interior arrangements of the Pavilions 
 and Cabins are well calculated to afford com- 
 fort. The ball-room, drawing-room, dining- 
 room, and parlours, are all spacious and suita- 
 bly furnished. We must, nevertheless, say, 
 that at the time of our visit, when the com- 
 
384 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 pany did not exceed fifty, we were greatly dis- 
 appointed in the appearance of the table. 
 The table-cloth was coarse, and not of snowy 
 whiteness ; the china chipped and broken ; 
 the knives and forks neither sharp nor well 
 cleaned, and there were other signs of a " fall- 
 ing off/' which we could have wished had not 
 been so palpable. We deem this miserable 
 economy, and hope it has been corrected. 
 
 Mr. Ward, the manager of the establish- 
 ment, is an amiable and kind landlord, and 
 we are sure he is disposed to do all in his pow- 
 er to make his guests comfortable ; but he can- 
 not do it if stinted in the means. A certain 
 degree of style in living is expected at a place, 
 the exterior of which is so imposing, and it is 
 true policy to maintain appearances all through 
 the establishment. The encouragement held 
 out to the company by the success of last sea- 
 son will, no doubt, induce them to supply 
 every thing essential to comfort. 
 
 No analysis of this water, of an authentic 
 character, has been made public. It neither 
 possesses saline matter nor sulphuretted hydro- 
 gen in as large quantities as the Western 
 White Sulphur, nor is it comparable to it as a 
 
FAUQUIER WHITE SULPHUR SPRING. 385 
 
 medicinal agent: but there are cases to which 
 the latter is unsuited that would be benefited 
 here ; certainly, it would be a more rational 
 plan to use this or some other milder water 
 than to drink stale water in the county of 
 Greenbrier or Boston. We are well satisfied 
 that this water is valuable in Dyspepsia. It 
 is light, and feels comforting to the stomach in 
 most instances. With the aid of a little blue 
 mass, it will also be found useful in exciting to 
 action a torpid condition of the liver, and we 
 can readily suppose that it may prove useful in 
 dropsy and several diseases for which resort is 
 had to Sulphur waters. There is here a 
 most comfortable Bathing establishment, which 
 greatly enhances the advantages it presents in 
 other matters, and those advantages must in- 
 sure to this place a steadily increasing custom, 
 and cause it to rank in point of numbers and 
 fashion among the first of the Virginia Springs. 
 33 
 
386 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 TAVERNS. 
 
 The notice we took of the " Spotted Tav- 
 ern," on the road to Fauquier Springs, was in- 
 cidental. It was not our intention to touch on 
 this subject, lest we might do injustice to some 
 of those who deserve well of travellers by 
 keeping comfortable and neat accommodation 
 along the different routes to the Virginia 
 Springs. Of the houses on the road from Guy- 
 andotte to White Sulphur, we know nothing; 
 but presume, as it has been so long the great 
 stage route, they are good. On the road from 
 Lynchburg to Sweet Springs, there is a de- 
 lightful house kept at New London, by Mr. 
 Eccoles. The house at Liberty is an excel- 
 lent house ; at Beaufort's, plentiful and neat : 
 at Fincastle, the tavern is, or was, well kept 
 by Mr. Lancaster ; and we found the stage- 
 house, kept by Scott, west of Price's Mount- 
 ain, a very good house. The Eagle Hotel, at 
 Charlottesville, we found admirably kept, this 
 last summer ; Cocke's is an old stand, well 
 
TAVERNS. 387 
 
 known ; the rooms and beds are comfortable, and 
 the servants attentive. The fare is such as is 
 usually found at stage-houses — the same now 
 it was fifteen years ago. The house is neat, 
 and comfortably furnished. Brookville Tav- 
 ern is said to be well kept, as also the house 
 of Mrs. Jones, in Waynesboro'. 
 
 The houses west of Staunton are pretty 
 much on a par, with the exception we shall 
 notice by-and-by. The houses at Winchester, 
 Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, and Staunton, are 
 quite respectable, and afford the traveller much 
 comfort. There is, on the road from Waynes- 
 boro' to Lexington, a house at Greensville, kept 
 by a Mr. Smith, which is most comfortable. 
 This family know what good living is, and 
 are kind and attentive. There are two other 
 houses in the village, said also to be very 
 good. The stage-house, and only house at 
 Lexington, we found crowded, as w r e were told 
 it usually is, in summer. It is kept by Mr. 
 Sloan, a very kind and agreeable man. The 
 fare w r as moderately good, but the servants 
 either had too much to do, or were incompetent. 
 
 There are, on the road from Charlottesville 
 to White Sulphur, two localities so favourable 
 
388 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VTRGINIA. 
 
 as resting-places for the weary traveller, that 
 we cannot pass them over without a more ex- 
 tended notice. In doing this, we are altogether 
 influenced by the desire to benefit the traveller, 
 and not by any disposition to invidiously dis- 
 criminate. The houses to which we refer are 
 the Mountain Top and CallaghanJs. 
 
 The house on Mountain Top is on the 
 western slope of the Blue Ridge, at Rock-fish 
 Gap, and about 150 yards from the summit. 
 Above it, rises a cone of the mountain incli- 
 ning southwest ; and to the northeast is an- 
 other conical mountain, both several hundred 
 feet higher than the house. The view from 
 the Road-summit or Gap, commanding a va- 
 ried prospect of mountains, forests, and cultiva- 
 ted plains, is, indeed, very fine. In the morn- 
 ing, you may see the glorious God of day emerg- 
 ing from his curtains of purple and gold, and 
 shaking from his locks the dewy drops of Ocean, 
 and with a benign radiance illuming the wel- 
 coming features of his fruitful sister. Here, 
 again, at mellow evening, you may see him 
 descending in majestic dignity beneath . the 
 great Appalachian Mountains, gilding, in his 
 descent, the green forests and fleecy clouds, 
 
TAVERNS. 389 
 
 creating a thousand fanciful shapes of castles 
 and giants, old ladies with high caps, graceful 
 giraffes and clumsy elephants. But the view 
 from the point designated is limited in com- 
 parison with those that may be obtained by 
 ascending, as we did, the impending cone, by 
 a path which admits of riding within a few 
 yards of the summit. On the hill-side we 
 found a finely-set crop of clover, and near the 
 top a cow, that seemed indignantly to frown 
 upon us, and silently to say, " Thou intruder, 
 what doest thou here V At the highest clear- 
 ed point was a cluster of disjointed sand-rocks, 
 in the centre of which rose a sturdy oak, which 
 seemed to bid defiance to the tempests ; yet 
 the tempests came and shattered one of its 
 arms, while the humble and shrinking shrub- 
 bery around it remained undamaged : so it is 
 in human life ; those who expose themselves 
 to its tempestuous hurricanes, must, indeed, be 
 clad in panoply, if they escape unscathed ; 
 while the gentle and retiring are sheltered 
 from its frowns and its malice. The former 
 may be greater benefactors of society, the lat- 
 ter are more happy within themselves. Care- 
 fully observing there was no rattlesnake in 
 33* 
 
390 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 juxtaposition, we seated ourself upon the 
 highest crag, and thence viewed two-thirds of 
 the horizon. Having already given expres- 
 sion to our feelings on similar occasions, we 
 will not fatigue the reader by a repetition ; suf- 
 fice it say, that if any one shall think proper to 
 follow in our footsteps, he will be amply repaid 
 by the scene which we witnessed. Let him 
 go alone, too, and feel that there is nothing 
 but the pure canopy of Heaven above him, 
 and no eye that can look down upon him, but 
 that of his God. 
 
 Our object in dwelling upon the glorious 
 prospects afforded by this place, has been to 
 attract to it public attention ; but we should 
 do great injustice were we to pass, in silence, 
 its other advantages. A purer air never 
 breathed on this earth than fans the apart- 
 ments of this Mountain House, which is, in- 
 deed, admirably divided and adapted for the 
 entertainment of families. If we are not mis- 
 taken, it was built, with that view, by the 
 late Dr. Adams, of Richmond, a man who was 
 in advance of the age in which he lived, whose 
 plans, during his life, were scoffed at by puny 
 minds, but who 3 if he had lived to the present 
 
TAVERNS. 391 
 
 day. might see their merit appropriated by per- 
 sons who. when he digested those plans, were 
 in the womb of time, or. at least, in petticoats. 
 We remember when this house was neatly 
 kept by the Misses Madison. After that pe- 
 riod, being owned by a bachelor. Mr. Leake, it 
 was. for several years, not open for entertain- 
 ment Lately, however, it has been opened 
 by the brother of Mr. Leake, and is now kept 
 in the neatest and most comfortable manner. 
 Here the traveller will rind good bread, both 
 corn and wheat bread, nice biscuits, good tea 
 and coffee, well-cooked meats, and a delight- 
 fully neat-spread table. He will have a tine 
 airy chamber, a sweet bed. a pure atmosphere, 
 cool porticoes and passages, and a giant walnut 
 tree, under the shade of which he may swing 
 himself to sleep in an old-fashioned arm-chair. 
 This house is distant from Weyers Cave only 
 twelve miles, and is a convenient spot from 
 which to visit that celebrated freak of nature, 
 and from it maybe taken various pleasant ex- 
 cursions through the neio-hbourino; valleys. 
 Taking all these advantages into considera- 
 tion, and moreover, the excellence of the pure 
 freestone water, and the use of a ofood cha- 
 
392 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 lybeate water, and last, though not least, the 
 kind attention of the host and hostess, we do 
 trust that Mountain Top will not be passed 
 without a look by the traveller. 
 
 Come we now to Callagharils. This house 
 is situated in an interesting valley, on the 
 north fork of Dunlap's Creek, and at the in- 
 tersection of the great eastern and western 
 road, with those to Covington and the Sweet 
 Springs. It would be impossible for any loca- 
 tion to be more favourable for a public house, 
 and, accordingly, it has always been a great 
 resort of travel. It was originally owned and 
 kept by Dennis Callaghan, an honest, blunt 
 old Irishman, of whose witty drolleries many 
 are recollected and repeated by the more elder- 
 ly travellers. The property is now owned by 
 his son, an amiable, unassuming man, though 
 as far beyond his father, in cultivation, as Dio- 
 medes was beyond Tydeus in war. In no es- 
 tablishment west of the Blue Ridge has the 
 march of improvement been more visible than 
 at this. The house is, all through, neat and 
 clean and suitably furnished, and the fare is 
 most excellent. Reader, if you have never 
 eaten fried chicken at Callaghan's, then you 
 
TAVERNS. 393 
 
 do not know the luxury of fried chicken. No 
 French cook can touch it. There is a deli- 
 cacy about it which you will say you never 
 experienced before. Perfectly done — it is un- 
 scorched, white, plump, tender, delicious. It 
 makes our mouth water at the distance of 200 
 miles. It is not worth a journey across the 
 Atlantic, but if it were at Harpers Ferry, it 
 would make the scene more picturesque : it is 
 the ambrosia of meats — a food which Gany- 
 mede may feel proud of serving. "We could 
 give you a recipe for preparing it, but we fear 
 you would not follow directions, and you 
 would then imagine we are "romancing" Far 
 from it. we assure you ; but this is not all : we 
 defy Hebe herself to serve up nectar equal to 
 Callaghan's milk ; it is the essence of milk. 
 We will lead you a little into the secret of its ex- 
 cellence. First, then, the cows are fed plenti- 
 fully on sweet grass and wholesome proven- 
 der, well salted and attended : secondly, the 
 spring-house is of equal temperature, and it 
 and the vessels kept neat and pure ; thirdly, 
 it is never skimmed for table use ; but the 
 morning's milk is used for dinner and supper, 
 and the cream is diffused through it by gently 
 
394 SPRINGS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA. 
 
 whisking it. In like manner, the night's milk 
 is used in the morning, and all extravagance 
 apart, there is no milk superior to Callaghan's 
 on the broad earth. Here, too, the traveller 
 will find a species of bread vulgarly called salt- 
 rising, which will cure dyspepsia, if any thing 
 can. The table is always supplied with ten- 
 der venison steak and other delicacies, a* id, 
 upon the whole, this is one of the best public 
 houses any where to be met with in the coun- 
 try. When you visit Callaghan's, kind read- 
 er, after journeying through our book, or 
 drinking stale water with Dr. Moorman, the 
 best thing we can wish you is a good appetite, 
 which we do with all our heart. 
 
 Adieu. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 T 13 I 
 
062 867 8 
 
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