Baths and bathing have long been considered of medical importance to man. In Greece there are the ruins of a bath tub and water system built over 3,000 years ago. The Romans had warm public baths. In some as many as 3,000 persons could bathe at the same time.
Treating disease by bathing has been popular for centuries. Modern medicinal bathing, or hydrotherapy, first became popular in Europe and by the late 1700's also became popular in the United States.
For many years frequent bathing was believed to be bad for one's health. Ordinary bathing just to be clean was avoided, and perfume was often used to cover up body smells!
By the 1700's doctors began to say that soap and water were good for health. They believed that it was good for people to be clean. Slowly, people began to bathe more frequently. During the Victorian Age of the late 19th centuries, many Americans were known as "The Great Unwashed!" In one American city, for example, a person could only take a bath every 30 days! That was a law!
Frequency of bathing today is partly a matter of habit. People know that bathing for cleanliness is important to health. Doctors know that dirty bodies increase the chance of diseases. Consequently, in the United States, people generally bathe often. Some people bathe once a day at least. They consider a daily bath essential to good health
这篇文章的main idea
|
