Miracles, Quackery, and Solid Science- Hydropathy in Victoriana Part 3

Any discussion about using hydropathy in a role-playing game wouldn’t be complete without a little talk about rules. First the Gamemaster must decide how well hydropathy works in the game world.  

Hydropathy could just be physical therapy and a diet regimen. In which case, no rules are needed and the gamemaster can just describe a visit to a spa like they would a trip to the hospital. Players still get a small bonus to their health pip recovery like a hospital, but that’s it. It’s a place of rest and healthy living under the care of a few trained physicians. Alternatively, the hydropathy clinic could be all hokum. If it’s run by amateurs or charlatans little or no bonus applies at all. 
 

While it’s fun to dig into historic medical practices, this is Victoriana. We have magic! Because hydropathy has roots in ancient pagan practices and was frowned on by many in the established medical community, I think its fun to put it under the wing of the magical branch with roots in ancient pagan practices frowned on by many in the established magical community: Petty Conjuring. Any respectable doctor of thaumatergy willing to look into conjuring receives the same ridicule as hydropathists.

Neptune’s Girdle

Ritual Cost: 3      

Difficulty: 1

Ritual length: 1 hr             

Activation range: Touch

Activation cost:   1  

Duration: Hours

The Conjurer holds a long strip of cloth submerged in fresh water for an hour asking the water for strength in an hour long ritual. The fortitude of any being with the cloth wrapped around their waist is doubled during the enchantment’s duration. Their health pips increase accordingly.

The cloth remains dripping wet until the ritual’s effect fades. If the cloth is removed or damaged in any way, the wearer looses all the effects of Neptune’s Girdle except for dampness around their midsection.

Rejuvenating Mineral Water Tonic

Ritual Cost: 2

Difficulty: 0

Ritual length: 1 hr

Activation range: Touch/Self

Activation cost: 1

Duration: Rounds

Water from a natural spring is bottled up, with the spring’s permission, and kept in a cool place during the ritual.

The focus actives by opening the bottle and sprinkling all its surprisingly cold contents on a nearby target. The target adds bonus dice to their initiative equal to any black dice they have from wounds. Additionally they ignore their wound penalties on all skill and attribute tests.

Additionally the spells Befuddle, Cat Nimble, Healing Poultice, and Ocean’s Gift, could have hydropathic versions. A long bath with some suspicious herbs, a quick spray in the right place before a fight, or small bottle in case of emergencies could all give an enchanted boost with the Water Cure.

More Magic

Finally, here is one last adventure idea to round out this series of posts:

The scabbard of King Arthur’s sword Excalibur, given to him by the Lady of the Lake, could heal wounds. The sorceress Morgan la Fey stole it, or took it back, leading to Arthur’s death. Its possible Morgan la Fey’s name is related to the similarly named monsters of Breton lore: Morgens, the beautiful river spirits who cause floods and seduce men underwater to drown.

Any hydropathy clinic with especially attractive nurses, and a miraculous reputation for recovery would draw many tired and influential men of business. Some might come back new men, entirely new men.

Spas and Gods- Hydropathy in Victoriana Part 2

Last week, I introduced Hydropathy, the therapeutic application of water aiming to heal patients. Hydropathy became a national health craze in the 1840’s, and doctors, entrepreneurs, and enthusiast rushed to open practices offering the Water Cure.

Hydropathic Clinics

Spas and clinics sprouted all over Britain and the European Continent, usually in villages with natural springs and wells locally rumored to have healing waters. Hydropathic hotels with Turkish baths and diet regimens offered rest and purification to their clients. Most were founded by professional doctors, but more than a few well meaning amateurs dirtied the water, by opening their own water cure clinics.

Although many patients benefited from hydropathy, a few patients died during their treatments, often of heart attacks. While preexisting conditions probably were the cause, the more extreme and strenuous regimens were undoubtedly the triggering circumstances.

In 1842, Dr James Manby Gully and Dr. James Wilson founded one of the most successful hydropathy clinics at the town of Malvern in Worcestershire. The purity of Malvern’s spring water was already well known, having been bottled and sold since the 1600s. The upper class came from all over England for the Water Cure.

For five pounds a week, Gully and Wilson’s patients woke in their private villas at five to be wrapped in wet sheets for an hour. Then after having buckets of cold water poured on them, the patients went on a five mile walk with stops at Malvern wells to drink water. Returning for a breakfast of biscuits and more water, the rest of the day was spent on each patient’s hydropathic regimen, ending with a fish and mutton dinner.

Patron Spirits

Ancient Britons believed their most precious springs had patron spirits and gods. Some Hydropathic practices were built around these same springs. Here is an example of a patron god that might take notice of activity near their holy sites:

The aptly named town of Bath in Somerset has a thermal spring where the ancient Celts worshiped the goddess Sulis. When the Romans came they built spas over the thermal springs and joined in the worship of “Sulis Minerva”. Sulis was associated with healing, law, and the sun.

Her worshipers also petitioned her for revenge and justice. They dropped small metal tablets in her spring, asking her to punish specific or suspected wrongdoers (thieves, adulterers, etc) by taking away their sleep, health, certain parts of their anatomy, and even their lives. Most of the messages were encoded, by writing backwards or by scrambling words around.

Adventure ideas

Hydropathic Hotels attract a very good class of cliental, which attracts a very ambitious class of thief. It’s hard to keep an eye on your valuables while you’re soaking in a tub.

High powered businessmen rest at a clinic built near the site of ancient rituals. They return from their stay relaxed and ready to face their stressful lives, although in every case someone they knew died during their time at the clinic. Usually some who made their lives more stressful.

James Manby Gully was interested in Transpecies Evolution. A doctor in charge of a water clinic might try to speed up the process. Some of his patience may start feeling more comfortable in the water than out of it.

Next week, I’ll wrap up this series of posts with a look at how Hydropathy can be adapted mechanically for Victoriana. I’ll also present more ways to spread fantasy and magic into the Water Cure.

The Water Cure- Hydropathy in Victoriana Part 1

Victorian medical practitioners tried to alleviate human suffering with every new discovery, such as anesthesia, alkaloids, mercury, lead, mummy powder, acids, sulfur, and electricity. Some were effective in their use, some detrimental. Among all these experimental treatments, the most controversial, and exciting cure of all was water.

Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used water for healing in rituals, and in medicine.  The idea of water’s healing power on the body slept quietly until the 1700s, and was full awakened by the 1840’s. Now called Hydropathy, its proponents believed the therapeutic application of water could alleviate suffering or even cure disease. Doctors, writers, enthusiasts, and hydropathy societies pushed “The Water Cure” into the public eye. 

Spa’s opened in cities and near natural springs, doctors prescribed diet and drink regimens, and countless products and inventions cashed in on the health fad. Some people even got better.

During the Industrial Revolution more and more people worked in overcrowded cities and lived in dirty diseased conditions. Time spent in the country eating healthy, exercising, and drinking plenty of water improved the health of quit a few Victorians. Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale, and Charles Dickens all improved during hyropathic treatments.

Much of the medical community remained skeptical of claimed broken bones and minds healed with simple water. Foes of hydropathy’s healing powers cited over-embellished claims and lack of evidence.

Although doctors and physical therapists still use some forms of  hydropathy (now called hydrotherapy) today, its origins, near supernatural claims of healing, and place in Victorian society makes it a great bit of history to stick into a roleplaying game.

               

Hydropathy Prescriptions and Treatments

The following list contains Hydropathic practices used in the 1800s.  Feel free to mix and match the prescriptions and accordingly adjust the water temperature to make a health regimen suitable for your adventures.

                Drink massive amounts of cold water (no less than 12 glasses a day; up to 30)

                Wrap sheets drenched with cold water around the patient’s entire body

                Wrap select body parts with specially shaped wet bandages

                Get blood flowing by rubbing the patient with a wet towel for a few minutes

                Wrap the patient in a dry blanket to invoke sweating for an hour followed by cold baths

                Take cold baths first thing in the morning/last thing before bed

                Douching / douche baths

                Avoid drugs and alcohol

                Bath or swim in seawater

                Don’t wear flannel or cotton

                No medical drugs

                No mineral water

                Eat mainly simple meat and vegetables

                Eat plenty of fatty foods

                Eat mainly coarse bread

                Take vigorous walks in fresh mountain air

                Wakeup early

                Drink seawater

                Constantly wear “Neptune Girdle” (a wet sheet wrapped around the waist)

                Avoid contact with the opposite gender during treatment

                Take baths that submerge half the body

                Take head baths by dipping the head in a bowl of water

                Sprays (warm or cold showers)

                Take long baths in hot water overnight or even continuous baths for days

                Bath in quiet dimly lit rooms

                Drink sulfur water or iron mineral waters

                Take galvanic baths (baths with an electric current passing through the water)

               

Hydropathy is a well of adventure hooks that does not run dry. Next week’s post looks at using hydropathy in a Victoriana Adventure.