By using the simple carbondioxated spring at “Farmers' Resthouse”, the sulphur spring at “Farmers' Resthouse”, hot-spring at our Institute and Tamagawa Hot-Spring in Akita Prefecture (H
2S containing acid alum spring), experiments were performed with healthy bathers and those patients admitted to our hospital, who had no disturbance in the liver function as an effect of single bathing, in the excreted amount of urinary urobilinogen and changes in it caused by curative bathing, nor in point to the effect of curative bathing on the excreted amount of urinary urobilinogen or in relation with a thermal crisis. Results are summarized as follows:
1) The effect on urinary urobilinogen in single bathing in a high temperature hot-spring, such as the sulphur spring at “Farmers' Resthouse, ” the spring at our Institute and Tamagawa Hot Spring was to decrease the amount of urine excreted and to increase the concentration of urinary urobilinogen. It was difficult to observe any definite tendency in the amount of urinary urobilinogen excreted, both increase and decrease in it being almost the same, while the long-time sedative neutral bathing in a carbondioxated spring like the one at “Farmers' Resthouse, ” coupled with the diuretic action of such a spring, increased the amount of urine excreted, and decreased the concentration of urinary urobilinogen, although no definite tendency could be observed in the amount of urinary urobilinogen excreted, the increase and decrease in it being almost the same, i. e. similar to the three springs described in the preceding section. That the changes in urinary urobilinogen before and after single bathing gradually decrease, though slightly, with the progress of curative bathing in most cases, shows the adaptation phenomenon of the living body to thermal stimulation, and that the individual difference in reaction gradually decreases with the progress of balneal treatment, showing a definite tendency of changes.
2) The effect of curative bathing on the amount of urinary urobilinogen excreted per day, was in the moderate bathing group, to increase it slightly with the progress of balneal treatment, but it decreased again; that is, the changes are undulant, temporary and reversible; mostly the changes are within the normal value. There are many cases, where an increase in urinary urobilinogen in the early stage of balneal treatment due to fatigue tends to decrease temporarily by moderate bathing.
In the excessive bathing group, curative bathing causes changes in the amount of urinary urobilingen, which are undulant, temporary and reversible in character, but there are cases where it increases greatly in the interval after bathing. The amount of urinary urobilinogen per day in this group is slightly higher in value, than that in the moderate bathing group, sometimes beyond the normal value.
3) Incidence of thermal crisis was 66.6% in the moderate bathing group, but it was still higher in the excessive bathing group. This means, that the incidence of the thermal crisis is proportional to the number of times that they bathe.
4) Generalized symptoms of thermal crisis are fatigue and malaise, abnormal appetite and sleep, headache, unusual bowel movement, dizziness, palpitation, hot fit, buzzing, nausea and vomitting, and localized symptoms are balneal dermatitis and reactivation of old foci, etc., of which balneal dermatitis is most observable. The degree of dermatitis and the amount of urinary urobilinogen excreted do not necessarily go in parallel, and except for what is called an advanced case of dermatitis in the form of thermal crisis, the degree of dermatitis does not always coincide with the intensity of the thermal crisis viewed from the point of urinary urobilinogen. It seems, that the properties and temperature of hot springs have great influence on the appearance of balneal dermatitis.
5) Thermal crisis appeared within a week
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