At One End
Of This Edifice, There Is An Octagon, Open At Top, Having A
Bason, With A Stone Pillar
In the middle, which discharges water
from the same source, all round, by eight small brass cocks; and
hither people
Of all ranks come of a morning, with their glasses,
to drink the water, or wash their sores, or subject their
contracted limbs to the stream. This last operation, called the
douche, however, is more effectually undergone in the private
bath, where the stream is much more powerful. The natural warmth
of this water, as nearly as I can judge from recollection, is
about the same degree of temperature with that in the Queen's
Bath, at Bath in Somersetshire. It is perfectly transparent,
sparkling in the glass, light and agreeable to the taste, and may
be drank without any preparation, to the quantity of three or
four pints at a time. There are many people at Aix who swallow
fourteen half pint glasses every morning, during the season,
which is in the month of May, though it may be taken with equal
benefit all the year round. It has no sensible operation but by
urine, an effect which pure water would produce, if drank in the
same quantity.
If we may believe those who have published their experiments,
this water produces neither agitation, cloud, or change of
colour, when mixed with acids, alkalies, tincture of galls, syrup
of violets, or solution of silver. The residue, after boiling,
evaporation, and filtration, affords a very small proportion of
purging salt, and calcarious earth, which last ferments with
strong acids.
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