Hydrotherapy in Ancient Greece

Full text

Historical Research
Hydrotherapy in Ancient Greece
Nikolaos TSITSIS1, Georgios POLKAS2, Andreas DAOUTIS2, Evanthia PROKOPIOU3,
Lambrini KOURKOUTA4*
Affiliation of the authors:
1. Lawyer, General Secretary, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki,
Thessaloniki, Greece
2. RN, Nursing Department, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki,
Thessaloniki, Greece
3. Teacher, 9th Primary School of Athens, Athens, Greece
4. RN, PhD, Professor of Nursing, Nursing Department, Alexander Technological
Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Corresponding author:
Lambrini KOURKOUTA, RN, PhD
Professor, Nursing Department
Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki, Greece
E-mail: laku1964@yahoo.gr
Balkan Military Medical Review
Oct - Dec 2013; 16(4): 462 - 466

Abstract
Water is the basic element of the human
body. It also plays an important role in
philosophy, the legislation regarding
hygiene and the therapeutic practice.
Ancient Egyptians regarded water as
the basic element in practicing hygiene,
but only of priests. Also, according to
Hebrew sanitary legislation, water was
important in the hygiene of all people.
Medicine in Ancient Greece is
interrelated with medicine and
philosophy of the people in the eastern
Mediterranean. Thus, Thales regards
water as the basis for everything in the
world and Plato perceives water as one
of four of the body humors. The
treatment in the temples of Asclepius
included bathing. Hippocrates, in his
book “on airs, waters and places”
examines the effects of water on the
body and its health.
Keywords: hydrotherapy, ancient
Greece, water, treatment
Introduction
“Hydrotherapy”-orelse,“bathing”-
is the methodical application of water in its
various conditions, such as fluid, ice and in
steam [1]. Already since the primitive
times of his life, man had water as his first
refuge in case of injury. This way, water is
intrinsically connected to philosophy, the
legislation about hygiene and the
therapeutical practice of people through
ages, like the ancients Greeks [2]. Besides,
most civilizations were born and
developed around water. Especially on the
Mediterranean coasts were the most
important ones who append, like the
Minoans, the Persians, the ancient Greeks,
the Phoenicians, Egyptians and Romans
[3].
The importance of the vital role of
water can be found in myths of various
peoples, like Aphrodite’s emersion from
water - she was the goddess of love,
reproduction and life inside water-. Water
as source of life, aimed at the purification
of humans and was used as sacrificial
power. The ancient Egyptians regarded
water as a basic element for exercising
hygiene, concerning the priests though,
which had to take a bath twice a day, daily,
and twice a night. Besides, in Egyptian
mythology, the river Nile together with the
sun, were their most important deities [5].
Also, in Hebrew legislation, water played
animportant roleinpeople’shygiene. The
priests were strictly abiding by all the rules
connected to bathing and purification just
like those connected to cold showers of the
face, the hands and the feet in the morning,
as well as of the hands and feet in the
evening. According to the Bible, it is
strictly forbidden to Jewish citizens to
enter the Temple, without bathing
beforehand. Indeed, they had to merge the
whole body in the water and, before that,
remove all their clothes and jewelry and
clean the body personally [6].
Especially in Medicine of the
people in ancient Mesopotamia, the doctor
wascalled“a-zu”,whichmeant“thewater
connoisseur”.Theaimofthepresentthesis
is to record the meaning of hydrotherapy in
ancient Greece and how it influenced
people’shealthin those days [7].
Material and Method
Articles, studies and texts related to
this subject have been used. As to the
archiving of the material a system of
evidence classification according to source
Tsitsis N. et al: Hydrotherapy in Ancient Greece 463

of origin, alphabetical and chronological
order has been employed.
Hydrotherapy in Ancient Greek
Mythology
The Greeks have always had a
special relationship with water. This
relationship is documented through
mythology: theworldofthose“living”was
separated from the world of the“dead” by
a river, a fact that highlights the
importance of water intheGreeks’view of
the world.
In ancient Greek mythology the
spring water and that of rivers is the water
of life as well. It is the water found and
given to Alexander the Great by his
mermaid sister, who, since then, roams in
the seas [8]. Ancient Greeks honored the
waters like deities and imaged the Ocean
as a huge river flowing around the earth.
The Ocean had 3,000 nymphs and 3,000
rivers as his children. Many of the nymphs,
like the Naiads, afforded magical and
revitalizing powers and were found in
rivers, springs and in mountains from
which rivers originated [9].
In the Greek Mythology there is
also reference to Ganymedes, prince of
Troy and cupbearer of the gods in
mountain Olympus, as the God of Nile’s
springs who was made a constellation. He
is the Aquarius of the zodiac circle and
personifies the water in clouds that
fertilizes the earth [10]. We can also see
that mythological heroes and Gods, too,
owe their special abilities to water. So,
Hercules bathes in the sacred springs of
Aedipsos, in order to retain lost physical
powers; goddess Hera bathes in the
Karpathian spring so that she could retain
her virginity every year and goddess
Thetis, who baptized her son Achilles in
the waters of lake Styx so as to make him
invulnerable. The top God of the aquatic
element in the Greek Mythology, though,
was Poseidon. For the continental regions,
he was the god of the rivers, which water
and fertilize the land, and the god of the
springs who also had the lakes in his
sovereignty [3, 9].
Hydrotherapy
Homer and other ancient poets,
called the sea sacred ‘άλανδίαν’(ofZeus),
while its water was used in purifications,
because the sea “πάντα τ’ ανθρώπων
κλύζει κακά” (always cleanses evil from
humans) [11]. In Homerian epics the use of
water is frequently mentioned, the
cleansing of the body stated health, of
hands and youth, the washing of hands and
bathing stated expression of respect but
also an action of welcoming the guest,
where foot bath, which replaced the
general bath when its preparation was not
feasible, was utilized.
Among the Ionian philosophers,
Thales regards water as the primary
principal for everything in the world. The
whole life ends up in water, as whatever
perishes, either dies or transforms into
fluid –water, that is-. After all, Plato
regards water as one of the four elements
of the body, while Empedokles, one of the
four elements of the world [12].
Furthermore, all ancient Greek
philosophers and doctors highlighted the
value of hot and cold baths for one’s
health, hygiene and entertainment. This
results in the incorporation of baths in
Gymnasiums, as an intrinsic feature of
their everyday life. Plato in “Politeia”
encourages the weakest and the patients to
take hot baths. Aristotle recommends
bathing in cases of fever, nasal
haemorrhage, as well as worn out bodies
[13].
As far as bathing in ancient Greece
is concerned, it was not just a means of
cleansing and cure but also a feature of
religious ritual and entertainment. All these
are depicted through painting that have
been found e.g. in vessels. Herodotus is
464 Balkan Military Medical Review
Vol. 16, No 4, Oct - Dec 2013

considered to be the first to make
observations concerning the bathing
therapy, which are acceptable even today,
like the time one could stay in baths daily,
as well as the time one could stay there
each season. That is, three times a week
during spring in hot baths and three times a
week during the summer in cold baths.
However, Homer also frequently mentions
the use of baths in his works. Moreover, all
ancient Greek philosophers and doctors
highlighted the value of hot and cold baths
for good hygiene; in his work “about
winds, water and lands”, studies the
influence of water in the body and the
harmful effects on health by stagnant water
and swamps.
According to Hippocrates, too cold
water could cause serious intestinal
disorders, while too hot or stagnant water
often causes fever. He also knew about the
advantages of clean and boiled water for
the wound therapy and gave major
therapeutical value to marine baths. In his
work «Περί διαίτης οξέων» (On the diet
during acute diseases) Hippocrates
describes the routine of bath therapy in
way that does not differ fromtoday’sone.
Hespecificallymentions:“Bathdoesgood
to many diseases, sometimes continually or
even sporadically. There is the case though
that its use must be limited, when it comes
to people who have no facilities at home.
The houses with such facilities and the
servants to offer such convenience are
indeedfew.Ifthesickman’sbathdoesnot
take harm to the sick is not minor” [13, 16]
The temples of Asclepius also
included treatment and baths. There the
abundant waters, fertile land and spas
favorably predisposed patients. A source
of clean water was the necessary
complement of Asklepios [17]. Public and
private facilities were found in Knossos,
Trinytha and Pergamon with many venues
for spa massage and drinking cures. The
baths were predominantly a medium for
physical and mental therapy; apart from
bath, diet was imposed in combination
with other mental instruments [18].
The liquid element and the baths
were also used in sports. From the early
5th century, athletes were known to
cleanse the body after exercise. Before the
5th century there were no baths in gyms
and the athletes used to throw water on
each other [19]. The so-called “baptismal
fonts”, the forerunners of today's
swimming pools were also known, where
athletes used to swim. In baths and sports
facilities there were people whose job was
to help the athletes, called “sindonoforos”
mainly heating the water in a furnace [20].
Towards the end of the 6th century BC, it
becomes shallower with secure high
wooden beams, takes animal form and
evolves in a kind of shower [13, 19].
Conclusion
The ancient Greeks used the water
for drinking, as a cleaning agent, but also
as a means of exercise in “fonts” [13].
Hydrotherapy is also used for health,
wellness and against combat fatigue of the
organism [3]. Originally, cold water was
used, later on hot and in vapor form.
Remarkable is the reference in water’s
healing properties, as reported even by the
ancient Asclepieia, which were therapeutic
centers of the ancient times.
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