When taking hot baths for cleansing purposes the soap used is of some importance; especially so if the skin is thin or too dry. In such cases strong soaps are injurious, although their effect may be overcome to some extent by rubbing the body after the bath with a very little bit of olive oil. I would suggest, however, the use of a pure vegetable oil soap, such as castile, which is one of the best examples of a vegetable soap. This soap may be suggested in all cases, but it is particularly important when the skin is thin or dry. Very frequently dryness of skin is noticed in those of very light complexion. In the preceding chapter on Blood Purification I referred to a hot bath for the purpose of rapidly eliminating poisons and wastes in the body. An ordinary warm bath for cleansing purposes need not be taken at such a high temperature. In other words a soap-and-water bath will be perfectly satisfactory at a temperature of 103 to 105 degrees F. and need not occupy more than a very few minutes, whereas the hot bath referred to for the special purpose of blood purification may be of longer duration and of a much higher temperature, running up to 110 or 115 degrees Fahrenheit. There is another type of warm bath, however, which is of special value in many cases. This is what I have sometimes termed a neutral bath, inasmuch as it is neither hot nor cold. This is a bath at about the temperature of the body, that is to say, 95 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit. One should use a bath thermometer to be sure of the right temperature. This neutral bath has a sedative or quieting effect upon the nerves through its effect upon the innumerable nerve endings in the skin. It is neither hot nor cold, neither stimulating nor weakening, and one could remain in such a bath for hours without harm. It has a quieting effect upon the nerves and reference has been made to it in the chapter on Sleep as a means of overcoming excitement or nervousness. In attacks of mania it is especially valuable, and is now extensively used in all insane asylums because of its wonderful effect in quieting the nerves. This bath at 98 degrees is also especially commended in the case of severe burns covering a large surface. It is about the only way in which a person suffering from such an extensive burn can be made comfortable. It is also one of the most perfect forms of treatment in a case of that kind. The serious character of the burn depends not so much upon the severity as upon the extent of the surface involved. Therefore, one who has been seriously burned could remain immersed in a bath at 98 degrees F. for many days continuously, or until the skin has had a chance to heal. Immersion in water is a natural condition, for there was a time away back when all the animal life of the earth was found in the water. It was only through special variation in the character of evolution that certain forms of life