Editing Bathing (section)

===Modern era===

====Therapeutic bathing====
[[File:Aachen Kaiserbad 1682.jpg|thumb|Hot springs at [[Aachen]], Germany, 1682]]
[[File:Hydropathic applications at Graefenberg, per Claridge's Hydropathy book.jpg|thumb|upright|Hydropathic applications according to Claridge's Hydropathy book.]]
Public opinion about bathing began to shift in the middle and late 18th century, when writers argued that frequent bathing might lead to better health. Two English works on the medical uses of water were published in the 18th century that inaugurated the new fashion for [[hydrotherapy|therapeutic bathing]]. One of these was by Sir [[John Floyer (physician)|John Floyer]], a physician of [[Lichfield]], who, struck by the remedial use of certain springs by the neighbouring peasantry, investigated the history of cold bathing and published a book on the subject in 1702.
<ref>{{cite book |author=John Floyer & Edward Batnard |title=Psychrolousia. Or, the History of Cold Bathing: Both Ancient and Modern. In Two Parts. The First, written by Sir John Floyer, of Litchfield. The Second, treating the genuine life of Hot and Cold Baths..(exceedingly long subtitles) by Dr. Edward Batnard|year=1715|orig-year=1702| publisher= William Innys. Fourth Edition, with Appendix| location=London | url=https://archive.org/details/psychrolousiaor00bayngoog|access-date=2009-10-22}} Full text at Internet Archive (archive.org)</ref> The book ran through six editions within a few years and the translation of this book into German was largely drawn upon by Dr J. S. Hahn of [[Silesia]] as the basis for his book called ''On the Healing Virtues of Cold Water, Inwardly and Outwardly Applied, as Proved by Experience'', published in 1738.<ref name="Metcalfe1898pp5-6">Hahn, J.S. (1738). ''On the Power and Effect of Cold Water.'' Cited in Richard Metcalfe (1898), pp.5–6. Per ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', this was also titled ''On the Healing Virtues of Cold Water, Inwardly and Outwardly applied, as proved by Experience''</ref>

The other work was a 1797 publication by Dr [[James Currie (physician)|James Currie]] of [[Liverpool]] on the use of hot and cold water in the treatment of fever and other illness, with a fourth edition published not long before his death in 1805.<ref>{{cite book |author=Currie, James|title=Including an Inquiry into the Circumstances that render Cold Drink, or the Cold Bath, Dangerous in Health, to which are added; Observations on the Nature of Fever; and on the effects of Opium, Alcohol, and Inanition|edition=4th, Corrected and Enlarged |volume=1|chapter=Medical Reports, on the Effects of Water, Cold and Warm, as a remedy in Fever and Other Diseases, Whether applied to the Surface of the Body or used Internally|year=1805 | publisher= T. Cadell and W. Davies| location = London | url=https://archive.org/details/medicalreportso00currgoog|access-date=2 December 2009}} Full text at Internet Archive (archive.org)</ref>  It was also translated into German by Michaelis (1801) and [[Dietrich Hermann Hegewisch|Hegewisch]] (1807). It was highly popular and first placed the subject on a scientific basis. Hahn's writings had meanwhile created much enthusiasm among his countrymen, societies having been everywhere formed to promote the medicinal and dietetic use of water; in 1804 Professor E.F.C. Oertel of [[Ansbach|Anspach]] republished them and quickened the popular movement by the unqualified commendation of water drinking as a remedy for all diseases.
<ref>Claridge, Capt. R.T. (1843, 8th ed), pp.14 49, 54, 57, 68, 322, 335. Note: Pagination in online field does not match book pagination. Type "Oertel" into search field to find citations.</ref>

A popular revival followed the application of hydrotherapy around 1829, by [[Vincenz Priessnitz]], a peasant farmer in [[Lázně Jeseník|Gräfenberg]], then part of the [[Austrian Empire]].<ref>{{cite book| title=Hydropathy; or The Cold Water Cure, as practiced by Vincent Priessnitz, at Graefenberg, Silesia, Austria. |url=https://archive.org/details/hydropathyorcol00clargoog|last=Claridge|first=Capt. R.T.| edition=8th |year=1843| publisher=James Madden and Co|location=London|access-date=2009-10-29}} Full text at Internet Archive (archive.org). Note: The "Advertisement", pp.v-xi, appears from the 5th ed onwards, so references to time pertain to time as at 5th edition.</ref>
<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bradley|first=James|title=Cold cure: Hydrotherapy had exotic origins, but became a firm favourite of the Victorian elite|publisher=Wellcome Trust: News and Features|year=2003|url=http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2003/Features/WTD004517.htm|access-date=17 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011213445/http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2003/Features/WTD004517.htm|archive-date=11 October 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> This revival was continued by a Bavarian priest, [[Sebastian Kneipp]] (1821–1897), "an able and enthusiastic follower" of Priessnitz, "whose work he took up where Priessnitz left it", after he read a treatise on the cold water cure.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kneipp, Sebastian |title=My Water Cure, As Tested Through More than Thirty Years, and Described for the Healing of Diseases and the Preservation of Health |year=1891 | publisher= William Blackwood & Sons| location = Edinburgh & London | url=https://archive.org/stream/mywatercureastes00kneiuoft#page/n7/mode/2up|access-date=3 December 2009}} translation from the 30th German edition. Full text at Internet Archive (archive.org).</ref> In [[Bad Wörishofen|Wörishofen]] (south Germany), Kneipp  developed the systematic and controlled application of hydrotherapy for the support of medical treatment that was delivered only by doctors at that time. Kneipp's own book ''My Water Cure'' was published in 1886 with many subsequent editions, and translated into many languages.

[[Captain R. T. Claridge]] was responsible for introducing and promoting hydropathy in Britain, first in London in 1842, then with lecture tours in Ireland and Scotland in 1843. His 10-week tour in Ireland included Limerick, Cork, Wexford, Dublin and Belfast,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Ennis Turkish Baths 1869–1878|url=http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/ennis_turkish_baths_article.htm|last=Beirne|first=Peter|publisher=County Cork Library|page=see note 11|access-date=30 October 2009|archive-date=2 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202174111/http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/ennis_turkish_baths_article.htm|url-status=live}} Originally published in ''The Other Clare'' vol. 32 (2008) pp 12–17</ref> over June, July and August 1843, with two subsequent lectures in Glasgow.<ref>{{Cite book|year=1843|author=Anon.|title=Hydropathy, or the Cold Water Cure|series=The Substance of Two Lectures, delivered by Captain Claridge, F.S.A., at the Queens Concert Rooms, Glasgow|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sMoEAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Capt.+Claridge%22&pg=PA10|access-date=12 June 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Bethsabée, by Jean-Léon Gérôme.jpg|thumb|Painting by [[Jean-Léon Gérôme]] of [[Bathsheba]] bathing while being watched by [[David|King David]]]]
The acceptance of [[germ theory]] in the late 1800s provided scientific reasons for frequent bathing.

====Public baths and wash-houses====
[[File:1914 INTERIOR OF UPPER FREDERICK STREET WASH HOUSE.jpg|thumb|Interior of [[Liverpool]] wash house, the first public wash house in England]]
Large public baths such as those found in the ancient world and the [[Ottoman Empire]] were revived during the 19th century. The first modern public baths were opened in [[Liverpool]] in 1829. The first known warm fresh-water [[Public bathing|public wash house]] was opened in May 1842.<ref name=ArthurAshpitel1851 />{{rp|2–14}}<ref>{{citation|title=Sanitas Sanitatum et Omnia Sanitas |first=Richard |last=Metcalfe |volume=1 |year=1877 |publisher=Co-operative printing company |url=https://archive.org/stream/sanitassanitatu00metcgoog#page/n24/mode/2up|page=3}}</ref>

The popularity of wash-houses was spurred by the newspaper interest in [[Kitty Wilkinson]], an Irish immigrant "wife of a labourer" who became known as the ''Saint of the Slums''.<ref name=BBC20100204>{{cite news |title='Slum Saint' honoured with statue |date=4 February 2010 |newspaper=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8499533.stm |access-date=9 June 2014 |archive-date=23 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323161137/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8499533.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1832, during a [[cholera]] epidemic, Wilkinson took the initiative to offer the use of her house and yard to neighbours to wash their clothes, at a charge of a penny per week,<ref name=ArthurAshpitel1851/> and showed them how to use a [[chloride of lime]] (bleach) to get them clean. She was supported by the District [[Industrial and provident society|Provident Society]] and [[William Rathbone V|William Rathbone]]. In 1842, Wilkinson was appointed baths superintendent.<ref name=Wohl1984>{{citation | last=Wohl | first=Anthony S. | year=1984 | title=Endangered lives: public health in Victorian Britain | publisher=Taylor & Francis | isbn=978-0-416-37950-1 | page=73}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Memoir of Kitty Wilkinson of Liverpool, 1786-1860: with a short account of Thomas Wilkinson, her husband | first=Herbert R. |last=Rathbone |publisher=H. Young & Sons|year=1927}}</ref>

In Birmingham, around ten private baths were available in the 1830s. Whilst the dimensions of the baths were small, they provided a range of services.<ref>''Topography of Warwickshire'', William West, 1830</ref> A major proprietor of bath houses in Birmingham was a Mr. Monro who had had premises in Lady Well and Snow Hill.<ref name="Birmingham Journal">''The Birmingham Journal'': Private Bath Advertisements, 17 May 1851</ref> Private baths were advertised as having healing qualities and being able to cure people of [[diabetes]], [[gout]] and all skin diseases, amongst others.<ref name="Birmingham Journal" /> On 19 November 1844, it was decided that the [[working class]] members of society should have the opportunity to access baths, in an attempt to address the health problems of the public. On 22 April and 23 April 1845, two lectures were delivered in the [[Birmingham Town Hall|town hall]] urging the provision of public baths in Birmingham and other towns and cities.

After a period of campaigning by many committees, the [[Baths and Washhouses Act 1846|Public Baths and Wash-houses Act]] received [[royal assent]] on 26 August 1846. The act empowered [[local authority|local authorities]] across the country to incur expenditure in constructing public swimming baths out of its own funds.<ref name=CS102005494 >{{cite news |title=Baths and Wash-Houses |date=22 July 1846 |page=6 |newspaper=The Times |quote=Yesterday the bill, as amended by the committee, for promoting the voluntary establishment in boroughs and parishes in England and Wales of public baths and wash-houses was printed.}}</ref>

The first London public baths was opened at Goulston Square, [[Whitechapel]], in 1847 with the [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince consort]] laying the foundation stone.<ref name=CS16940282>{{cite news |title=Classified Advertising |date=26 July 1847 |page=1 |newspaper=The Times | quote=Model Public Baths, Goulston-square, Whitechapel. The BATHS for men and boys are now OPEN from 5 in the morning till 10 at night. Charges – first-class (two towels), cold bath 5d., warm bath 6d.; second-class (one towel), cold bath 1d, warm bath 2d. Every bath is in a private room.}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Sanitas Sanitatum et Omnia Sanitas |first=Richard |last=Metcalfe |volume=1 |year=1877 |publisher=Co-operative printing company |url=https://archive.org/stream/sanitassanitatu00metcgoog#page/n24/mode/2up|page=7}}</ref>

====Soap promoted for personal cleanliness====
[[File:Pears'Soap02.jpg|thumb|upright|"The order of the bath" [[Pears soap]] advertisement in 1889, a reference to the [[Order of the Bath]]. Soap reached a mass market as the middle class adopted a greater interest in cleanliness.]]
By the mid-19th century, the English urbanised middle classes had formed an ideology of cleanliness that ranked alongside typical [[Victorian era|Victorian]] concepts, such as [[Christianity]], respectability and [[social progress]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Eveleigh, Bogs|title=Baths and Basins: The Story of Domestic Sanitation|publisher=Stroud, England: Sutton|year=2002}}</ref> The cleanliness of the individual became associated with his or her moral and social standing within the community and domestic life became increasingly regulated by concerns regarding the presentation of domestic sobriety and cleanliness.
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/1615|title=Health & Hygiene in Nineteenth Century England|access-date=23 May 2019|archive-date=22 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122165558/https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/1615|url-status=live}}</ref>

The industry of soapmaking began on a small scale in the 1780s, with the establishment of a soap manufactory at [[Tipton]] by [[James Keir]] and the marketing of high-quality, transparent soap in 1789 by [[Andrew Pears]] of [[London]]. In 1807, Pears found a way of removing the impurities and refining the base soap before adding the delicate perfume of garden flowers, founding [[Pears soap]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A and F Pears Limited {{!}} Science Museum Group Collection |url=https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp135706/a-and-f-pears-limited |access-date=2024-12-07 |website=collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> It was in the mid-19th century, though, that the large-scale consumption of soap by the middle classes, anxious to prove their social standing, drove forward the mass production and marketing of soap. 
  
[[William Gossage]] produced low-priced, good-quality soap from the 1850s. [[William Hesketh Lever]] and his brother, James, bought a small soap works in [[Warrington]] in 1886 and founded what is still one of the largest soap businesses, formerly called Lever Brothers and now called [[Unilever]]. These soap businesses were among the first to employ large-scale [[advertising]] campaigns. In 1882, English actress and socialite [[Lillie Langtry]] became the poster-girl for Pears soap, and thus the first celebrity to endorse a commercial product.<ref>{{cite news |title=When Celebrity Endorsers Go Bad |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2002/02/03/when-celebrity-endorsers-go-bad/260776e6-d38c-4319-b683-eb466c499dce/|access-date=December 7, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post|quote=British actress Lillie Langtry became the world's first celebrity endorser when her likeness appeared on packages of Pears Soap.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Richards |first1=Jef I. |title=A History of Advertising: The First 300,000 Years |date=2022 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=286}}</ref>

Before the late 19th century, water to individual places of residence was rare.<ref>''The Western Heritage'' (2004) by Donald Kagan, Steven E Ozment, and Frank M Turner. {{ISBN|0-13-182839-8}}</ref> Many countries in Europe developed a water collection and distribution network. [[London water supply infrastructure]] developed through major 19th-century treatment works built in response to [[cholera]] threats, to modern large-scale reservoirs. By the end of the century, private baths with running hot water were increasingly common in affluent homes in America and Britain.

{{anchor|Saturday night bath}}
At the beginning of the 20th century, a weekly Saturday night bath had become common custom for most of the population. A half day's work on Saturday for factory workers allowed them some leisure to prepare for the [[Sabbath|Sunday day of rest]]. The half day off allowed time for the considerable labor of drawing, carrying, and heating water, filling the bath and then afterward emptying it. To economize, bath water was shared by all family members. Indoor plumbing became more common in the 20th century and commercial advertising campaigns pushing new bath products began to influence public ideas about cleanliness, promoting the idea of a daily shower or bath.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}

In the 21st century, challenges to the need for soap to effect such everyday cleanliness and whether soap is needed to avoid body odor appeared in media.<ref name="theguardian.com">Fleming, Amy, ''[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/05/i-dont-smell-meet-the-people-who-have-stopped-washing?CMP=GTUS_email ‘I don’t smell!’ Meet the people who have stopped washing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724122207/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/05/i-dont-smell-meet-the-people-who-have-stopped-washing?CMP=GTUS_email |date=2023-07-24 }}'', The Guardian, August 5, 2019</ref>