rkish bath," therefore, I
would be understood to mean a method of supplying pure heat--not
necessarily hot air--to the surface of the human body for hygienic,
remedial, and curative purposes.[1]

In the following pages, however, I have, in this respect, treated of the
subject from the broadest point of view, and have explained the method
of designing the _hot-air bath_ pure and simple, looking upon the
convected and radiating heat principles as both good of their kind, and
perfectly admissible modes of applying heat to the human frame. I have
adhered to this plan throughout, because, even supposing that it were
shown conclusively to-morrow, that the principle of heating by
convection is absolutely wrong, baths of this type would, owing to the
slow march of improvement in this country, still be built and require to
be planned. Moreover, it has been in the past, and still is, the
generally accepted idea that the Turkish bath is a hot-air bath pure and
simple.

Medical men of eminence who have studied the question have thought fit
to retain the term "hot air" in descriptions of the Turkish bath. In
deference to their opinion I may hereinafter, in places, speak of the
_hot-air bath_. The arguments put forward in favour of radiant heat,
with a comparatively cool atmosphere, in the sudorific chambers, are,
for the most part, the result of my own experience and study.

I treat of my subject in two sections, dealing with public and private
baths respectively. Chapters II. to VII. are devoted to the elucidation
of the principles to be observed in the building of public baths, either
for true public purposes or as commercial speculations. It is
unnecessary to speak of these two classes of baths under separate heads:
what is required of the one is required of the other. The only
difference is that one is the property of the people, and may be
required to be designed in a block of buildings containing other kinds
of baths; and the other is owned by a company of persons or by a single
individual as the case may be, and is generally an establishment
complete in itself.

It is not to the credit of the English nation that so little has been
done in connection with Turkish bath building for the people. The
attention given to the question of supplying bath-houses of any kind is
of the most meagre character. The provisions of the Public Baths and
Wash-houses Act are entirely inadequate. In these matters the German
nation is far ahead