Swedish Massage | Page 3

155
l Affections of the Bladder . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
l Rheumatism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
l Lumbago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
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l Stiff Neck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
l Gout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
l Lateral Curvature of the Spine. . . . . . . . . . 159
l Sprains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
l Dislocations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
l Synovitis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
l Varicose Veins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
l Hernia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
l Fractures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
l Deformities of the Feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
l Affections of the Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
l Affections of the Ear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
l General Remarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
l The Massage Treatment in America . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
l Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
l Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
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MASSAGEAND
THE SWEDISH MOVEMENTS INTRODUCTION
      Manual treatment for disease has to a certain extent existed since the creation. Man had\
, by instinct,
acquired the art of manipulation long before nature yielded her secrets \
in medicine. This is still the
practice among many nations. In Sweden, even at the present time, certai\
n manipulations are used among
the peasants for cramps, swellings, etc. The Swedes seem never to have l\
ost the art -- but recently
revived in other countries.
      Amiot and Dally speak of a perfect system of gymnas\
tics among the Chinese three thousand years
before the Christian era. They maintained that gymnastics, by preventing\
stagnation, produced an even
and harmonious movement of the fluids in the human body, which is necess\
ary to health. Not only did
they use gymnastics to preserve health, but they also had a thorough kno\
wledge of their therapeutic
effects. From each of the natural positions they placed the body and lim\
bs in certain derivative
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positions, which modified the movement of the fluids and were, of course\
, important in different
diseases.
      The priests of Egypt used some manipulation in the \
form of kneading and friction for rheumatic
pains, neuralgias, and swellings.
      The Hindoos, also, had some knowledge of their ther\
apeutic importance; but the masses were soon
mystified by the priests, who by incantations and magical words, led the\
m to believe they were invented
by the gods.
      Even the Persians used a few movements for differen\
t affections.
      The Greeks were the first to recognize gymnastics a\
s an institution -- a fact of much importance to
the free states. Here they were auxillary to the development of the peop\
le both socially and politically.
The gymnasts were political, pedagogic, esthetic, and therapeutic. The p\
hilosophers and the physicians
recommended manual treatment. Plato even divided it into active and passive movemen\
ts, and especially
recommended the latter. Some physicians practiced the movements themselv\
es; but there arose a class of
people, called Pädotribes, some of whom acquired great skill in the manipulation of the human bod\
y.
      Although the Romans imitated the Greeks to some ext\
ent, they rather