The public health status of a population depends on a number of factors, one of which is cleanliness, which must extend to all aspects and expressions of human life. While rational social hygiene legislation ensures the cleanliness of cities and public thoroughfares, sanitation, and access to clean and safe drinking water in every civilized state, there is no administrative code for personal hygiene; it is solely determined by the civilization level of the people, their customs, and their socio-economic conditions.

Ancient hygiene, which was based less on scientific, theoretical foundations and more on a comprehensive application of what was considered beneficial, elevated the Greeks and Romans to a high level of culture, finding a wise protector and guide in the feelings and thoughts of the people that emerged in legislation and state governance.

In this volume, the physician Julian Marcuse describes the history of bathing and bath culture. Beginning with the origins of bathing in Roman and Greek antiquity, Marcuse traces its development in the Middle Ages in a second section, before outlining modern conditions. Illustrated with numerous images.

The Verlag der Wissenschaften publishes historical literature by both well-known and lesser-known scientific authors. This makes works that have long been out of print accessible again to interested readers. The present book is an unaltered reprint of the historical original edition from 1903.