The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1984 (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1984-02-01 / 2. szám
HYDROTHERAPY IN HUNGARY- by -Paul Pulitzer The thermal springs of Hungary produce about 500,000 cubic metres of medicinal waters a day. The curative powers of this enormous output from 447 sources have been tapped by Hungarian doctors for use in the treatment of more than fifteen different kinds of ailments. The result of this medical utilization has been the development of advanced techniques in hydrotherapy, the design of special equipment, and the ultra-modernization of spa facilities. Today, Hungary leads the world in the medical science of balneology and many thousands of people from all over the world go there each year to take the cure. However, this is nothing new. For the hydrotherapeutic effects of the thermal waters of Hungary were known over 2000 years ago. THE EARLY ROMAN DISCOVERY When the early Romans extended their empire to what is East Central Europe today, they built military outposts along the banks of the Danube and mapped the river as the eastern boundary of the Roman province of Pannonia. At the center of this line of frontier outposts, they established a garrison town called “Aquincum”, because on their long march across the region, as well as at the site of their new capital, they had discovered “abundant waters”. These “abundant waters” were thermal springs with temperatures ranging from 109 degrees Fahrenheit and up. When the Romans finally settled down to garrison life along the Danube, they began using the thermal waters they found for bathing. Learning that these waters contained remarkable curative powers, they immediately began building formal baths around them. While this construction work was going on, couriers reached Rome with the news. Soon, “Aquincum” became the favorite spa, or health resort, of the hierarchy of the Roman Empire. THE ERA OF THE TURKS During the 16th century, the Turks invaded Europe to the line of the Danube. At Aquincum (Budapest) and at other sites throughout the province of Pannonia (Hungary) they found the luxurious baths built by and dating back to the Roman occupation. These, they improved upon and converted into “Turkish Baths”, which became so famous that the Turkish writer, Mohammed ben Bayazid, was moved to describe them as “the outposts of civilization”. To this very day, the super-modernized versions of these spas throughout Hungary (Pannonia) and at Budapest (Aquincum) are in existence and being visited regularly by people seeking relief from aches and pains. THE NATURE OF MINERAL WATERS “Mineral Water” is a term used to describe waters containing medicinal minerals. Such waters, which issue from underground at a temperature above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, are classified as “thermal waters”. These are grouped into four categories according to chemical constituents such as 1) — the alkaline; 2) — the alkaline saline; 3) — the saline; and 4) — the acid. The alkaline waters contain bicarbonic acid ions, or silicic acid ions; the saline waters contain either sulphuric, muriatic, or nitric acid ions; and the alkaline-saline waters contain portions of the characteristics of both the alkaline and the saline waters. Mineral waters are also grouped in accordance with gaseous constituents such as 1) — non-gaseous; 2) — carbon-dioxidated; 3) — sulpheretted; 4) — azotized; 5) — carburetted; and 6) — oxygenated. Because of Hungary’s unique geological structure, its thermal waters vary in chemical and gaseous content. All, however, have specific therapeutic effects. For this reason, patients with rheumatism or arthritis, for example, are treated with water having a curative effect on such ailments in particular. The therapeutic action of thermal waters depends upon chemical composition,’ pressure, and temperature. It also depends to a great extent upon the environment, elevation, climate, and the mean temperature of the region where the thermal springs are located. Above all, the success of thermal water treatment depends upon the caliber of the attending medical personnel. Hungary meets all of these basic requirements. In fact, the medical specialists assigned to spas at Budapest, Balatonfured, Balf, Bük, Gyula, Hajduszoboszlo, Harkany, Heviz, Sopron, and Zalackaros are recognized the world over as being one of the best available. THE THERMAL HOTEL-MARGARET ISLAND There is a lozenge-shaped, 1 '/4-mile-long island in the middle of the Danube between the Buda and Pest sections of Budapest. It is called “Margaret Island”. Here, the Hungarian government has built an ultra-modern, “spa-hotel” called the Thermal Hotel-Margaret Island, because the thermal springs of the island produce large quantities of medicinal waters at 70 degrees centigrade that contains calcium-magnesium, hydroden-carbonate, and other chemicals considered by doctors to be suitable for treating rheumatism, arthritis, and other kinds of locomotor diseases. The thermal waters of Margaret Island, which are so hot that they have also been converted into a source of energy for heating public buildings, apartments, and other facilities in the capital city of Hungary, are also suitable for treating gynaecological diseases, orthopedic disorders, lesions of the nervous system, and for straumatological after-treatment. The medical facility of the Thermal Hotel-Margaret Island is up-to-date in every respect and is equipped with Page 8 The Eighth Tribe
