PROPERTY OF THEFRENCH REPUBLIC

VICHYAND ITS

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

As found by the most Prominent Doctors in the 'World

“IVhat are called artificial waters, howeveradmirably prepared, are simply pharmaceutical pro-ducts, and are destitute of a remarkable qualitywhich distinguishes them from the remedies they areintended to imitate —

Sir Henry Thompson,F. R. C. S., London.

THE VICHYMineral Waters

There are but very few natural mineral waterswhose reputations extend very far beyond the

countries in which they are produced. Pre-eminentamong these are the waters of Vichy. The name isone of world-wide celebrity, and it may safely besaid that wherever civilization has penetrated thesewaters are in use. So great is their reputation thatthere is no maker of artificial waters who does not,in a more or less crude way, attempt to foist uponthe public an imitation of the natural Vichy. Everysoda-water fountain keeps on tap something that islabelled Vichy.

This immense popularity is based upon the factthat the natural Vichy mineral water enjoys thegreatest celebrity ever attained by a mineral water,and has maintained it since times nearly immemorial.The town of Vichy is yearly thronged by the sickwho come there for treatment, an average of morethan 60,000 having recourse to its therapeutic virtueseach season.

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The employment of imitations of the NaturalVichy Water is, as we have said, very wide-spread,on account of the reputation of this name. Yetthere can be but disappointment for those who ex-pect to obtain the same results with these counter-feited waters, as those that are daily observed as aconsequence of the employment of the true VichyWaters. Any water may be analyzed, and withcare its mineral ingredients may be placed togetherin the chemist’s laboratory, mingled with the properamount of water, which is then charged with gas,and the mixture may then be labelled as one pleases.But does this constitute a true and effective imita-tion? It is in reality but the crudest attempt todeceive, and bears no more true relation to thenatural water itself than does a painting to the thingit is supposed to represent. The mysteries of Na-ture’s laboratory are not thus divulged; a true min-eral water is more than a combination of certainchemicals with water. It is something possessed ofqualities whose mode of production escapes us, butwhose effects are distinctly visible, and cannot beimitated by man. Every investigator who has everstudied the action of true natural mineral waters hasalways come to this conclusion which, though it isaccepted by all scientific observers, has not as yetbeen thoroughly impressed upon the people at large.

The waters of Vichy have clear indications fortheir use, and may be relied upon with as great a

FRASER & CO., Analytical Department,

263 Fifth Avenue, E. E. SMITH, M.D., PH. D.,Director.

ONE DOOR BELOW 29th STREET.

New YORK, November 19th, 1898.

Mr. E. de Raimbouville,220 Broadway,

New York CityDear Sir :

At your request we have purchased of awell-known firm ten siphons of water labelled“ VICHY,” and have subjected the same to chem-ical analysis.

Following are the results obtained :

ANALYSIS 7,68LGRAMMES PER LITRE.

Sodium Bicarbonate, - - 0.504Potassium “

- - 0.004Magnesium “

- - 0.052Calcium “

- 0.049Ferrous “

-- 0.003

Sodium Sulphate, - - - 0.012

Sodium Phosphate, - - TraceSodium Chloride, - - - 0.410Alumina, - TraceSilica, ----- 0.006

Total, -- - 1.040

Very respectfully,

. ,

3degree of certainty as any tried therapeutic measure.No further proof of this is needed than the fact thatit is imported in huge quantities all over the world,and that its long-established popularity is increasingday by day.

COMPOSITIONThere are at Vichy three principal springs, the

analysis of which shows a considerable degree ofsimilarity. These springs are known under the nameof Celestins, Grande-Grille and Hopital. They arestrongly alkaline waters, pleasant to the taste, easilydigested, and lose practically none of their propertieswhen bottled and exported. The analysis follows:

ANALYSISns given by Cyr in Jaccoud's “ Nouveau Dictionnaire

de Medecine et Chirurgie Pratiques”.The calculation is made in grammes and per litre.

Grande-Grille Celestins Hopital

7,006 7,195 7,i55Temperature (Fahrenheit). io7°6 57° 86°

Sodium Bicarbonate ..... .. 4,883 5,103 5,029

Potassium “....

... 0,352 0,315 o,44oMagnesium “

.. 0,303 0,328 0,200Strontium “

— 0,005 0,005■Calcium “

•• 0,434 0&to 0,570Ferrous “

. 0,004 0,004 0,004Manganous “

— .. T race Trace TraceSodium Sulphate .. 0,291 0,291 0,291

“ Phosphate .. 0,130 0,09. 0,046“ Arseniate, .. 0,002 0,002 0,002“ Borate Trace Trace“ Chloride ■ • 0,534 o,534 0,518

Silica 0,070 0,060 0,050

4This analysis shows conclusively that the Vichy

Waters have an ideal composition. They are strongenough in alkaline elements to be able to saturatethe organism with alkaline salts within a compar-atively short while. They can be taken for a pro-longed period of time, and in this respect are of thehighest value, since most of the diseases for whichthey are prescribed are either of a chronic nature,or, if in the form of an acute attack, depend uponnutritive disorders that have existed for a long time,such as the uric acid diathesis and disturbances ofthe stomach and liver due to functional disorder.

BOTTLINGWithin the narrow limits of this pamphlet we can-

not describe at length the methods employed inbottling the waters. Let it suffice to say that this isdone in a splendidly appointed factory, under thedirect supervision of experts appointed by the FrenchGovernment, with the aid of apparatus devised bythe engineers of the Government. The water iscollected directly from the springs, without havingstood in reservoirs, and is put into sterilized bottlesstopped with fresh sterilized corks, according to asystem that represents the acme of mechanical andscientific precision, thus insuring absolute purity,

5the minimum loss of the natural carbonic gas, andabsolute preservation for an indefinite time in anyclimate.

THERAPEUTIC USESNo natural water has ever been made the subject

of such exhaustive clinical study as that of the VichySprings, and it owes its reputation, not to a simplepopularity due to its pleasant taste, but to a fameresulting from the crucial test of centuries of clinicalobservation.

Like other mineral waters, their activity is some-what gi eater at the spring than when taken inbottled form. Yet this is scarcely a disadvantage,since in many cases it allows of a milder, more pro-longed effect which is especially serviceable in chro-nic conditions.

It has been noted that the three springs of whichwe have given the analysis are very similar in theirchemical composition. In practice, it is found thatthe water of Celestins is especially indicated in dis-orders of the kidneys, and such as depend upon theuric acid diathesis; rheumatism, gout, gravel, andcutaneous lesions, such as eczema, etc. The Grande-Grille water is deemed to be especially efficacious instomach and liver disorders, while the Hopital springis useful in the same way, but is somewhat milder

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and slower in its action than either of the others.Practically it may be said that the water of the

Celestins spring meets every indication for the em-ployment of Vichy Water. It has a mildly diureticaction of great power, and its action upon the liverand stomach is excellent. By its continuous use theblood is rendered more alkaline, deposits of uric acidin the form of sodic urates no longer take place,since the acid becomes promptly changed into urea,which is rapidly eliminated. The bile becomesdiluted, and calculi are no longer formed in the gall-bladder. Those which may be present are desinte-grated through the solution, in a strongly alkalinemedium, of the mucus which holds the various partstogether, and the fragments are discharged throughthe common bile duct into the intestinal tract.

In chronic hepatic disorders there is secured agreater flow of bile, and the improvement in gastricand intestinal digestion, due to the alkaline treat-ment, relieves the liver of a large part of the workpreviously given to it. In cases of hepatic sluggish-ness, attended with painful and slow digestion, theeffects are often nothing short of marvellous.

In gastric and intestinal indigestion the use ofVichy secures a more free action of the bowels,digestion becomes more perfect, and the products ofthis digestion reach the blood in a better preparedcondition. This relieves the liver and kidneys,which no longer have to deal with so many products

7of imperfect metabolism, and therefore we rapidlysee an improvement in the general health which isquite surprising in character.

A very large number of the girls and young womenfor whom we prescribe iron owe the poverty of theirblood to gastric and intestinal sluggishness, and thegreat majority of cases of anaemia and chlorosisare therefore much improved by the Vichy treat-ment.

In gastric derangements due to dietetic errors, andin those in which the abuse of alcohol may be in-criminated, the Vichy Waters are of unquestionableefficacy.

If dyspepsia is of the decided acid variety, theVichy Waters naturally act as antacids, and as suchare clearly indicated. In this form of dyspepsia wecommonly find that those who are content with pre-scribing bicarbonate of soda are disappointed inregard to the permanency of the effects obtained.As has been said by Bartholow: “ While the imme-diate -result is good, the after effect is to increase theproduction of acid. Those who habitually take sod-ium bicarbonate for acid indigestion suffer severelyfrom acidity.” If the alkaline treatment is limitedto the use of Vichy water no such unfortunate resultcan occur. ,

Medication by the use of the alkaliesthemselves must be carefully dosed as to amountand time of administration. Bicarbonate given beforemeals increases acidity ; given after meals it lessens

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acidity by the chemical neutralization of a part of theacid of the gastric juice, but while it acts in thismanner it fails to afford the multiple results achievedby the Vichy waters, due to the dosage accomplishedby Nature itself. These waters so promote oxida-tion in the system, and have such a general effect inimproving nutrition, that they finally eliminate thecauses themselves of the disturbed digestive pro-cesses.

In chronic catarrhal gastritis or enteritis, wherethere are no very acute symptoms, the use of theVichy waters is attended with the best results. Incases of atonic dyspepsia, in which there is a defi-ciency in the amount of acid, the Vichy waters givenbefore meals will increase the production of hydro-chloric acid, and by their general effects upon thesystem will be found to exert a curative influence.

We have already pointed out the fact that in thediseases due to the uric acid diathesis the waters ofVichy, and more especially the water from the Ce-lestins spring, have a powerful therapeutic effect.In chronic nephritis it acts as a mild but effectivediuretic, whose prolonged use is of the greatest value,and, by improving nutrition, it relieves the kidneysof much of the work they have become unfitted toaccomplish properly.

In gout we soon obtain a diminution of the produc-tion of acid, the formation of deposits of insolubleurates is checked, and an improved metabolism re-

9duces the formation of waste products that proveirritating to the whole excretory apparatus. Theskin takes on an improved action, the kidneyssecrete more urine containing a larger amount ofurea, and an increased intestinal action improves di-gestion and nutrition. In chronic emphysema andasthma, as well as in the bronchitis from whichso many gouty subjects suffer, it is usually foundthat the Vichy treatment affords a decided improve-ment simply due to the amelioration of the generalcondition. In a tendency to the formation of uricacid gravel no treatment is so effective as the longcontinued use of the Celestins water. It frequentlycauses the expulsion of calculi from the kidneys, andprevents the formation of gravel. As in the case ofbiliary calculi, its use may give rise to colics, denot-ing the expulsion of the stones. However disagree-able such occurrences are to the patient, it is evidentthat they point to an effort, on the part of Nature,to restore a normal condition of affairs, and resultfinally in an amelioration of the general symptoms.

In chronic rheumatism the effect produced is thesame that occurs in gout. In acute attacks we ne-cessarily employ means intended to relieve thesymptoms with greater rapidity than could be ex-pected from the use of a mineral water alone. Butas soon as the acute stages are passed, the employ-ment of Vichy water improves nutrition, preventsthe formation of any excess of acid in the system,

and forms the best treatment that can be institutedin order to check the rheumatic tendency and pre-vent the occurrence of relapses. In chronic forms ofrheumatism the use of Vichy water is so clearlyindicated that we need insist no further upon it.

In diabetes, both of renal and hepatic origin, Vichywater often has the happiest effects. While wedesire generally to reduce the amount of water con-sumed by these patients, they still are compelled totake large quantities, owing to their insatiable thirst.In these cases, if we substitute Vichy water for theordinary water they drink, we will nearly alwaysfind that after a fairly brief lapse of time the poly-dipsia is lessened, owing to the general good effectsbrought about by the natural mineral water upondigestion and nutrition. While it may not be assertedto possess an actual curative action in such cases,there is no doubt that under the influence of Vichywater many diabetics return to a condition veryclosely approximating the normal, and can often, atleast for many years, live under the pleasant illusionthat they are cured, providing they faithfully con-tinue the treatment.

In inflammation of the bladder, we have in Vichywater a means of often successfully combating thecauses to which it is due. As it brings about arapid alkalinization of the urine, the latter becomesbland and unirritating. If the cystitis is a goutysymptom, as often occurs, it will rapidly get well,

as, for instance, when it is a concomitant of uricacid gravel.

Within the limits of this small pamphlet we haveonly been able to rapidly show how vast a fieldexists for the careful and well-understood use of thispeerless mineral water, which, like all other importanttherapeutic substances, should be given under theintelligent supervision of the medical man.

DOSAGEAs to the mode of administration we need say but

little. For the purpose of improving nutrition andsecuring a more efficient intestinal action it is oftenenough to direct the patient to take a tumblerfulin the morning upon arising. We have seen that ingastric disturbances it must be given with a certainattention to details connected with the exact diag-nosis. In acid dyspepsia it should be given on anempty stomach as long as possible before breakfast,in the morning. Then it should be employed duringthe meals as a table water, directing the patient totake most of the water towards the end of the meal.In atonic dyspepsia it will often be found that a

tumblerful before each meal will prove an efficientappetizer, and will make digestion more effective.In rheumatic, gouty and diabetic conditions the water

should be drunk during meals as a table water, andthe amount is to be increased if a more pronouncedeffect is desired by the physician.

PRODUCTS EXTRACTEDfrom the

Vichy Waters

SaltThe Vichy Co. has erected at Vichy a roomy and

splendid factory containing mechanical devices ofthe most perfect kind and most efficient apparatusfor the purpose of evaporating the water, and isthus enabled to extract the mineral salts with everycare demanded by that delicate -operation.

The saline compound obtained in the manner justrelated is nearly identical with that which occursin the natural mineral water of the GovernmentSpring.

In dissolving it to the amount of about six grammesto a quart of good spring water, you can obtain anartificial water whose mineralization approaches asnearly as possible that of the natural water.

Do we assert that the imitation is a perfect oneand that the water prepared with the Vichy Salts is

as valuable as the natural bottled water. Evidentlynot; nature does not thus reveal its secrets. Butwhen the water itself of the springs, Celestins,Grande-Grille and Hopital, cannot be procured, thewater prepared with the salt Vichy-Etat is far supe-rior, from the medicinal standpoint, to alkaline solu-tions prepared with common bicarbonate of soda.This water is drunk in the same way and the samedoses as the natural imported water.

The Vichy-Etat salt is sold by the Vichy Co. inbottles and packages. Each package contains theamount necessary for the preparation of one quart.

To avoid substitutions, be careful that each pack-age bears the words : VICHY-ETAT.

Comprimes de Vichyeffervescing

(VICHY COMPRESSED TABLETS.)In the last few years a new and ingenious applica-

tion of the salt Vichy=Etat has been devised.The Comprimes de Vichy (Vichy compressed

tablets) are prepared with the salt Vichy-Etat.In this preparation the Vichy Salt is not only

brought to the smallest possible volume, by power-ful compression, but its chemical composition is suchthat it gives out, when dissolved in water, an amount

of gas equal to that which is in solution in thenatural Vichy water. The mineral water thus pre-pared is therefore gaseous, which renders it digest-ible and pleasant.

Three of these tablets suffice for a glass of water,and their solution occurs very rapidly. The easewitli which one may always have at hand the ele-ment of an essentially hygienic and digestive waterexplains the wide popularity that was immediatelyobtained by the Comprimes de Vichy.

Pastilles Vichy=EtatThe Vichy-Etat digestive pastilles are bonbons

manufactured by the Vichy Co. at the thermalestablishment with the salt Vichy-Etat extractedfrom the spring waters.

They aid the action of the water by neutralizingthe acidity of the stomach and are thus invaluablein cases of difficult, slow and painful digestion, dys-pepsia, flatulency, and heart-burn.

Their immense consumption is quite justified bythe convenience and the efificacity of their employ-ment.

DOSE.—Four or five should be taken before mealsand occasionally as required.

They are flavored and scented with peppermint,lemon, vanilla, etc. The particular flavor requiredshould be clearly specified when ordering.

Beware of imitations. The genuine pastilles aresold only in sealed metallic boxes bearing the wordsVICHY-ETAT.

E. DE RAIMBOUVILLEGENERAL AGENT

220 Broadway New York.

CAUTIONVichy is never imported otherwise

than in bottles.

Always specify the Name of theSpring:

LH3ISMIIi!M

Bottled under the direct supervisionof the French Government whichguarantees genuineness and purity.

Xouis THUciea & do.printers . . .

.

116 ffulton StreetHew JlJorfe

So-called Vichy in syphon or bulk isNOT VICHY.