INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL on Direct Application of Geothermal Energy
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL on Direct Application of Geothermal Energy Under the auspice of the Division of Earth Sciences GREEK THERMALISMOS Healing sources - Bath-places - SPA-tourism Zisis Agelidis Geologist Dr. A. U. Th. ABSTRACT the 5th century B.C. there are the common baths, public or private, for the proper This paper which tackles with “Ther- service of all the social classes. The malismo Hellenico” is an approach to the ancient Greeks’ belief, about the baths historical data, from the moment that was differentiated depending on the time hydrotherapy has started because of and the place. Their preferences for Herodotus’ very first observations and having cold or hot baths were not later on proved to be a healing process irrelevant to the time of the season and according to Hippocrates and his school. mainly to the prevailing morality. The cold Some concepts and definitions are to be bath was preferred in the arenas and the provided in order to explain the gymnasiums, the hot in the new public contemporary meaning of “Thermalismos” baths, which were called Valania. It’s both as a social need and as a wishful worth to observe that in the main hot bath hope for human health. Moreover, the there was also the steam - bath or natural and chemical properties of the “pyriatirion”, which caused perspiration. water are being mentioned, once they play According to the tradition, after the steam - a major role in the application of hyd- bath, there was the hot – bath and, usually rotherapy. Last but not least, the hydro- soon after, the cold bath. The general therapeutic applications of mineral water in spread of the use of bath, as well as the the thermalistic centers (spas) are being relation and actions of humans with the presented. water causes the spa – therapy to begin. Herodotus (484 – 410 B.C.) describes a HISTORICAL RETROSPECTION few water springs that had a beneficial The use of the natural mineral – hot influence on human organism and waters at the service of the human health suggests the healing spa, which according is undoubtedly a fact that originated in an- to the historiographer should last for 21 cient times. The ancient Greeks inherited days. Of course we must notice that the the “hydrophilia” by the Achaeans of the hot healing baths did not take place in the Homeric times. Greeks’ frequent contact Valanias but in the Asclepiads, also known with the water –which proved to be as the temples of Health. There –in the beneficial- led them to consider it a reli- Asclepiads- gathered everyone who gious symbol. wanted to get cured or relieved. Before From the 1500 B.C., the systematic each special cure, they were doing hot or use of the baths had already begun, cold baths under the supervision of priests having the belief that the “cleanness” and or doctors. In about 100 regions such particularly the sanitation of the body, institutions were established. As concerns all the citizens regardless their Ploutarchos and Pausanias witness, in social status. The great spread of the use these regions there were healing springs, of baths in Greece, during the ancient where patients were taking their bath. In times, established them, as a public affair time the spa therapy played a central role while previously it was a private affair. In not only in the personal life of every - 226 - ancient Greek but also in the social life of takes care of his personal health and with Ancient Greece, too. The philosophy and pleasure experiments on healthy habits, the love of the Greeks for the spas were behaviors and ways of living. He is remarkable, since these springs were encouraged to adopt an active role, and offering the “divine gifts of health, welfare, not to be only a passive receiver of healing beauty and stamina”. methods, on the contrary he learns how to Unquestionably, the systematic know- take advantage and to develop his ledge of the hydrotherapeutic art, belongs individual skills in such ways so that he to Hippocrates (460 – 375 B.C.). Thus, the ‘the visitor’ can practice with knowledge spa, an autonomous sector of the healing and conscience his choices which concern process was developed and expanded by his own health and also to recognize the Hippocrates and his school, in the Aegean role and the responsibility for the region. Historical essays, buildings, works designing of the plan of his personal of art e. t. c., still existing in our days, physical and psychological health. represent the living testimony of a civi- The new concepts about the physi- lization with a philosophy and principles for ognomy, the position and the role of ther- the treatment of human health. malismos in our modern social reality, lead From that time on, the beliefs for the us in the philosophy and the practice of use of the therapeutic water in every the healing skill of Hippocrates. In his work historical period depended on the ”About winds, waters and places”, he dominating perceptions about the human describes in every detail the ways through being and were in accordance with the which the human health can be affected, organization of theirs societies. The from the environmental factors: the quality ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine – after- of the air, the water, the food, the morpho- Byzantine and Modern Greek as main logy of the residence, the habits of daily phases of the evolution of hydrotherapy, life e. t. c. The author himself underlines are being marked by the presence of the that the understanding of the environ- monuments “Thermae over thermae”. mental effects constitutes the essence of During their evolution one element re- doctors’ skill. mains unchanged. The spa is not only a This belief, which we could character- means of physical relief and healing, but rize as «a study on the human ecology», also a mean of spiritual and psychic was laid aside, and thermalismos was welfare. The period of modern scientific caged mainly in a passive bath centric approach of the spa and of the “Therma- model. However, it is a fact that during the lismos” starts in 1830 on the island of last 20 years a lot of spas’ aspects are Kythnos. Therefore, the systematic recor- being redefined having as a base the ding and study of the geological, physic – Hippocrates’ ideas. chemical and healing characteristics of the The spas in Greece, in the environ- springs begins, and the era of the spa ment of mineral – hot, healing springs, tourism – Thermalismos starts. Nowadays, have been during the centuries places of we could say that the new tendencies and meeting, communication, healing, recrea- directions, which are related to the spas tion, entertainment, welfare and relaxing. and human health, are based to the They have hosted generations of people. triptych “Thermalismos – Ecology – Since the time when, the visitors during Culture”. their entrance in the Baths of Hypaty, were In the modern thermalistic centers, a reading on marble inscription, until our wide acceptance of the meaning of healing times when the scientist study, record, process is being adopted, not only as a evaluate and plan future actions and preventive method or as revitalizing one activities about thermalismos. but also as a way, which is founded on a strategy of promotion of the human health. CONCEPTS, DEFINITIONS, This effort for new orientations is believed CHARACTERISTICS to offer to the visitor the role of the protagonist for the sake of his own Etymologically speaking, despite the personal health. In an alternate, healthy, fact that the term thermalismos looks like natural, functional and beautiful environ- inaccurate or vague, it is scientifically, ment, which is socially and historically unanimously, accepted that it covers a wealthy, harmonious and safe, the visitor wide field of healing processes, which are - 227 - being conducted with the use of natural we meet in the region of Amarados in spas. Thermalismos as a concept refers to Ioannina. There are emission of gases in the sum of practices, which are related, many cold, low temperature, hot and with the description of the thermalistic overheated sources. It is mainly about CO2 treatment and it’s applications on humans and H2S. as a way of prevention, cure, revitalization c. Mineral – hot – healing waters: are the and also the personal and social waters which because of their physical or evaluation of the thermalistic results. As a chemical properties have healing thermalistic treatment we define the totality characteristics after an external or internal of the actions and relations with the use which is proved in a scientific way or mineral-hot healing water, the clay, the with the practical experience of the past. steam and the environment which esta- We could say that Natural Mineral Waters blish for a specific duration and in a spe- are the waters that have a normal hydro- cific place (thermalistic center) a particular therapeutic quality; moreover mineral model of living. When using the term waters are the natural solutions whose “healing (thermalistic) natural recourses”, formation under geological circumstances we mean all the terrestrial natural ma- presents in the spring a physic-chemical terials which in their authentic state pre- dynamism in process that is responsible sent or even prove, through the practical for a large part of their therapeutic nature. experience of the past or the contem- Apart from the above definitions, we ought porary scientific experience, the ability to to clarify that mineral waters are the ones, exercise specific biological actions, which which contain diluted solid salts in are being utilized in the therapy. compositions grater than 1gr/kg or even The natural therapeutic resources can when they contain T. D. S. < 1gr/kg if the be classified into three main categories: composition of one or more of the a.