Malvern Water and Complementary Therapies

Malvern's pure spring water.

Malvern Well, Belle Vue terrace

Compared to other SPA towns (Sodium, Potassium, Ammonium) such as Cheltenham Spa, Malvern Spa water became famous for its purity.

Dr William Heberden (1710-1801) noted the purity of Malvern water, stating "the Malvern water is purer than that of any other springs in England, which I ever examined or heard of".

In 1757 Dr John Wall analysed the water and found it to be very pure, with a very low mineral content.

"Malvern water, says Dr John Wall, is famous for containing just nothing at all."

The first record of Malvern's pure spring water being used to help in treating diseases comes from the book 'Breviary of One Hundred and Thirteen Diseases of the Eyes and Eyelids' by Richard Bannister in 1622.

The origins of hydrotherapy.

Vincenz Priessnitz, (1799 - 1851) was a peasant farmer in Grafenberg, Silesia, who is generally considered the founder of modern hydrotherapy.

In 1814 from personal health reasons and other observations Priessnitz started to develop hydrotherapy and in 1822 he opened the first sanatorium. After helping the Viennese Emperor's brother, hydrotherapy became acceptable and many people came from all over Europe to receive and or study the water treatment. Two of those people were Dr James Wilson and Dr James Manby Gully (1808 - 1883) who formed a partnership and founded a similar set up in Malvern in 1842. There were also hundreds of similar hydrotherapy centres starting up all over Europe at the same time.

Malvern water cure.

St Ann's Well on the Malvern Hills

In 1842 the first hydrotherapy establishment was opened at the Crown Hotel on Belle Vue Terrace (which is now Lloyds Bank), later to be followed by Priestniz House (which is now Park View, in Abbey Road) and Tudor Hotel (on Worcester Road).

Many rich and not such rich people came to Malvern to receive hydrotherapy other wise known as the 'Water Cure'. Notables like Charles Darwin and Bernard Shaw.

After 25 years the 'Malvern Water Cure' eventually started to go into decline for several reasons. Dr Wilson died in 1867, there was an outbreak of typhoid fever in one of the establishments, Dr Gully left Malvern in 1873 and lastly but most significantly, equally effective hydrotherapy was more available at other European Spa towns.

The people who received the hydrotherapy probably benefited from the simple diet, no alcohol, exercise and fresh air from walking the hills.

Pure clean water is now a well-recognised and established fact for helping and preventing health problems.

For good or bad, Drs Gully and Wilson, left their mark on the history of natural health medicine and the town of Malvern forever.

The rise of natural health, (complementary medicine, alternative therapies) in Malvern.

Since the late 1980's there has been a significant growth in complementary medicine in Malvern as well as all of the UK.

The scientific evidence of complementary medicine has grown significantly over the last 30 years and with it the EEC need for regulation. The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee - sixth report, was published November 2000.
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199900/ldselect/ldsctech/123/12301.htm
The report grouped the professions and therapies.

Group 1 was made up of acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal medicine, homeopathy and osteopathy. These professions were recognised for the significant amount of training involved for a practitioner to become qualified and that a detailed diagnostic process was carried out before treatment instigated.

Group 2 (aromatherapy, Alexander technique, massage and similar body work therapies, counselling, stress relief therapy, hypnotherapy, reflexology, shiatsu, meditation, spiritual healing,) were also recognised as of benefit

Back in the 1970's Dr Martin Allbright recognised the benefits of complementary medicine and the potential of integrating them with that of conventional medicine. In 1982 he chose to train in classical acupuncture and continued to work in that field. He and his wife, Sue, moved back to Malvern, Martin's ancestral home, in 1989 and set up the Clinic of Classical Acupuncture. They then chose to set up the Beacon Clinic in 2002, with the aims of developing a centre of excellence for a range of complementary therapies in Malvern and the surrounding areas. To develop better links between the recognised therapies and also with their colleagues in conventional medicine.

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