Hardening

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Morning wash on the Gorch Fock (1968)

In today's parlance, hardening is understood to mean measures that strengthen the body's immune system and thus make it less susceptible to illnesses, especially colds and flu-like infections . The term was already known in the 18th century and originally encompassed education for general physical hardship and insensitivity, which is seen as an antidote to the "softening" of people in modern civilized society.

Concept history

In the economic encyclopedia by Johann Georg Krünitz from the 18th century, the term body hardening is already included, defined as “ the getting used to the body, to be able to withstand the impressions of the weather and other complaints, or not to feel them; in contrast to the emergence of the soft or tender body, or the weakening of the body. “Resilience was recommended not only to men, but to women as well. The women's conversation lexicon , published in Leipzig in 1834 , basically traces all the complaints of adult women back to "neglected hardening". It named “the Greek virgins” who took part in races and the women of ancient Sparta , who slept on straw even in the cold, naked as models.

enlightenment

In the German-speaking world, the term hardening appears in the 18th century. It owes its existence indirectly to the Enlightenment , which paid increased attention to both health issues and the upbringing of children. Up until that point, they had always been treated like little adults, and there were no real parenting concepts.

According to the sources, the English philosopher John Locke was the first major theoretician of the toughening idea. In his work Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) he was mainly concerned with the spiritual training of the young, but also devoted a chapter to the education of the body. His recommendations included, above all, plenty of exercise in the fresh air, sporting activities, simple food, no alcohol, and avoiding overly warm clothing.

Rousseau and Reform Education

Locke's ideas also influenced Jean-Jacques Rousseau . In his educational novel Emile , the demand for hardening plays an essential role. He recommends walking barefoot, sleeping in a hard bed, and getting the children used to bearing physical pain, hunger, thirst and fatigue early on. These measures prepared them much better for life than “pardon”. Rousseau's ideas had a very strong influence on pedagogy , which lasted into the 20th century.

The reform pedagogy of the so-called philanthropists was based on Locke and Rousseau and demanded not only the introduction of sex education , handicrafts and gardening for boys, but also "physical training" and hardening. The works of Johann Bernhard Basedow and Joachim Heinrich Campe had a major influence . 160 German-language books on the subject of physical education were published between 1780 and 1820. The term physical exercises , later called physical education , arose for gymnastic exercises for "physical training" . GutsMuths , who published his standard work Gymnastik für die Jugend in 1793 , was particularly involved in this area .

In his encyclopedia, Krünitz proves to be a follower of Rousseau and reform pedagogy. He proclaims with full conviction: “ It is so well known that the old Germans were extraordinarily strong and stronger than the other peoples with whom they got to grips with, that no proof is required. “He sees the cause of this supposedly extraordinary strength in their natural way of life, a lot of outdoor exercise, cold baths and the lack of comfort. He speaks out quite decidedly against soft feather beds, " these workshops of softness and lust ". And he reflects the zeitgeist of that time when he writes: “ In our times one looks for a special advantage in driving tenderness to the highest degree, and it becomes almost contemptible to be healthy, strong and lasting. It has become an insult to be square; and one considers one who can endure all weather conditions, all dishes, all exertions, to be mean and low. “Not much is missing anymore, and the men are basically no longer any different from the (weak) women. So it says polemically: “ (...) they soon learn the finest tone, are afraid of spiders and vermin, get cramps, tenderness, vapeurs, and get used to over-tender health care that is not at all appropriate for men (...) ".

The philosopher Immanuel Kant also uses the term hardening: “The more his body is strengthened and hardened in this way, the safer he is from the pernicious consequences of hardening. "(Kant, On Pedagogy , 1803)

Naturopathy

The concept of hardening found its way not only into pedagogy, but also into naturopathy , which in the 19th century in particular became a serious competitor for conventional medicine. In addition to hydrotherapy, the air bath came into fashion, i.e. spending a limited time outdoors without any clothing. Benjamin Franklin was one of the followers . The Swiss life reformer Arnold Rikli also relied on air and light baths in the sanatorium he founded in 1855.

The "water doctor" Vincenz Prießnitz enjoyed great popularity in German-speaking countries, and he treated a wide variety of diseases with his cold water cure. He recommended this cure not only as a healing method, but also to toughen up. He saw showering with ice-cold water as the best way to do this, which his patients had to undergo every day in all weathers, and in the open air.

Kneipp cure, illustration in a book published in 1894

Sebastian Kneipp became even more popular than Prießnitz , and resilience was clearly one of his favorite words. The term appears repeatedly in his writings. In clear words he also criticized the alleged "softening" of most of his contemporaries. In his popular main work Meine Wasserkur , for example, he writes: “ Where does the sensitivity of the current generation come from, where does the remarkably quick susceptibility to all kinds of diseases, which, at least in part, were not even known by name before? (...) I do not hesitate to say that these great evils stem primarily from the lack of hardening. The effeminacy of people living today has reached a high degree. The weak and weak, the anemic and nervous, the heart and stomach sick are almost the rule, the strong and very healthy are the exception. (...) The few innocent and safe remedies that I add to water applications to harden the skin, the whole body and individual parts of the body may make a small contribution to curing such emergencies. "

With his thoughts on life reform, Kneipp was close, as was Rikli. The view that a certain decadence was spreading in the population was widespread in these circles, and there was also talk of degeneration . Resilience was seen as a necessary antidote to stop the decline of the people's body . The concept of public health , which, by definition, represents a higher level of individual health for the individual, was also developed.

Nazi ideology

The corresponding terminology already existed before 1933 and was not significantly changed in meaning by the Nazi ideologues, because the Spartans and Teutons had already been described as exemplary in the 18th century. The only new thing was that the hardening was no longer left to the discretion of the individual, but was ordered by the state and organized under medical programs and medical supervision. The focus in this regard was primarily on the youth of the National Socialist health policy.

In Mein Kampf it says, for example: “ The boy who is brought to an iron hardening through sport and gymnastics is less subject to the need for sensual satisfaction than the couch potato fed exclusively with spiritual food. (...) He has no right to idle around during these years ... but should, according to his usual daily work, steel the young body and make it hard so that life may not find it too soft. “( Adolf Hitler , Mein Kampf ) The expression“ Nimble as greyhounds , tough as leather and hard as Krupp steel ” comes from Hitler as a model for young people. In general, “physical training” was also required of the girls so that they could later provide for healthy offspring.

After 1945

Despite its adoption in the Nazi vocabulary, the term hardening did not lose any of its popularity after 1945 and is used by laypeople and medical professionals alike, although generally only as a synonym for increasing the body's defenses. However, in the field of alternative medicine there are also individuals who take up the well-known criticism of civilization by the life reformers and consequently also use the expression "softening".

Resilience in medicine

Significant effects of hardening have not been proven medically. There is not a single scientific study that shows that toughening up has an impact on the immune system. However, going to the sauna or alternating baths can have a long-term positive effect on thermoregulation.

Nevertheless, the belief in alternating showers , regular sauna visits , frequent barefoot running outdoors even in cool weather, winter bathing and sleeping in a cool place is widespread.

literature

  • Sebastian Kneipp : My water cure: tested and written for more than 35 years to cure diseases and maintain health: 49th edition. Kösel, Kempten 1894.
  • Horst Prignitz : water treatment and bathing pleasure. A bathing trip into the past. Koehler & Amelang, Leipzig 1986, ISBN 3-7338-0022-2 .
  • Bernd Wedemeyer-Kolwe : "The new person". Physical culture in the German Empire and in the Weimar Republic. Königshausen and Neumann, Würzburg 2004, ISBN 3-8260-2772-8 (also: Göttingen, University, habilitation paper, 2002).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The myth of hardening them: How to strengthen the immune system Spiegel Online, October 11, 2013.