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I'm not sure what this phrase in this paragraph from "Call of the Wild" refers to.
His father, Elmo, a huge St. Bernard, had been the Judge’s inseparable companion, and Buck bid fair to follow in the way of his father. He was not so large—he weighed only one hundred and forty pounds—for his mother, Shep, had been a Scotch shepherd dog. Nevertheless, one hundred and forty pounds, to which was added the dignity that comes of good living and universal respect, enabled him to carry himself in right royal fashion. During the four years since his puppy-hood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself, was ever a trifle egotistical, as country gentlemen sometimes become because of their insular situation. But he had saved himself by not becoming a mere pampered house-dog. Hunting and kindred outdoor delights had kept down the fat and hardened his muscles; and to him, as to the cold-tubbing races, the love of water had been a tonic and a health preserver.
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Carpal Tunnel
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At a guess, having baths in cold water.
Bingley
Bingley
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Carpal Tunnel
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Had a poke around. The best definition of cold-tubbing I could find refers to it as the immersion of fever victims in cold water to bring their temperature down. You could extrapolate from that to forceful immersion in cold water. And since we are dealing with animals, perhaps London was referring to a sheep-dip? Dunno. I remember wondering about the word when I read Call of the Wild dunnamany years ago.
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I believe Bingley has it right. There was a movement in England, probably starting in the late C19, possibly a bit earlier, that promoted healthy living. Their regimen included not over-eating or drinking too much (or abstaining altogether from alcohol, for extremists) wearing loose clothing that allowed air to circulate, and taking cold baths each morning, whatever the ambient temperature. If these cold baths could be taken in the river, lake or sea, so much the better, but a plunge into the bath tub at home was a good substitute. It was particularly recommended for young men who were suffering from the less morally respectable symptoms associated with the onset of puberty. (The time when a young man says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery) thanks for that one, Jackie!!The bath was commonly referred to as, "the tub", so "cold-tubbing" becomes immediately comprehensible (in meaning, if not in practice!) The "cold-tubbing races" are, I presume, the morally-superior Anglo-Saxons, as compared to the degenerate Latin races. (Whoops - time I came back into the C21  )
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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My father told me my great-grandfather used to go out to horsetrough in winter mornings, chop the ice out of it, fill a pail and empty it over himself. "Cleanliness is next to godliness, and order is Heaven's first law." The facilities of heating enough water for a bath were just too primitive and time consuming.
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veteran
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veteran
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Dr. Bill notes, the facilities for heating enough water for a bath were just too primitive and time consuming.
The Romans had very good facilities for heating water, and very good, even palatial, baths. But from the fall of the Roman Empire up to the end of the 19th century (and well into the 20th in rural and city slum areas) bathing, in Europe and, later, in America, was rare for exactly the reasons assigned.
I once attended a history lecture where it was revealed that a study of exchequer documents revealed the fact that in 1214 King John had exactly 4 baths. (This was at least 3 more than common people had in a lifetime.) If you wonder how this could be determined, it seems that he had to pay a fee to some court official who had the royal warrant or something on baths and there was a record in the Exchequer.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Wordwind, I apologize in advance, but I have to say this--your post spurred me on to think of "rub a dub dub". [running for my life e] ============================================================ Bob's post also got me to thinking, about how words that are apt descriptors in one sense can be used in another context, sometimes losing their appropriateness. He said that Roman baths were "palatial". What did Roman emporers live in? Emporiums? For some decades now, the word Cadillac has been used in the U.S. to mean top-of-the-line anything, because of the car, which is made by the General Motors company. In Reader's Digest some years ago, there was a tale of a salesman who was attempting to sell an engine component to the Ford Co. He told them his product was "the Cadillac of components". Now--the Ford Co. makes Ford vehicles--period. He didn't get the sale.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Maybe they just couldn't af ford it?
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