Sea bathing is a burgeoning medical trend, not merely a leisure activity.
People come to Ramsgate not to suntan on the beach, but to regain their health.
Doctors put up posters around the town and publish articles in newspapers, asserting that regular sea immersion can harmonize body fluids, invigorate nerves, and dispel dampness. Thus, a great number of middle-class and respectable families, with the elderly and young in tow, surge toward this southern coastal town during summer.
On the beach, rows of bathing machines stand on the edge of the tide. These wooden cabins, resembling small house trailers, have wheels and curtains. Ladies change inside the machine, which is then pushed by the proprietor into deeper shallow waters, avoiding the embarrassment of public exposure.
There are also particular protocols for how women enter the water; ladies usually accompany the bathing women.
