Soap Trivia

Since starting to make my own soap, I've been reading quite a bit about its history. I always find it interesting to learn the backstory on a common, everyday item. So here is a little tidbit that I read recently:

It seems that European physicians during the Middle Ages became convinced that bathing was harmful to one's health, especially hot baths. It opened up one's pores and removed the protective layer of bodily secretions, allowing disease and "bad air" to enter the body and make one sick. (Good heavens!) And so it was that the future King Louis XIII of France had his first bath at the age of almost seven years old!