Waterbeds. This is a subject I would lik…

Waterbeds. This is a subject I would like to talk about.

A bit of history:

The “…waterbed was invented in the early 1800s by the Scottish physician Neil Arnott. Dr Arnott’s Hydrostatic Bed was devised to prevent bedsores in invalids, and comprised a bath of water with a covering of rubber-impregnated canvas, on which lighter bedding was placed. Arnott did not patent it, permitting anyone to construct a bed to this design”. [1][2]

Okay. So the waterbed was invented for invalids. I’ll never be able to look at a waterbed the same again. Also, if the waterbed was so good at preventing bedsores, why is it not used in nursing homes where bedsores are rampant? How ill-placed.

But lets look further back. According to eHow Contributing Writer S. L. Johnson,

“Waterbeds have been around for centuries. According to the British Waterbed Association, the notion of a waterbed dates back 3000 years to Persia with the use of goatskin water bags for sleeping”. [3]

That sounds a lot better. Except waterbeds today are made of vinyl, which is toxic [4]. Thankfully they’re not made of transparent vinyl. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is pretty lame. There are a number of people who enjoy sleeping on this kind of material every night.

Sources:
1. An Encyclopaedia of Domestic Economy , Webster & Parkes, Harper & Brothers, NY, 1855 Google Books
2. Dr. Arnott’s Hydrostatic Bed, London Medical and Surgical Journal, Volume II, 1833 Google Books
3. “Waterbed Facts” eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5218742_waterbed.html
4. Wikipedia – Polyvinyl Chloride http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride#Phthalate_plasticizers