Mineral water development history
Mineral underground waters have been used for therapeutic purposes since ancient times. We learn about this from folk legends, sacred books, and treatises of ancient scholars. The use of mineral water in ancient Greece is mentioned in 13 epic poems by Homer. Hippocrates (460–377 BC) developed a methodology for using mineral waters. Ancient Romans built baths and spas using mineral waters in Rome, Pompeii, and other cities. The ancient Roman writer and scientist Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) developed a classification of mineral sources and a methodology for their application. In the 10th century, the Tajik scientist Avicenna published the treatise “Canon of Medicine,” which includes a large section on hydrotherapy. In the 13th-16th centuries, significant progress in mineral water therapy was achieved by Tibetan medicine.
The first records of the use of underground mineral therapeutic waters in Ukraine date back to the period of the Bosporus Kingdom in Crimea, two thousand years ago. Here, the ruins of a well and the remains of the temple of Asclepius — the ancient Greek god of healing — have been preserved.
There is information that mineral springs in Zakarpattia were already known in the 16th century. In the notes of the ambassadors of Ivan the Terrible returning from Constantinople to Moscow, it was noted that “many people come sick and afflicted with all kinds of ailments and lie in those waters, and everyone who comes is healed.”
The first mention in literature of the healing properties of the mineral waters of Truskavets dates back to 1578, described by the royal physician Wojciech Oczko.
The widespread use of mineral healing waters in Ukraine, as well as in other countries, began in the 19th century. The discovery of deep underground waters in the Truskavets area dates back to 1820, and the first water treatment facility was built in 1827. Chemical studies of the mineral water “Naftusia” were carried out by the Lviv pharmacist Theodore Torosevych.
The history of the discovery of the mineral water in Myrhorod is interesting. In 1912, a well was drilled here for drinking water supply, which gave salty water with an unpleasant smell. At first, they wanted to fill in the well, but later decided to use the water for the fire station and bathhouse. After a while, people who used the water noticed its healing properties. Research on the water showed that it was similar in composition to the mineral waters of the famous European resort of Baden-Baden. A popular resort emerged in Myrhorod, known in Ukraine and beyond.
At present, almost all types of mineral water deposits known in the world have been explored in Ukraine, which allows for their successful use both internally and externally in the treatment of a wide range of diseases.