Who invented the waterbed?
A Scottish physician, Dr. Neil Arnott, invented a form of waterbed back in the early 1800s. The Hydrostatic Bed was devised to prevent bedsores in invalids, and was composed of a bath of water with a covering of rubber-impregnated canvas, on which lighter bedding was placed. Arnott never received a patent for his invention.
The waterbed made its way into mainstream American fiction as it is mentioned as an accessory for the ailing Mrs. Hale in Elizabeth Gaskell's 1855 novel, North and South. Also Mark Twain in an 1871 article that was published in The New York Times, “A New Beecher Church”, mentioned a waterbed that was used for invalids in Elmira, New York. In his own words:
“In the infirmary will be kept one or two water-beds (for invalids whose pains will not allow them to be on a less yielding substance) and half a dozen reclining invalid-chairs on wheels. The water-beds and invalid-chairs at present belonging to the church are always in demand, and never out of service.”
 Another physician, Dr. William Hooper of Portsmouth, England patented a waterbed back in 1883 but it was a failure due to the inability to contain the water or control its temperature. It wasn’t until 1968 when Charles Hall and two other design students (Paul Heckle and Evan Fawkes) devised the modern water bed at San Francisco State University. His original idea was to create an innovative chair, but after repeated failures, he decided to concentrate on perfecting a bed. He was, however, unable to obtain a patent for his invention because a waterbed is described in the novels of Robert Heinlin, who may have thought of it first but never attempted to build the invention he mentioned on paper.
Some Advantages and Disadvantages of Water Beds
Like most things in life, waterbeds have their good points and bad points. Some advantages are:
- It can be heated, which makes it nice and warm in winter. The warmth of the water also aids in muscle relaxation and improved blood circulation.
- The water-bed shapes exactly to the body sleeping in it, minimizing pressure, especially around the joints. This allows for the relaxation of spinal muscles and aids in the treatment of backache.
- Dirt and dead skin particles cannot penetrate the water mattress, which can periodically be cleaned by wiping it down with a cloth and vinyl cleaner. The cover can also be regularly washed, eliminating dust mites that can trigger asthma, eczema and allergies.
Some disadvantages of waterbeds include:
- Heating a waterbed can be quite costly and can easily consume more power than a refrigerator. Foam mattress pads can greatly reduce this usage by as much as 60%.
- Bed sheets are harder to find and there are fewer varieties to choose from as many hard-sided waterbeds are of different sizes than other mattresses. The soft-sided mattresses are standard-sized.
- A normal bed is much easier to transport than a water bed. In the case of the latter, the water must be drained and the frame disassembled and then reassembled. The mattress too must then be refilled with water and heated for a while until the water reaches the correct temperature.
- Leaking can be a problem as well. The use of plastic liners can prevent this but refilling reheating and re-patching, not to mention finding another place to sleep until all this is done, can be a real pain in places too impolite to mention.
- Strange odors can emanate from waterbed mattresses. The initial smell of vinyl when the bed is new usually evaporates once the mattress is in the bed and exposed to air for a while. A vinyl cleaner can speed up the process, but other causes of odors are not so easily treated. A musty odor usually indicates bacterial growth. This does not mean that a taloned hand will suddenly rise from underneath the bedding and grip you by the throat, but it does mean that your bed may have been punctured. Launder thoroughly if this occurs and make sure you clean the outside of the mattress, the liner and the heater pad. If the odor is very strong, it may mean that the bacteria has invaded the interior of the mattress, in which case, it might be time to part company (with the bed and the bacteria).
And thus, we can conclude that waterbeds like so many things in life demand some care and attention. Be prepared to experience the good the bad and the, yes, sometimes even ugly repercussions if you decide to buy a waterbed. You might also consider learning to swim if you don’t know how, just to be on the safe side!
Happy waterbed to all and to all a good…whatever.
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