Thomas Goode (physician)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Thomas Goode (October 31, 1787 – April 2, 1858) was a Virginian physician who helped popularize European-style hydrotherapy at Warm Springs, Virginia. He was born in Mecklenburg County to Colonel Samuel Goode, who served in Congress from 1799 to 1801. Goode trained as a doctor in Philadelphia and Edinburgh, then traveled to European spas to learn new treatments. He brought these ideas back to Warm Springs and introduced therapies such as the Spout Bath, which used rising columns of water to massage the body.

In 1832, Goode bought the Homestead resort and spa from the Bullitt family. Today it is The Omni Homestead Resort. He became a leading figure during the heyday of the Springs Tour and wrote about the healing powers of springs and waters. He died in Bath County, Virginia, and is buried beside his wife, Mary A. Knox Goode, at the Presbyterian Church in Hot Springs; an inscription there praises him as an eminent physician, wise and good.