A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON MASSAGE, ITS HISTORY, MODE OF APPLICATION AND EFFECTS
Here's a little look into the history of massage in the USA from 100+ years ago
This text from 1884 is more realistic in its descriptions and characterizatio
"The pressure of deep massage exerts a simultaneous influence upon all the tissues within its reach, upon the skin, fasciae, muscles, vessels, nerves etc. The skin, by reason of its highly organized structure, is remarkably well adapted for receiving and transmitting the influence of massage." (60-61)
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF MASSAGE
by Beatrice Mary Goodall- Copestake
There is more sensible, uncomplicated wisdom and solid description of human physiology in this 1919 publication by Beatrice Mary Goodall-Copesta
However, this is not a text without flaws. Scientific knowledge has progressed somewhat in the last 100 years.
A note on gender: The female author addresses future female masseuses (her term) throughout the text. This is a marked difference in cultural expectation for who performs massage when compared to 1884's publication by Douglas Graham, MD, who expected that massage was the domain of the (male) physician.
"A good masseuse will never forget that such qualities as tact, sympathy, and a confident manner without aggressiveness are essential to success.