35. Louis XIV was afraid of bathing all of his life
During the long reign of Louis XIV of France, science and medicine had advanced to the point that they considered water to be unhealthful, a conveyor of disease, which in many cases was true. Exposure to water through bathing was considered unhealthful as well, and Louis bore a fear of water bordering on neurosis throughout his life. Advised by his physicians to avoid bathing, Louis became ripe enough that a Russian emissary to his court wrote that the King of France “stunk like a wild animal”. Reports of the number of baths Louis endured in his lifetime vary, some saying as few as two, and others claiming he bathed at least twice annually.
