In 1752 Dr Richard Russell wrote A Dissertation: Concerning the Use of Sea Water in Diseases of the Glands which argued that bathing in, and even drinking, iodine-rich sea water could cure glandular conditions. The Prince of Wales on his second visit to Brighton followed the doctor’s advice and it wasn’t long before the fashionable crowd followed him to the town, a mere six hours from London by coach. Brighton became the first choice for wealthy people seeking diversion and a cure for illnesses caused by rich food and lack of exercise. A thriving industry devoted to bathing soon developed in the seaside resort.
Men and women had to enter the sea at specified times in different sections of the beach. The women used the beaches on the east side of town, while the men were diverted to beaches to the west. This ensured that the sexes could not view each other in bathing costumes, or while swimming in the nude, a practice that the men followed often and the women less frequently. As the popularity of sea-bathing grew, a new profession developed, with some of the town's fishermen and their families turning to bathing visitors for a living. Ladies were bathed by so-called 'dippers' and gentlemen by 'bathers'; in both cases the customer was plunged vigorously into and out of the water by the bather or dipper.
http://www.isabellegoddard.com/sea-bathing-regency-period.html
I believe all of this research will help me with interviewing and gaining more insight to what our documentary is really about.
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