 Soon his curative methodology of cold wraps, steam and diet was touted as a means of purification and detoxification of the entire body, physical and mental.Some people considered Schroth a "miracle worker" during his lifetime, and others thought him to be a charlatan, including several influential physicians.During the 19th century there was a dispute between supporters of Schroth and followers of hydrotherapist Vincenz Priessnitz (1799-1851), as to which naturopathic system was superior.