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HYDROPATHY

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hy⋅drop⋅a⋅thy

  [hahy-drop-uh-thee]
Use HYDROPATHY in a Sentence
–noun
the curing of disease by the internal and external use of water.
Origin:
1835–45; hydro- 1 + -pathy

Related forms:
hy⋅dro⋅path⋅ic  [hahy-druh-path-ik] , hy⋅dro⋅path⋅i⋅cal, adjective
hy⋅drop⋅a⋅thist, hy⋅dro⋅path, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To HYDROPATHY
hy·drop·a·thy   (hī-drŏp'ə-thē)   
n.   pl. hy·drop·a·thies
Internal and external use of water as a therapeutic treatment for all forms of disease.
hy'dro·path'ic (hī'drə-pāth'ĭk), hy'dro·path'i·cal adj., hy·drop'a·thist, hy'dro·path' n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: hy·drop·a·thy
Pronunciation: hI-'dräp-&-thE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -thies
: amethod of treating disease by copious and frequent use of water both externally and internally —compare HYDROTHERAPY —hy·dro·path·ic /"hI-dr&-'path-ik/ adjective —hy·dro·path·i·cal·ly /-i-k(&-)lE/ adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Encyclopedia

hydropathy

therapeutic system that professes to cure all disease with water, either by bathing in it or by drinking it. Although water therapy is currently used to treat certain ailments, its effectiveness is generally accepted to be limited. Most authorities agree that many disease and injury conditions are indirectly improved by the relaxing effect of the patient's immersion in water. Hydropathy as a formal therapeutic system came into vogue during the 19th century through the efforts of Vinzenz Priessnitz (1799-1851), a Silesian farmer who believed in the medicinal value of water from the wells on his land. See also hydrotherapy; spa.

Learn more about hydropathy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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