hydropathy

American  

[hahy-drop-uh-thee] / haɪˈdrɒp ə θi /

noun

1. the curing of disease by the internal and external use of water.

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hydropathy British  

/ haɪˈdrɒpəθɪ /

noun

1. Also called: water cure.  a pseudoscientific method of treating disease by the use of large quantities of water both internally and externally Compare hydrotherapy

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Other Word Forms

• hydropath
  noun
• hydropathist
  noun
• hydropathic
  adjective
• hydropathical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of hydropathy

First recorded in 1835–45; hydro- ¹ + -pathy

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hydropathy

I try to find the "warm swimming baths" that the guide promises me - Matlock was known as the home of hydropathy - but Hartwell explains that today they've been transformed into an aquarium.

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2017

Graham advocated baths and cleanliness in general to preserve health; hydropathy, or water cures for various ailments, became popular in the United States in the 1840s and 1850s.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 30, 2014

As a result, hydropathy provided a refuge for progressive women, and many of America’s first generation of female doctors came out of hydropathy.

From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2014

These societal assumptions could not help but influence perceptions about irregular health systems, particularly those like hydropathy and homeopathy where women took active leadership roles.

From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2014

After experimenting upon himself and his neighbors he took up the profession of hydropathy and established baths at his native place, Grafenberg in Silesia, in 1829.

From Yankee Gypsies by John Greenleaf Whittier