A man smoking and reading the paper fully clothed in a hip-bath; self-help hydrotherapy in hot weather. Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, is a part of medicine and alternative medicine, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term encompasses a broad range of approaches and therapeutic methods that take advantage of the physical properties of water, such as temperature and pressure, for therapeutic purposes, to stimulate blood circulation and treat the symptoms of certain diseases. Two English works on the medical uses of water were published in the 18th century that started the fashion for hydrotherapy. One of these was by John Floyer, who investigated the history of cold bathing and published a book on the subject in 1702. The other work was a 1797 publication by James Currie of on the use of hot and cold water in the treatment of fever and other illness.