Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Fomentation

FOMENTATION, the application of a liquid, such as water, generally warm, to a portion of the body to remove external or internal disease. The application is usually made by means of flannel, steeped in the liquid. If the water be charged with mucilaginous principles, it is called emollient; if with a narcotic one it is said to be sedative or anodyne.