Sentence:  If ſhe [the nurse] obſerves that the ſkin ſeems any where to be chafed, after <WSD>dabbling</WSD> the part very well with cold water, and drying it gently with a fine cloth, let her apply ſome common powder to it, by means of a ſoft puff. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To make slightly wet or soiled by spattering or sprinkling a liquid (such as water, mud, or paint) on it; to bedabble. (from late 16th c.)