Theory of Humours

  • The Theory of Humours was originally put forward by Empedocles of Akragas (c.492-432 BCE) and subsequently confirmed by Hippocrates of Cos. (c.460-370 BCE).
  • The Theory of Humours was that Four bodily fluids (Humours) control the physical and mental health of a person, giving the Four Temperaments. Hippocrates established a Procedure for healing Patients.

The Four Humours and the Four Temperaments

  1. Blood
    • Temperament: Sanguine. Too much courage, optimism and over amorous (over sanguine) due to an excess of blood in the system.
    • Earth element: air
    • Organ: liver
    • Season: spring. It was believed blood dominated in the Spring and Summer causing sickness and vomiting.
    • Quality: warm and moist
    • Cure: bleeding.
  2. Phlegm
    • Temperament: Phlegmatic: Calm, unexcitable or unemotional people dominated by phlegm.
    • Earth element: water
    • Organ: brain and lungs
    • Season: winter. It was thought to accumulate during the chilly winter causing sore throats and colds.
    • Quality: cold and moist
  3. Yellow Bile
    • Temperament: Choleric: excess yellow bile made a person easily angered and bad-tempered, yellowfaced, lean and hairy.
    • Earth element: fire
    • Organ: spleen
    • Season: summer
    • Quality: warm and dry
  4. Black Bile
    • Temperament: Melancholic: an excess of black bile made a person gloomy, despondant, sleepless and irritable.
    • Earth element: earth
    • Organ: gall bladder
    • Season: autumn
    • Quality: cold and dry
    • Cure: sweat out the black bile.

Hippocrates’ Method of Curing Patients

  • Diagnosis:
    • Defining which of the Humours was producing the patient’s illness.
  • ‘Reading’ a Patient’s character.
    • This was done by the Physician lightly placing his hands on the patient’s abdomen – (stomach area) to check the balance of the Humours.
  • Cure:
    • Restoration of the equilibrium of the Humours. Herbs were central to this restoration of the equilibrium.
    • Also purges and emetics. but this was not easy to achieve; other factors interfered, such as the patient’s sex, age, diet, the weather and the time of the year (winter or summer)
  • A balanced diet:
    • This was recommended with no eating or drinking to excess. Food was associated with each of the Four Humours, so foods and beverages associated with the opposite quality were given
  • Applying the opposite quality:
    • Fever and sweating were associated with being warm and moist, so the patient would be given substances associated with being cold and dry.

 

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