The Four Humors :: European Europe History

The Four HumorsMedieval doctors had quite an understanding of the gentleman anatomy, considering their lack of equipment and knowledge. Most doctors in medieval times were philosophers more than true medical doctors as most people know them today. Much of the knowledge they did acquire may have only been speculation, but quite a bit of it was due to concentrated observation. Many scientists studied wounds and disorders intensely and bingle scientist in particular, Empedocles, came to the conclusion that that body consists of quaternary main fluids, or humors. These humors were color impudence, black bile, immobility and blood. If one of these components was out of proportion in the body, disease occurred. The imbalance was called isonomia, an idea which was similarly proposed by the Greek scientist Empedocles. Empedocles followed the Pythagorean inculcate of natural philosophers rather than the Hippocratic school as most other physicians in the time did. He felt people mu st example their senses, even though they are not thoroughly reliable at all times. The other schools preferred more mystic ideas as unconnected to natural ones. He also hypothesized that all substances and objects were made up of air, fire, water, and priming coat in different proportions. His proposal of the four humors of the body was later pass judgment by the Hippocratic school. Each of Empedocles four humors was connected to one of the four seasons. down in the mouth bile was considered to be a part of autumn, blood was associated with spring, phlegm with winter and summer with yellow bile. Each humor was identified with its interchangeable season due to the belief that each humor contained certain qualities. These qualities were tight related to the conditions of the seasons. Thus yellow bile was thought of as fervid and dry like summer. Its opposite, phlegm was cold and moist like winter. Black Bile was cold and dry, while its opposite, blood, was hot and moist, like their counterparts, autumn and spring. As well as being connected with seasons, the four humors were also connect to four elements of nature. Black bile was associated with Earth, blood with air, fire with yellow bile and phlegm with water. This theory of nature and the body being interrelated was also proposed by Empedocles. Also each of these was also connected with the type of character one presented. Too much earth made a person melancholic, which meant they were very depressed and saddened often.