Hippocrates, a greek doctor, in 460-377 BC
Medieval people inherited much of their understanding of science from ancient Greeks and Romans. The idea of four humors was part of what they had inherited. The idea persisted into modern times, even after the introduction of more scientific medical practices from Islamic medicine, which discarded the idea. The fact that doctors of Western Europe kept the idea alive into the nineteenth century is possibly just a matter of tradition.
The Theory of the Four Humors was primarily developed by ancient Greek physicians, notably Hippocrates and Galen, rather than the Romans themselves. However, the Romans embraced and expanded upon this theory, integrating it into their medical practices and philosophies. The humors—blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile—were believed to correspond to bodily health and personality traits, influencing Roman medicine and daily life. Roman scholars preserved and disseminated these ideas, ensuring their influence persisted throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance.
The doctrine of humors is an ancient medical theory that suggests that human health and temperament are governed by four bodily fluids, or "humors": blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Each humor is associated with specific personality traits and physical conditions, and imbalances among them were believed to lead to illness or emotional disturbances. This theory was prominent in ancient Greek and Roman medicine, particularly in the works of Hippocrates and Galen, and influenced medical practices until the 17th century. Ultimately, the doctrine was supplanted by more modern understandings of physiology and disease.
In Elizabethan times, it was believed that the human body was governed by four bodily fluids known as humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. The balance of these humors was thought to influence a person's health and temperament, with an excess or deficiency leading to illness or specific personality traits. This theory of humorism was foundational in medicine and psychology, affecting how people understood physical and mental well-being during that era. Treatments often aimed to restore this balance through methods like bloodletting or dietary changes.
Some Medieval doctors believed that our bodies consisted of four humors, yellow bile, black bile, blood and phlegm, and if these humors became unbalanced, you became ill. They also thought God caused us to be ill if we had sinned. The illness was enough to terrify you and drive you out of your sins. And some beleived that if the alignment of the sun and planets were changed, it caused illness. They also beleived bad air/oddurs was a cause.
There were supposedly four humors (black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm). When someone was sick, the four humors must have been out of balance and to heal, the four humors had to be balanced again.
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Hippocrates discovered medicine in 400s BC.
Galen learned from doctors such as Hippocrates about the four humors.
Hippocrates believed that the human body was controlled by four humors, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile and blood. Illnesses were caused by an imbalance of the humors.
In medieval medicine, the colors associated with the four humors were black bile (melancholic) - black, yellow bile (choleric) - yellow, blood (sanguine) - red, and phlegm (phlegmatic) - white. The balance of these humors was believed to affect a person's health and temperament.
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The belief in the four humors—blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile—was thought to influence a person's physical and mental health. It was believed that imbalances in these humors could lead to illness or changes in personality. Treatment involved restoring balance through practices like bloodletting or changing diet and lifestyle.
The four elements connected to the Four Humors are blood (connected to air), phlegm (water), yellow bile (fire), and black bile (earth). Each humor was thought to correspond to one of these elements, influencing an individual's health and personality.
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates first popularize the theory that humors in the body contributed to the temperament of people. Melancholia was it was believed to be caused by an excess of black bile.