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  • Classical Antiquity Middle Ages Four "Humors" Phlegm: Cholera Melancholia

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    Vlatko Ilievski
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    In ancient Western medical theory, health depended on balancing the four humors of blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Excesses of yellow and black bile were thought to cause aggression and depression, giving rise to the words "cholera" and "melancholia." These humorism theories, which derived from the four elements of earth, water, air and fire, held that organs reflected the emotional state of the soul, so that anger could cause liver problems and imbalances in the humors. Over time, as medical science advanced, the humorism theory was abandoned.

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    Bile

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    Bile

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    In ancient Western medical theory, health depended on balancing the four humors of blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Excesses of yellow and black bile were thought to cause aggression and depression, giving rise to the words "cholera" and "melancholia." These humorism theories, which derived from the four elements of earth, water, air and fire, held that organs reflected the emotional state of the soul, so that anger could cause liver problems and imbalances in the humors. Over time, as medical science advanced, the humorism theory was abandoned.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    6 views1 page

    Classical Antiquity Middle Ages Four "Humors" Phlegm: Cholera Melancholia

    Uploaded by

    Vlatko Ilievski
    In ancient Western medical theory, health depended on balancing the four humors of blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Excesses of yellow and black bile were thought to cause aggression and depression, giving rise to the words "cholera" and "melancholia." These humorism theories, which derived from the four elements of earth, water, air and fire, held that organs reflected the emotional state of the soul, so that anger could cause liver problems and imbalances in the humors. Over time, as medical science advanced, the humorism theory was abandoned.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 1

    InmedicaltheoriesprevalentintheWestfromClassicalAntiquitytotheMiddleAges,thebody'shealth

    dependedontheequilibriumoffour"humors",orvitalfluids:blood,phlegm,"yellowbile"(choler),and
    "blackbile".Excessesofthelasttwohumorswerethoughttoproduceaggressionanddepression,
    respectively;andtheGreeknamesforthemgaverisetotheEnglishwordscholeraandmelancholia
    [citation
    needed]
    .ThosesametheoriesexplainthederivationoftheEnglishwordbiliousfrombile,andthemeaning
    ofgallinEnglishas"exasperation"or"impudence".Thesetheoriesderivedfromthefourelement
    theory.Underlyingthisistheideathattheorgansofthebodyareconnectedtothesoul,specificallythe
    astralbody,andreflecttheemotionalstateofthesoul.Thusexcessanger,forexample,gaverisetoliver
    derangementandimbalancesinthehumors.ThisissimilartobeliefsintraditionalChinesemedicine.In
    thecourseofhistory,medicalsciencehelpedpeopletounderstanddiseasesbetter,andthehumorism
    theoryfellfromuse.

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