The Four Humors
(Blood, Yellow Bile, Black Bile, and Phlegm)
What are the Four Humors?
When it comes to medieval medicine, there is much ado about its strangeness, gore, and how different it is from medical practices today. The four humors had a direct link to health and the human body during this medieval period. The four humors, according to an article written by Angela He, are basically defined as four bodily fluids: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm (4). Elisabeth Brander's article about humorism explains that in order for a person to be considered healthy, these four fluids that moved through the body needed to remain balanced; numerous things were said to disrupt the balance of the fluids, such as your diet, sleep patterns, and the changing seasons (2). Additionally, people believed that everyone has a single dominant humor, referred to as their "complexion," which would then have a direct impact on their personality and appearance (4).
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Blood
When people had an abundance of the bodily fluid blood, they were often described as being sanguine. In other words, they were cheerful and had a ruddy appearance (4). It was said that spring time correlated to an excess of blood in one's body (2). Furthermore, in Viktor Athelstan's article examining the four humors, he explains that air is the element that corresponded with blood, while the degree of wetness and heat that was associated with blood was hot and wet (1).
Yellow Bile
When people had an abundance of yellow bile, they were deemed choleric, while having a jaundiced appearance and angry personalities (4). This collection of yellow bile was associated with the summer season (2). Yellow bile's corresponding elements was said to be fire, while the degree of wetness and heat was hot and dry (1).
Black Bile
When people had an abundance of black bile were called melancholic, while also being dark in complexion and having a creative, sad personality (4). The overflow of black bile was said to be common with autumn (2). Earth was the element related to black bile, and the degree of wetness and heat was cold and dry (1).
Phlegm
When people had an abundance of phlegm in their bodies, they were described as having listless personalities and having a pale appearance (4). The winter season is connected to the dominance of phlegm in the body (2). Lastly, water was the corresponding element, while the degree of wetness and heat was cold and wet (1).
Works Cited
(1) Athelstan, Viktor. “Medieval Medicine: The Four Humors Part 1, The Basics.” The Mediaeval Monk, https://themediaevalmonk.wordpress.com/2021/10/04/medieval-medicine-the-four-humors-part-1-the-basics/.
(2) Brander, Elisabeth. “Humoralism and the seasons.” BernardBecker Medical Library, https://becker.wustl.edu/news/humoralism-and-the-seasons/.
(3) “‘And there’s the humor of it.’” National Library of Medicine,https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/shakespeare-and-the-four-humors/index.html.
(4) He, Angela. “The Humors and You! Medieval Health, Diet, and Humoral Theory.” BernardBecker Medical Library, https://becker.wustl.edu/news/humors-and-you/.
I think you did a great job! It was interesting to read about because in my topic they touched on this in pretty much all the sources I found. I liked how you broke it down into the different sections and did not just make it a big paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI never knew they believed that an excess of a specific fluid could directly influence a personality.
ReplyDeleteThe different trends of medicine through history are fascinating to learn about. Not to mention, the coloration with air and blood is interesting since we know now that blood transports oxygen through our bodies. Aside from blood, I wonder what made the people of this time period choose these other three fluids as a basis of one's health?
ReplyDeleteLast semester, my group and I chose the Four Humors as the theme for our tabletop board game. It's a very interesting (albeit gross) topic! You covered the basis of each of the humors, which is great. I would have liked to see more details about what affects each humor (ex: what specific foods for diet) and how to re-balance the humors.
ReplyDeleteI've only seen a few things about the four humors, so it was great to gain more knowledge on the topic from this. I liked how you organized them into sections, it helped me focus on each one at a time and learn something new!
ReplyDelete