What were the four humors in Hippocratic medical theory?

The dominant theory of Hippocrates and his successors was that of the four “humors”: black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. When these humors were in balance, health prevailed; when they were out of balance or vitiated in some way, disease took over.

How does Hippocrates describe the humors?

In contrast to Alcmaeon, Hippocrates suggested that humors are the vital bodily fluids (blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile). Alcmaeon and Hippocrates posited that an extreme excess or deficiency of any of the humors (bodily fluid) in a person can be a sign of illness.

Did Hippocrates create the four humors?

Greek physician Hippocrates (ca. 460 BCE–370 BCE) is often credited with developing the theory of the four humors—blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm—and their influence on the body and its emotions.

What are the 4 basic humors personality types described by Hippocrates?

Hippocrates theorized that personality traits and human behaviors are based on four separate temperaments associated with four fluids (“humors”) of the body: choleric temperament (yellow bile from the liver), melancholic temperament (black bile from the kidneys), sanguine temperament (red blood from the heart), and …

What are the 4 humors?

Courtesy National Library of Medicine. Greek physician Hippocrates (ca. 460 BCE–370 BCE) is often credited with developing the theory of the four humors—blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm—and their influence on the body and its emotions.

What do the four humors mean?

The theory was that there were four body fluids referred to as humors and these humors were associated with mood: black bile, meaning melancholy; phlegm, meaning apathy; yellow bile, referring to anger; and blood, which was confidence.

What did the four humors mean?

The four humors, or fluid substances, of the body were blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. This theory was closely related to the theory of the four elements: earth, fire, water, and air. Earth was represented by black bile, fire by yellow bile, and water by phlegm.

What was the purpose of the 4 humors?

Blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile: the body’s four humours were believed to control your personality in Shakespeare’s day and influenced the way the Bard created some of his most famous characters.

What is the theory of the four humors?

Theory of the Four Humors. The Theory of the Four Humors centers around the belief that the body is made up of four fluids: blood, phlegm, yellow bile (or choler) and black bile.

What were the four humours?

The four humours are the basis of ancient medicine. Essentially, according to the four humours model, general health is held to be reliant on the balance of four major body fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. The concept arose in Ancient Greece , but persisted into the 19th century.

Why are the four humours important to medicine?

The Four Humors are responsible for the nutrition, growth and metabolism of the organism. They originate in the digestive process. In Greek Medicine, digestion happens in four stages: The First Digestion happens in the gastrointestinal tract, and produces chyle; its waste product is the feces, or stool.

What are the four humors of the body?

The four humors are black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. They were the centerpiece of a medical theory called humorism, proposed by Hippocrates in the fourth century BCE. Until the 19th century, humorism dominated medical practice, with medical professionals ascribing most health problems to an imbalance in these fluids.