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70-614: The Pepper Coast got its name from the availability in the region of the melegueta pepper ( Aframomum melegueta ), also known as the "grain of paradise", which in turn gave rise to an alternative name, the Grain Coast . The importance of the spice is shown by the designation of the area from the Saint John River (at present-day Buchanan ) to Harper in Liberia as the "Grain Coast", in reference to

140-674: A raw food diet , because they are considered less irritating to digestion than black pepper. In West African folk medicine , grains of paradise are valued for their warming and digestive properties, and among the Efik people in Nigeria have been used for divination and ordeals determining guilt. A. melegueta has been introduced to the Caribbean and Latin America, where it is used in Voodoo religious rites. It

210-452: A choleric man, uses humoral therapy techniques on Katherina, a choleric woman, in order to tame her into the socially acceptable phlegmatic woman. Some examples include: he yells at the servants for serving mutton, a choleric food, to two people who are already choleric; he deprives Katherina of sleep; and he, Katherina and their servant Grumio endure a cold walk home, for cold temperatures were said to tame choleric temperaments. The theory of

280-405: A combination of two (warm and moist, warm and dry, cold and dry, or cold and moist) dominated. These last four, named for the humors with which they were associated—sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic—eventually became better known than the others. While the term temperament came to refer just to psychological dispositions, Galen used it to refer to bodily dispositions, which determined

350-451: A connection between these three parts of the soul and the three major organs that were recognized at the time: the brain, the heart, and the liver. This idea of connecting vital parts of the soul to vital parts of the body was derived from Aristotle's sense of explaining physical observations, and Galen utilized it to build his view of the human body. The organs (named organa ) had specific functions (called chreiai ) that contributed to

420-559: A person's susceptibility to particular diseases, as well as behavioral and emotional inclinations. Disease could also be the result of the "corruption" of one or more of the humors, which could be caused by environmental circumstances, dietary changes, or many other factors. These deficits were thought to be caused by vapors inhaled or absorbed by the body. Greeks and Romans, and the later Muslim and Western European medical establishments that adopted and adapted classical medical philosophy, believed that each of these humors would wax and wane in

490-566: A replacement for pepper, and to give unique flavor in some craft beers , gins , and Norwegian akvavit . Grains of paradise are starting to enjoy a slight resurgence in popularity in North America due to their use by some well-known chefs. Alton Brown is a fan of the condiment, and he uses it in okra stew and his apple-pie recipe on an episode of the TV cooking show Good Eats . Grains of paradise are also used by people on certain diets, such as

560-529: A surplus of a humor. Apocroustics were medications intended to stop the flux of malignant humors to a diseased body part. 16th-century Swiss physician Paracelsus further developed the idea that beneficial medical substances could be found in herbs, minerals and various alchemical combinations thereof. These beliefs were the foundation of mainstream Western medicine well into the 17th century. Specific minerals or herbs were used to treat ailments simple to complex, from an uncomplicated upper respiratory infection to

630-411: A symptom brought on by a disease. Empedocles 's theory suggested that there are four elements : earth, fire, water, and air, with the earth producing the natural systems. Since this theory was influential for centuries, later scholars paired qualities associated with each humor as described by Hippocrates/Galen with seasons and "basic elements" as described by Empedocles . The following table shows

700-455: A theory of three humors (doṣas), which they sometimes linked with the five elements ( pañca-bhūta ): earth, water, fire, air, and space. The concept of "humors" (chemical systems regulating human behaviour) became more prominent from the writing of medical theorist Alcmaeon of Croton (c. 540–500 BC). His list of humors was longer and included fundamental elements described by Empedocles , such as water, earth, fire, air, etc. Hippocrates

770-559: Is a layer of red blood cells (the "blood"); above this is a whitish layer of white blood cells (the "phlegm"); the top layer is clear yellow serum (the "yellow bile"). Many Greek texts were written during the golden age of the theory of the four humors in Greek medicine after Galen. One of those texts was an anonymous treatise called On the Constitution of the Universe and of Man , published in

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840-528: Is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae , and closely related to cardamom . Its seeds are used as a spice (ground or whole); it imparts a pungent , black-pepper -like flavor with hints of citrus. It is also known as melegueta pepper , Guinea grains , ossame , or fom wisa , and is sometimes confused with alligator pepper . The terms African pepper and Guinea pepper have also been used, but are ambiguous as they can apply to other spices such as grains of Selim ( Xylopia aethiopica ). It

910-481: Is also found widely among Protestant Christian practitioners of African-American hoodoo and rootwork , where the seeds are employed in luck-bringing and may be held in the mouth or chewed to prove sincerity. Humorism Humorism , the humoral theory , or humoralism , was a system of medicine detailing a supposed makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers . Humorism began to fall out of favor in

980-469: Is based on Galenic and Avicennian medicine in its emphasis on the four humors as a fundamental part of the methodologic paradigm. The humoralist system of medicine was highly individualistic, for all patients were said to have their own unique humoral composition. From Hippocrates onward, the humoral theory was adopted by Greek, Roman and Islamic physicians , and dominated the view of the human body among European physicians until at least 1543 when it

1050-613: Is commonly used in the cuisines of West and North Africa , from where it has been traditionally transported by camel caravan routes through the Sahara desert and distributed to Sicily and the rest of Italy. Mentioned by Pliny as "African pepper" but subsequently forgotten in Europe, they were renamed "grains of paradise" and became a popular substitute for black pepper in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Ménagier de Paris recommends it for improving wine that "smells stale". Through

1120-699: Is native to West Africa , which is sometimes named the Pepper Coast (or Grain Coast) because of this commodity. It is also an important cash crop in the Basketo district of southern Ethiopia . Aframomum melegueta is an herbaceous perennial plant native to swampy habitats along the West African coast. Its trumpet-shaped, purple flowers develop into pods 5–7 cm (2–3 in) long, containing numerous small, reddish-brown seeds . The pungent, peppery taste of

1190-413: Is not a remnant of the humor theory. It is merely a literal use of humoral , i.e. pertaining to bodily fluids (such as blood and lymph). The concept of humorism was not definitively disproven until 1858. There were no studies performed to prove or disprove the impact of dysfunction in known bodily organs producing named fluids (humors) on temperament traits simply because the list of temperament traits

1260-486: Is not capable of converting abnormal chylous into normal chylous and normal humors. Humors are the end product of gastric digestion, but they are not the end product of the digestion cycle, so an abnormal humor produced by hepatic digestion will affect other digestive organs. According to Hippocratic humoral theory, jaundice is present in the Hippocratic Corpus . Some of the first descriptions of jaundice come from

1330-428: Is secreted by a different organ. Aristotle's concept of eucrasia—a state resembling equilibrium—and its relationship to the right balance of the four humors allow for the maintenance of human health, offering a more mathematical approach to medicine. The imbalance of humors, or dyscrasia , was thought to be the direct cause of all diseases. Health was associated with a balance of humors, or eucrasia . The qualities of

1400-422: Is suitable for the liver to absorb and carry on digestion. Chylous is changed into chymous in the hepatic digestion stage. Chymous is composed of the four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. These four humors then circulate in the blood vessels . In the last stage of digestion, tissue digestion, food becomes similar to the organ tissue for which it is destined. If anything goes wrong leading up to

1470-406: Is the cause of tumours , of chlorosis , of rheumatism , and cacochymia – where is it? Who will ever see it? Who has ever seen it? What can we say of this fanciful classification of humors into four groups, of which two are absolutely imaginary?" The seasonal association of phlegm is winter due to the natural properties of being cold and wet. Humors were believed to be produced via digestion as

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1540-408: Is usually credited with applying this idea to medicine. In contrast to Alcmaeon, Hippocrates suggested that humors are the vital bodily fluids: blood , phlegm , yellow bile, 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. Hippocrates, and then Galen , suggested that a moderate imbalance in

1610-530: The A. melegueta spice is shown by the designation of the area from the St. John River (near present-day Buchanan ) to Harper in Liberia as the Grain Coast or Pepper Coast in honor of the availability of grains of paradise. Later, the craze for the spice waned, and its uses were reduced to a flavoring for sausages and beer. In the 18th century, its importation to Great Britain collapsed after an act of Parliament during

1680-459: The "Father of Modern Medicine". With the advent of the Doctrine of Specific Etiology , the humoral theory's demise hastened even further. This demonstrates that there is only one precise cause and one specific issue for each and every sickness or disorder that has been diagnosed. Additionally, the identification of messenger molecules like hormones, growth factors, and neurotransmitters suggests that

1750-592: The 17th century and it was definitively disproved in the 1850s with the advent of germ theory , which was able to show that many diseases previously thought to be humoral were in fact caused by microbes. The concept of "humors" may have origins in Ancient Egyptian medicine , or Mesopotamia , though it was not systemized until ancient Greek thinkers. The word humor is a translation of Greek χυμός , chymos (literally 'juice' or ' sap ', metaphorically 'flavor'). Early texts on Indian Ayurveda medicine presented

1820-524: The Hippocratic Corpus. Despite the fact that the Hippocratic physicians' therapeutic approaches have little to do with contemporary medical practice, their capacity for observation as they described the various forms of jaundice is remarkable. In the Hippocratic Corpus, the Hippocratic physicians make multiple references to jaundice. At that time, jaundice was viewed as an illness unto itself rather than

1890-415: The Hippocratic humors. He believed that phlegm did not influence character. In his On Hippocrates ' The Nature of Man , Galen stated: "Sharpness and intelligence ( ὀξὺ καὶ συνετόν ) are caused by yellow bile in the soul, perseverance and consistency ( ἑδραῖον καὶ βέβαιον ) by the melancholic humor, and simplicity and naivety ( ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἠλιθιώτερον ) by blood. But the nature of phlegm has no effect on

1960-456: The Hippocratic physicians (icterus). The ailment appears multiple times in the Hippocratic Corpus, where its genesis, description, prognosis, and therapy are given. The five kinds of jaundice mentioned in the Hippocratic Corpus all share a yellow or greenish skin color. A modern doctor will undoubtedly start to think of the symptoms listed in contemporary atlases of medicine after reading the clinical symptoms of each variety of jaundice listed in

2030-572: The Middle Ages and into the early modern period, the theory of the four humors governed theories about nourishment on the part of doctors, herbalists, and druggists. In this context, John Russell characterized grains of paradise in The Boke of Nurture as "hot and moist". In 1469, King Afonso V of Portugal granted the monopoly of trade in the Gulf of Guinea to Lisbon merchant Fernão Gomes . This included

2100-514: The availability of grains of paradise. In some cases (as shown on the map pictured above), this term covers a wider area incorporating Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast . 5°12′N 9°30′W  /  5.2°N 9.5°W  / 5.2; -9.5  ( Pepper Coast ) This Liberia location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Melegueta pepper Grains of paradise ( Aframomum melegueta )

2170-420: The blood was the source of energy for the body and the soul. Blood was believed to consist of small proportional amounts of the other three humors. This meant that taking a blood sample would allow for determination of the balance of the four humors in the body. It was associated with a sanguine nature (enthusiastic, active, and social). Blood is considered to be hot and wet, sharing these characteristics with

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2240-405: The body remains a compellingly shared point with Hippocratic beliefs, despite the fact that current science has moved away from those four Hippocratic humors. Although the theory of the four humors does appear in some Hippocratic texts, other Hippocratic writers accepted the existence of only two humors, while some refrained from discussing the humoral theory at all. Humoralism, or the doctrine of

2310-455: The body were made. Robin Fåhræus (1921), a Swedish physician who devised the erythrocyte sedimentation rate , suggested that the four humors were based upon the observation of blood clotting in a transparent container. When blood is drawn in a glass container and left undisturbed for about an hour, four different layers can be seen: a dark clot forms at the bottom (the "black bile"); above the clot

2380-431: The body, depending on diet and activity. When a patient was suffering from a surplus or imbalance of one of the four humors, then said patient's personality and/or physical health could be negatively affected. Therefore, the goal of treatment was to rid the body of some of the excess humor through techniques like purging, bloodletting, catharsis, diuresis, and others. Bloodletting was already a prominent medical procedure by

2450-433: The character of the soul ( τοῦ δὲ φλέγµατος ἡ φύσις εἰς µὲν ἠθοποιῗαν ἄχρηστος )." He further said that blood is a mixture of the four elements: water, air, fire, and earth. These terms only partly correspond to modern medical terminology, in which there is no distinction between black and yellow bile, and phlegm has a very different meaning. It was believed that the humors were the basic substances from which all liquids in

2520-469: The early ninth century. Use of the practice in modern times is pseudoscience . Humoral theory was the grand unified theory of medicine, before the invention of modern medicine, for more than 2000 years. The theory was one of the fundamental tenets of the teachings of the Greek physician-philosopher Hippocrates (460–370 BC), who is regarded as the first practitioner of medicine, appropriately referred to as

2590-568: The exclusivity in trade of Aframomum melegueta , then called malagueta pepper. The grant came at the cost of 100,000 real annually and agreement to explore 160 kilometres (100 mi) of the coast of Africa per year for five years; this gives some indication of the European value of the spice. After Christopher Columbus reached the New World in 1492 and brought the first samples of the chili pepper ( Capsicum frutescens ) back with him to Europe,

2660-410: The final products of hepatic digestion. Digestion is a continuous process taking place in every animal, and it can be divided into four sequential stages. The gastric digestion stage, the hepatic digestion stage, the vascular digestion stage, and the tissue digestion stage. Each stage digests food until it becomes suitable for use by the body. In gastric digestion, food is made into chylous, which

2730-432: The first century, but venesection took on even more significance once Galen of Pergamum declared blood to be the most prevalent humor. The volume of blood extracted ranged from a few drops to several litres over the course of several days, depending on the patient's condition and the doctor's practice. Even though humorism theory had several models that used two, three, and five components, the most famous model consists of

2800-419: The four humors described by Hippocrates and developed further by Galen . The four humors of Hippocratic medicine are black bile (Greek: μέλαινα χολή , melaina chole ), yellow bile (Greek: ξανθὴ χολή , xanthe chole ), phlegm (Greek: φλέγμα , phlegma ), and blood (Greek: αἷμα , haima ). Each corresponds to one of the traditional four temperaments . Based on Hippocratic medicine, it

2870-619: The four humors with their corresponding elements, seasons, sites of formation, and resulting temperaments: Medieval medical tradition in the Golden Age of Islam adopted the theory of humorism from Greco-Roman medicine, notably via the Persian polymath Avicenna 's The Canon of Medicine (1025). Avicenna summarized the four humors and temperaments as follows: The Unani school of medicine, practiced in Perso-Arabic countries, India, and Pakistan,

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2940-484: The four temperaments, as a medical theory retained its popularity for centuries, largely through the influence of the writings of Galen (129–201 AD). The four essential elements—humors—that make up the human body, according to Hippocrates, are in harmony with one another and act as a catalyst for preserving health. Hippocrates' theory of four humors was linked with the popular theory of the four elements (earth, fire, water, and air) proposed by Empedocles , but this link

3010-459: The herbaceous plant are aromatic, with an orange-colored lip and rich pinkish-orange upper part. The fruits contain numerous, small, golden red-brown seeds. Melegueta is a major component in the diet of Western Lowland gorilla —around 80 to 90 percent. The gorillas eat the entire fruit and act as a source of seed dispersal for meleguetta. In addition to food, the plant is also the most common material used to make nests and beds. Melegueta pepper

3080-400: The humoral theory has not yet been made fully moribund. Humoral theory is still present in modern medical terminology, which refers to humoral immunity when discussing elements of immunity that circulate in the bloodstream, such as hormones and antibodies. Modern medicine refers to humoral immunity or humoral regulation when describing substances such as hormones and antibodies , but this

3150-493: The humors, in turn, influenced the nature of the diseases they caused. Yellow bile caused warm diseases and phlegm caused cold diseases. In On the Temperaments , Galen further emphasized the importance of the qualities. An ideal temperament involved a proportionally balanced mixture of the four qualities. Galen identified four temperaments in which one of the qualities (warm, cold, moist, or dry) predominated, and four more in which

3220-413: The lungs, acute diseases, and "hardness of the bowels", as well as ophthalmies (issues of the eyes), and nosebleeds. Cities to the west, meanwhile, were believed to produce weak, unhealthy, pale people that were subject to all manners of disease. In the treatise, On Airs, Waters, and Places , a Hippocratic physician is described arriving to an unnamed city where they test various factors of nature including

3290-408: The maintenance of the human body, and the expression of these functions is shown in characteristic activities (called energeiai ) of a person. While the correspondence of parts of the body to the soul was an influential concept, Galen decided that the interaction of the four humors with natural bodily mechanisms were responsible for human development and this connection inspired his understanding of

3360-415: The mid-19th century by J. L. Ideler. In this text, the author establishes the relationship between elements of the universe (air, water, earth, fire) and elements of the man (blood, yellow bile, black bile, phlegm). He said that: Seventeenth century English playwright Ben Jonson wrote humor plays , where character types were based on their humoral complexion. It was thought that the nutritional value of

3430-556: The mixture of these fluids produces behavioral patterns. One of the treatises attributed to Hippocrates, On the Nature of Man , describes the theory as follows: The Human body contains blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. These are the things that make up its constitution and cause its pains and health. Health is primarily that state in which these constituent substances are in the correct proportion to each other, both in strength and quantity, and are well mixed. Pain occurs when one of

3500-614: The name malagueta , and Spanish and Portuguese spelling, was then applied to the new chili "pepper" because its piquancy was reminiscent of grains of paradise. Malagueta, thanks to its low price, remained popular in Europe even after the Portuguese opened the direct maritime route to the Spice Islands around 1500. This namesake, the malagueta chili , remains popular in Brazil , the Caribbean , Portugal, and Mozambique . The importance of

3570-490: The nature of the components of the body. Galen recalls the correspondence between humors and seasons in his On the Doctrines of Hippocrates and Plato , and says that, "As for ages and the seasons, the child ( παῖς ) corresponds to spring, the young man ( νεανίσκος ) to summer, the mature man ( παρακµάζων ) to autumn, and the old man ( γέρων ) to winter". He also related a correspondence between humors and seasons based on

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3640-409: The nature of the humors formed. As such, certain seasons and geographic areas were understood to cause imbalances in the humors, leading to varying types of disease across time and place. For example, cities exposed to hot winds were seen as having higher rates of digestive problems as a result of excess phlegm running down from the head, while cities exposed to cold winds were associated with diseases of

3710-555: The neo-classical revival in Europe, the humor theory dominated medical practice, and the theory of humoral types made periodic appearances in drama. The humors were an important and popular iconographic theme in European art, found in paintings, tapestries, and sets of prints. The humors can be found in Elizabethan works , such as in The Taming of the Shrew , in which the character Petruchio,

3780-521: The physical nature and function of the organ systems. Galen combined his interpretation of the humors with his collection of ideas concerning nature from past philosophers in order to find conclusions about how the body works. For example, Galen maintained the idea of the presence of the Platonic tripartite soul, which consisted of " thumos (spiritedness), epithumos (directed spiritedness, i.e. desire), and Sophia (wisdom)". Through this, Galen found

3850-405: The plague. For example, chamomile was used to decrease heat, and lower excessive bile humor. Arsenic was used in a poultice bag to 'draw out' the excess humor(s) that led to symptoms of the plague. Apophlegmatisms , in pre-modern medicine, were medications chewed in order to draw away phlegm and humors. Although advances in cellular pathology and chemistry criticized humoralism by the 17th century,

3920-434: The production of humors, there will be an imbalance leading to disease. Proper organ functioning is necessary in the production of good humor. The stomach and liver also have to function normally for proper digestion. If there are any abnormalities in gastric digestion, the liver, blood vessels, and tissues cannot be provided with the raw chylous, which can cause abnormal humor and blood composition. A healthy functioning liver

3990-419: The properties of both. Blood, as a humor, was considered hot and wet. This gave it a correspondence to spring. Yellow bile was considered hot and dry, which related it to summer. Black bile was considered cold and dry, and thus related to autumn. Phlegm, cold and wet, was related to winter. Galen also believed that the characteristics of the soul follow the mixtures of the body, but he did not apply this idea to

4060-514: The reign of George III forbade its use in alcoholic beverages . In 1855, England imported about 6,800 to 8,600 kilograms (15,000 to 19,000 lb) per year legally ( duty paid). By 1880, the 9th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica reported: "Grains of paradise are to some extent used in veterinary practice , but for the most part illegally to give a fictitious strength to malt liquors , gin , and cordials ". The presence of

4130-506: The season of spring. Yellow bile was associated with a choleric nature (ambitious, decisive, aggressive, and short-tempered). It was thought to be fluid found within the gallbladder , or in excretions such as vomit and feces. The associated qualities for yellow bile are hot and dry with the natural association of summer and fire. It was believed that an excess of this humor in an individual would result in emotional irregularities such as increased anger or irrational behaviour. Black bile

4200-612: The season reflect the nature of man. Phlegm was associated with all phlegmatic nature, thought to be associated with reserved behavior. The phlegm of humorism is far from phlegm as it is defined today. Phlegm was used as a general term to describe white or colorless secretions such as pus, mucus, saliva, sweat, or semen. Phlegm was also associated with the brain, possibly due to the color and consistency of brain tissue. The French physiologist and Nobel laureate Charles Richet , when describing humorism's "phlegm or pituitary secretion" in 1910, asked rhetorically, "this strange liquid, which

4270-399: The seeds in the diets of lowland gorillas in the wild seems to have some sort of beneficial effect on their cardiovascular health . They also eat the leaves, and use them for bedding material. The absence of the seeds in the diets of captive lowland gorillas may contribute to their occasionally poor cardiovascular health in zoos. Today the condiment is sometimes used in gourmet cuisine as

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4340-443: The seeds is caused by aromatic ketones , such as (6)-paradol (systematic name: 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-decan-3-one). Essential oils , which are the dominating flavor components in the closely related cardamom , occur only in traces. The stem at times can be short, and usually shows signs of scars and dropped leaves. The leaves are narrow and similar to those of bamboo, with a well-structured vascular system. The flowers of

4410-468: The substances presents either a deficiency or an excess, or is separated in the body and not mixed with others. The body depends heavily on the four humors because their balanced combination helps to keep people in good health. Having the right amount of humor is essential for health. The pathophysiology of disease is consequently brought on by humor excesses and/or deficiencies. The existence of fundamental biochemical substances and structural components in

4480-596: The theory had dominated Western medical thinking for more than 2,000 years. Only in some instances did the theory of humoralism wane into obscurity. One such instance occurred in the sixth and seventh centuries in the Byzantine Empire when traditional secular Greek culture gave way to Christian influences. Though the use of humoralist medicine continued during this time, its influence was diminished in favor of religion. The revival of Greek humoralism, owing in part to changing social and economic factors, did not begin until

4550-421: The wind, water, and soil to predict the direct influence on the diseases specific to the city based on the season and the individual. A fundamental idea of Hippocratic medicine was the endeavor to pinpoint the origins of illnesses in both the physiology of the human body and the influence of potentially hazardous environmental variables like air, water, and nutrition, and every humor has a distinct composition and

4620-416: Was associated with a melancholy nature, the word melancholy itself deriving from the Greek for 'black bile', μέλαινα χολή ( melaina kholé ). Depression was attributed to excess or unnatural black bile secreted by the spleen. Cancer was also attributed to an excess of black bile concentrated in a specific area. The seasonal association of black bile was to autumn as the cold and dry characteristics of

4690-405: Was believed that for a body to be healthy, the four humors should be balanced in amount and strength. The proper blending and balance of the four humors was known as eukrasia . Humorism theory was improved by Galen, who incorporated his understanding of the humors into his interpretation of the human body. He believed the interactions of the humors within the body were the key to investigating

4760-456: Was first seriously challenged by Andreas Vesalius , who mostly criticized Galen's theories of human anatomy and not the chemical hypothesis of behavioural regulation (temperament). Typical 18th-century practices such as bleeding a sick person or applying hot cups to a person were based on the humoral theory of imbalances of fluids (blood and bile in those cases). Methods of treatment like bloodletting, emetics and purges were aimed at expelling

4830-446: Was not defined up until the end of the 20th century. Theophrastus and others developed a set of characters based on the humors. Those with too much blood were sanguine. Those with too much phlegm were phlegmatic. Those with too much yellow bile were choleric, and those with too much black bile were melancholic. The idea of human personality based on humors contributed to the character comedies of Menander and, later, Plautus . Through

4900-455: Was not proposed by Hippocrates or Galen, who referred primarily to bodily fluids. While Galen thought that humors were formed in the body, rather than ingested, he believed that different foods had varying potential to act upon the body to produce different humors. Warm foods, for example, tended to produce yellow bile, while cold foods tended to produce phlegm. Seasons of the year, periods of life, geographic regions, and occupations also influenced

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