Four Humours 1

The theory of the Four Humours was a fundamental concept in Elizabethan medicine and philosophy. This theory posited that:

• Nature consists of four elements: fire, air, water, and earth
• Each element corresponds to a bodily fluid and an organ
• The four humours are yellow bile (liver), blood (heart), phlegm (brain), and black bile (spleen)
• Each humour is associated with specific personality traits: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholic

Definition: The Four Humours theory was a system of medicine detailing the makeup and workings of the human body, believed to be correct from ancient Greek times until the advent of modern medical research.

Four Humours 2

The Four Humours theory had significant implications for Elizabethan medicine and understanding of health:

• Health (eucrasia) was believed to result from a balanced mixture of the humours
• Disease (dyscrasia) was thought to be caused by an imbalance of the humours
• Medical treatments aimed to restore balance through methods such as bloodletting, cupping, and the use of emetics, laxatives, and diaphoretics
• Natural self-healing was believed to be the primary method of recovery, with doctors supporting this process

Vocabulary: Phlebotomy refers to the practice of bloodletting, while cupping involved creating suction on the skin to draw out "bad" humours.

Highlight: This medical theory significantly influenced Elizabethan literature, with characters often described in terms of their dominant humour.