Four temperaments

The humoral or ( four ) humoral doctrine is a medical theory that was first developed in the corpus Hippocraticum (eg about the nature of man ( around 400 BC ) ) to explain a general body processes and as a disease concept and to the introduction the cellular pathology by Rudolf Virchow in the 19th century remained dominant in the natural sciences and also the then medicine.

Origins of the four humors can be found probably in ancient Egypt, but certainly in the theory of the elements of Empedocles ( 490-430 BC). Further developed the theory was by Galen, who combined with the theory of humors and the whole concept wrote in its final form.

As a carrier of life in the body yellow bile, black bile, blood and phlegm were adopted according to the theory mostly. These juices are spread via the blood and also on the nerves in the body. The area of ​​digestion was treated by digestion teaching.

Hippocrates

Galen of Pergamum (ca. 130-200 AD. ), Who summarized the entire medical knowledge of his time and followed the ideas of Hippocrates, wrote the doctrine of humoral pathology reflected in a systematic way and joined the four humors blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm among others with the four phases of life and the four elements.

The balance of the juices ( eucrasia ) is equivalent to the human health. Galen's humoral diseases caused by disorders According to ( dyscrasia ) this balance. A dyscrasia may be caused by a lack, excess or destruction of one or more juices. It is treated by supplying the counter element: Sun, water extinguishes fire and earth so stop wind air. Galen stressed that it was the task of the physician, an imbalance of juices by dietetics, drugs or surgical procedures aside again. In the Hippocratic writings, the surgery was, however, not be construed as medical advice, but at best craft discipline, as evidenced on oath. Galen practiced, not least because of his rhetorical talent and his beliefs from an extraordinary influence until the 19th century.

Development of theory of humors

Galen ordered the four humors to even temperaments. In philosophical lexicon of Georgi Schischkoff these are represented as volitional and emotional qualities:

Treatment according to Galen

The theories represented by Galen formed the foundation of medicine of Hildegard of Bingen, the physiognomy of Johann Kaspar Lavater and dietetics. For the rest, also referred Sebastian Kneipp hydrotherapy with his on the findings of Galen, after which excess or spoiled juices would be derived from the body. Pain was due after the humoral pathology that at certain points in the body an excess of (mostly corrupt ) juices is available. In one of these toxins derivation disappear the pain. Although there used painkillers in ancient times, and still, the consumption of analgesics was significantly lower than earlier today.

The beginning of an observation of regularities in nature and the relation with health and disease of man shall issue scientific philosophical and historical point of view represents a significant improvement over those earlier views that had determined solely seen the condition of man as by the gods. With the humoral pathology, the doctors of antiquity began finally to systematically describe the causes of the differences between people and their specific disease tendencies. However, their influence on the subsequent history of medicine also shows how much a closed system and its eloquent representation may be the way of progress. Only after Paracelsus, who criticized the four humors violent, they became less important. For a critique of the humoral pathology but is also the point of view of reductionism to mention. While up to Galen, the elements were ( not only in the material, but also in the animistic mental sense) understood as primal substance or substances that Western medicine has received increasing their character by what today with the slogan machine paradigm ( body medicine) is expressed. The humoral pathology can be considered not only as a pioneer in the discovery of the body fluids, but ultimately the discovery of hormones, neurotransmitters and immune bodies.