Humors in Medieval Medicine
During the Medieval time period, few advances were made in the field of medicine and surgery. The belief in humors affecting ones health during the Middle Ages was responsible for the way health care was carried out. Practitioners in Medieval Europe believed in the existence of four humors: sanguine, choler, phlegm, and melancholy. The physicians thought that illness was caused, primarily, by an imbalance of the humors (Wallace). Each of the four humors was given specific qualities. Choler was dry and hot, melancholy was dry and cold, sanguine was moist and hot, and phlegm was moist and cold. Another property sometimes associated with the humors was color. Such as red for sanguine, and yellow for choler. This association of color and humors eventually became known as the Doctrine of Signatures which taught that "the color of flowers and other properties of plants indicated their usefulness in treating particular diseases" (Wallace). One example of this would be using yellow buttercups to control choler, to cure jaundice (Wallace). The physician and practitioners believed that "balance of
Some ideas, such as trained physicians, did, however, remain. If something of this nature did not heal the patient, he would be sent to a surgeon. The surgeon then "worked to diagnose which humor was at fault then balanced out or purged the humor. The idea of the four humors held back medicine in many ways during the Middle Ages. Someone of an upper class would get a prescription from a formerly trained physician where as someone belonging to a lower class would seek help from a "folk" doctor (Krzywicka). Since the link had not yet been made between health and cleanliness (germs had not been "invented" yet), many people died after an amputation due to infection of the wound. "The medicines in the Medieval ages more often than not would take the forum of herbal remedies" (Krzywicka). Generally, the surgeons adjusted the humors "by bloodletting from the sides of the body opposite of the disease" ("Doctor's Procedures"). Someone seeking help from trained practitioner would often be prescribed something such as a laxative, taken orally, to relieve hi body of the humor at fault. If a change of diet did not suit the patient, medicine would be administered. humors in humans was achieved by diet, medicines, and phlebotomy" (Krzywicka). treatment thought to restore a balance of the humors in the body" (Black 5).
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