Pronunciation: [hjˈuːməɹəlˌɪzəm] (IPA) 
Humoralism is a medical concept that dates back to ancient Greece. It refers to the belief that the human body is made up of four humors or fluids: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. The spelling of this word is based on the Latin word "humor," which means fluid or moisture. The IPA phonetic transcription of "humoralism" is /hjuːˈmɔːrəlɪzəm/, with the stress on the second syllable. The "h" at the beginning is silent.
Humoralism is a concept rooted in ancient Greek and medieval medical theory that postulates the existence of four bodily fluids, or humors, and their influence on human health and temperament. According to this doctrine, the four humors are blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile, with each humor associated with a specific bodily organ. The balance among these humors was believed to determine an individual's physical and mental well-being.
In humoralism, health was attributed to the equilibrium of the humors, while illness and disease were thought to arise from their imbalance. For instance, an excess of blood was associated with a sanguine temperament characterized by cheerfulness and passion, while an excess of black bile was thought to lead to melancholia.
This medical theory also extended into treatment practices. Physicians sought to restore harmony among the humors through various methods, such as bloodletting, purgatives, and herbal remedies. These interventions aimed to eliminate excess or contaminated humors and restore the proper balance in the body.
Humoralism dominated medical theory and practice from ancient Greece to the Renaissance, heavily influencing medical understanding and treatment approaches during that time. However, it gradually lost favor as the study of anatomy and the development of the scientific method provided alternative explanations for health and disease. Despite its eventual discrediting, humoralism played a significant role in shaping our understanding of the human body and disease throughout much of history.
The old doctrine that all disease is due to a change in constitution or to displacement of the humors.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The word humoralism comes from the Latin term humor, which means fluid or liquid. Humoralism refers to the ancient Greek and Roman medical theory known as humoral medicine or humorism, which believed that the human body is made up of four principal bodily fluids or humors – blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. This theory suggested that an imbalance or excess of any of these humors could cause various diseases or disorders. The term humoralism is derived from the Latin word humoralis, which means relating to fluid or liquid.
