Lexicon:Humours, rectify the
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Revision as of 12:42, 11 November 2007
| Term: | humours, rectify the |
|---|---|
| References: | The Mauritius Command, page 202 The Wine-Dark Sea, pages 7, 153 |
| Meaning: | The four humours of the body were blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. It was believed necessary to keep the humours in proper balance for good health; hence the need to "rectify the humours." This belief, held from Greek medicine until the 19th century, led to our words for temperament — sanguine or cheerful; phlegmatic or calm, cool, and collected; yellow bile (choler) led to bilious or angry; and black bile to melancholy. |
Additional information
Maturin's Medicine — This article is based on information from Maturin's Medicine, compiled and edited by Kerry Webb, with the help of a number of contributors.
