Lexicon:Humours, rectify the

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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.

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