HERB - Avicenna on humors (long)

[Roos cc]

Allison asked for more information on the humors
for her class--hope this is helpful. Alysoun de Ros

The only primary source I have on this is *A Treatise 
on the Canon of Medicine of Avicenna incorporating a translation of the first
book* by O. Cameron Gruner 
(London: Luzac, 1930).
I have been told that the translation is decent--Gruner
however was something of a nut and his copious
commentary (the greater part of the book) should be
read cautiously.

As background for understanding the humors, remember
that everything is made up of the elements--just as
we still believe--only there are just 4, rather than a
periodic table full. These four are the two heavier
elements, Earth and Water, and the two lighter
elements, Fire and Air. Don't think of them as literally
being these things--like you could mix fire and water
in a test tube and come up with something. 

The elements are mixed in different proportions to
make different things. A certain type of mixture 
makes a human being instead of a rabbit or dog. The
mixture is a little different for different races or
ethic groups, and a little different for each person--
why each individual is unique.

Moreover, for each individual the mixture varies to
form different parts of the body, varies depending on
age (what was the mix when you were a growing child
is somewhat different than when you are mature adult),
and varies even by climate and seasons.

An equable temperament is when the mixture is
in proper balance for the individual. The tricky part
here is realizing that this is not a static state. The
body is continually adjusting, continually being
affected by environment, food, exercise, rest, etc.
To be healthy with a properly maintained mixture,
a person has to be aware of and balance these 
factors. For example, we don't just eat once and
that's it, we have to keep eating from time to time
to maintain the balance.

These adjustments seem to be carried out by the
humors or within the humors (I don't pretend to
understand all of this). There are four humors:
sanguineous, serous, bilious, and atrabilious. The first 
is called *blood* and is hot and moist; the next is
phelgm and is cold and moist; the bilious is yellow bile 
and is hot and dry; the last is black bile and is cold and 
dry.

All of these are actually parts of our blood:
 "Moreover, we see how when blood is withdrawn 
into a vessel, it contracts and allows various portions 
to separate out. . . ." 
The humors are formed by digesting food,
each of them performs different tasks in the body, 
and each of them has a normal state and various 
corrupted states.

Certain people's normal balanced mixture may contain
a greater proportion of one of the humors. This is not
an illness, but it does mean that those people will
have certain health advantages and liabilities. 

Also there are normal fluctuations--exercise sets in
motion the sanguineous humor, repose strengthens the
serous humor, etc. These are what we'd call normal
responses. Taken to extreme, these can produce an
imbalance. Exercise increases heat, heat eventually
produces dryness--today we say drink plenty water
when you exercise so you don't become dehydrated.

Illness can come from an imbalance among the humors
or from a corruption of one of the humors. But don't
think that this simple statement covers the whole
of medieval medicine. It's more like a rough framework
for maintaining health. The chapters on diagnosis
and treatment are detailed and don't make much
mention of the humors.
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