Hippocrates, Galen and the four humours

Cards (15)

  • what are the four humours

    blood-spring
    phlegm-winter
    yellow bile-summer
    black bile-autumn
  • what was the humours theory?
    to be healthy, a person need to have humours in perfect balance
  • how did a doctor balance yellow bile?
    purging
    changing diet
  • how did they balance black bile?
    laxatives
    suggest eat more veg
  • how did they balance blood
    bloodletting
  • how did they balance phlegm

    breathing steam
    eating veg with lots of water in
  • how did Galen add to the theory of the four humours?

    added theory of opposites
    eg-too much blood (fever) could be treated by a cool thing such as cucumber
  • why was the theory of the four humours important?
    basis of how patients were treated for 1400 years
    lack of scientific knowledge at time meant people could not challenge or make new theories
  • who was Galen?

    A roman medical scholar who wrote many books, and was the basis for medicine for many centuries.
  • why did the Christian church support Galen

    said human body designed by god because it fit together so well
    supported churches teachings
  • What were Galen's theories?

    theory of opposites
    theory of miasma
  • why were galens ideas significant?

    lack of opportunity to question his ideas
    had support of church
    foundation of medicine for 1400 years
  • what made galens ideas hard to challenge?
    church didn't allow dissection
    lack of scientific evidence to challenge
  • who was hippocrates?
    Ancient Greek physician who created the Theory of the Four Humours.
  • what were Hippocrates main ideas?

    clinical observation
    the Hippocratic oath-DRs swearing to work for the benefit of patients
    theory of 4 humours
    showed importance of carefully recording symptoms/development of illnesses