The Four Humours (Hippocrates & Galen)

Part of Medieval Ideas about Disease · Section 3 of 15

Deep DiveUnit: Medicine Through TimeGCSE

This deep dive covers The Four Humours (Hippocrates & Galen) within Medieval Ideas about Disease for GCSE History. Revise Medieval Ideas about Disease in Medicine Through Time for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 3 of 15 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

🧠 The Four Humours (Hippocrates & Galen)

The most important medieval theory came from ancient Greece. Hippocrates (c.460-370 BC) developed it; Galen (c.130-210 AD) expanded it. The idea: the body contains four "humours" (liquids), and illness happens when they're out of balance.

HumourElementQualitiesSeasonIf Too Much...
BloodAirHot & WetSpringBleeding to reduce it
Yellow BileFireHot & DrySummerPurging (laxatives)
PhlegmWaterCold & WetWinterAdvised to keep warm
Black BileEarthCold & DryAutumnPurging or bleeding

Practice questions for Medieval Ideas about Disease

According to the Four Humours theory, what caused illness?

  • A. Germs entering the body through the air
  • B. God punishing sinners for their wrongdoing
  • C. An imbalance of the four humours in the body
  • D. Evil spirits possessing the patient's blood
1 markfoundation

Why did Galen often make mistakes about human anatomy?

  • A. He lived before any scientific instruments had been invented
  • B. He based his human anatomy on dissecting animals, not human bodies
  • C. He refused to examine patients and only worked from books
  • D. He rejected the Four Humours theory used by other doctors
1 markfoundation

Quick recall flashcards

What was miasma?
The belief that disease was caused by "bad air" or smells from rotting matter
What was uroscopy?
Examining a patient's urine — its colour, smell, clarity, and taste — to diagnose disease. A standard medieval diagnostic technique based on humour theory.

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