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Shakespeare adopted his ideas about humorism, or humoralism, from the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and physicians, Aristotle, Hippocrates, and Galen. It was thought that the body consisted of four humors or fluids: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm, and that the equilibrium of the body and mind was determined by a balance in these substances. When humors were in balance, a person was healthy, but an imbalance in one of these fluids not only negatively affected the person\u2019s physical health, but also their personality and psychological wellbeing.<\/p>\n Shakespeare, based on the humors theory, presented his Elizabethan audiences with plays depicting the full range of human behaviors and character types, such as the vengeful Shylock in The Merchant of Venice<\/i>, the melancholy Ophelia in Hamlet<\/i>, and the unruly Katharine in Taming of the Shrew<\/i>.<\/p>\n Although modern medicine no longer recognizes the theory of the four humors, the concept of balance and mind-body connection, key features in the humoralist theory, are well accepted in modern medicine. The contemporary view of a healthy lifestyle emphasizes the historically influential concept of balance in human life.<\/p>\n Several books on the topic are held at Pitt libraries and specifically in the HSLS History of Medicine<\/a> and Rare Books<\/a> collections.<\/p>\n HSLS Hosts Four Humors Exhibit<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Now through November 8, HSLS is hosting the traveling exhibit, \u201cAnd There\u2019s the Humor of It\u201d: Shakespeare and the Four Humors<\/i><\/a>, produced by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and coordinated by the American Library Association. The exhibit uses materials from the historical collections of NLM to explore the prevailing belief of the four bodily humors.<\/p>\n OPENING PRESENTATION:<\/strong> October 2, 6-7 p.m., 1105 Scaife Hall<\/p>\n \u201cWilliam Shakespeare and the Four Humors: Elizabethan Medical Beliefs\u201d *Visit the exhibit in Falk Library following the lecture, 200 Scaife Hall<\/p>\n OCTOBER PRESENTATION:<\/strong> October 21, 6-7 p.m., Scaife Hall, Lecture Room 5<\/p>\n \u201cA Clinician Looks at Shakespeare and Medicine\u201d ~ Ester Saghafi<\/p>\n Bibliography<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAbout the Elizabethan Era and the Four Humors,\u201d Nuvvo<\/i>, accessed September 12, 2014, http:\/\/shakespeare.nuvvo.com\/lesson\/4423-about-the-elizabethan-era-and-the-four-humors<\/a><\/p>\n Draper J. \u201cThe Humors: Some Psychological Aspects of Shakespeare\u2019s Tragedies<\/a>,\u201d Draper JW. JAMA <\/i>188, (April 20, 1964):259-62.<\/p>\n \u201cHumoralism,\u201d Encyclopaedia Iranica<\/i>, accessed September 11, 2014, http:\/\/www.iranicaonline.org\/articles\/humoralism-1<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHumorism,\u201d Wikipedia, accessed September 12, 2014, http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Humorism<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wellcomeimages.org\/indexplus\/obf_images\/1a\/f4\/e913d8814a87c8bcf414e9a15bd3.jpg\")
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\nGail Kern Paster, PhD, director emerita, Folger Shakespeare Library<\/p>\n
\nRobin Maier, MD, MA, director of medical student education\/clerkship director, Family Medicine, University of Pittsburgh<\/p>\n