Humoral Medicine in Latin America Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Humorism is a theory that is used to demonstrate the way the human body functions. It was founded by the Roman and Greek physicians who said that if the human body experienced a deficiency of the four major body fluids, the health and temperament of a person would deteriorate. The theory was initially applied by the Greeks, Europeans, and Arabs before being adopted in other parts of the world (Singer and Erickson 23).

Today, many anthropologists argue that humoral medicine is a very essential ethnomedical process in Latin America. This theory has been adopted by physicians until recently when modern research in medicine has overtaken it. The humoral medicine concept was in broad use in North America and Europe during the 19th century (Foster 359). There are various medicine advocates today who are still using the concept of humoral medicine because they regard it as a mechanism that can assist them in critically understanding how the human body operates.

The various body fluids that significantly influence how the human body operates include yellow bile, phlegm, black pile, and blood. These fluids are also referred to as humor and each humor is unique in its way. For example, the yellow bile is dry and hot, blood is hot and wet, phlegm is wet and cold, and the black pile is dry and cold (Foster 378). However, the uniqueness of these fluids does not in any way influence the humidity and temperature of the human body. The various organs that work hand in hand with the humoral fluids to stimulate the functioning of the human body include the liver, spleen, lungs, brain, and gall bladder (Foster 362). These organs are said to contain the same complexion just like the humor that is associated with them.

Different kinds of illnesses and medicines also differ in their complexions thereby forcing medical experts in Latin America to come up with mechanisms that would enable them to cure any illnesses that result from complexion imbalance. For example, any hot illness deserves to be cured using cold therapy.

In addition, an ankle that is sprained is treated as a cold injury and should therefore be treated using a hot material. There are also those people who normally have excess moisture and heat in their bodies (Foster 370). To lessen this imbalance, the easiest option would be to suction cuts on them deliberately. There are also certain types of food that different Latin Americans use to help them reinstate balance in their bodies. If a person happens to consume a cold poisonous mushroom, he can be treated using hot stuff such as toasted garlic (Singer and Erickson 54).

The application of humoral medicine in Latin America is a complicated process. This is because experts argue that the complexion of fluids or organs can change drastically at different times of the day. For example, if a person consumes a cold orange in the evening when his body is very hot, that person can experience a shock because of the imbalance that the cold orange would cause to his body. Many Latin Americans are still making use of the humoral medicine concept (Foster 365).

This has been demonstrated by how different kinds of medicines and foods have been associated with unique complexions. Internet and cellphone usage are also being identified with specific complexions (Singer and Erickson 56). It is therefore true that Humoral Medicine practice is still a relevant practice in the modern world even though it was founded centuries ago.

Works Cited

Foster, George M. “On the Origin of Humoral Medicine in Latin America.” Medical Anthropology Quarterly 1.4 (1987): 355-393. Jstor. Web.

Singer, Merrill and Pamela Erickson. A Companion to Medical Anthropology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, May 1). Humoral Medicine in Latin America. https://ivypanda.com/essays/humoral-medicine-in-latin-america/

Work Cited

"Humoral Medicine in Latin America." IvyPanda, 1 May 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/humoral-medicine-in-latin-america/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Humoral Medicine in Latin America'. 1 May.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Humoral Medicine in Latin America." May 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/humoral-medicine-in-latin-america/.

1. IvyPanda. "Humoral Medicine in Latin America." May 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/humoral-medicine-in-latin-america/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Humoral Medicine in Latin America." May 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/humoral-medicine-in-latin-america/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1