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===Thesis III The Temperaments=== The ''Canon of Medicine'' divides the thesis on temperaments into three subsections; a general overview, one based on members of the body, and temperaments based on age. ====I The Temperaments (General description)==== The temperaments are reported to be the interaction between the four different element's qualities, such as the conflict between dryness, wetness, cold, and hot. Avicenna suggests that these qualities battle between each other until an equilibrium state is reached and this state is known as the temperaments.<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|57β65}} The ''Canon'' also adopted the ancient theory of [[Four Temperaments]] and extended it to encompass "emotional aspects, mental capacity, moral attitudes, self-awareness, movements and dreams". This expanded theory of four temperaments is given in the following table:<ref name=Lutz>{{Cite book|first=Peter L. |last=Lutz |year=2002 |title=The Rise of Experimental Biology: An Illustrated History |page=60 |publisher=[[Humana Press]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ENW9BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA60 |isbn=0-89603-835-1}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |+ Evidences of the four primary temperaments |- ! Evidence ! Hot ! Cold ! Moist ! Dry |- ! Morbid states | [[Inflammation]]s become [[Fever|febrile]] <br />Loss of vigour | Fevers related to serous humour <br />[[Rheumatism]] | [[Lassitude]] | |- ! Functional power | Deficient energy | Deficient digestive power | Difficult [[digestion]] | |- ! Subjective sensations | [[Taste#Bitterness|Bitter taste]] <br />Excessive thirst <br />Burning cardiac orifice | Lack of desire for fluids | Mucoid salivation <br />Sleepiness | [[Insomnia]], [[wakefulness]] |- ! Physical signs | High pulse rate, <br />approaching lassitude | Flaccid joints | [[Diarrhea]] <br />Swollen eyelids | Rough skin <br />Acquired habit |- ! rowspan=2 |Foods & medicines | Calefacients harmful | Infrigidants harmful | Moist aliments harmful | Dry regimen harmful |- | Infrigidants beneficial | Calefacients beneficial | | [[Humectant]]s beneficial |- ! Relation to weather | Worse in summer | Worse in winter | | Bad in autumn |} ;The Eight Varieties of Equipoise Canon describes humans as having eight different "varieties of equipoise", or differing temperaments.<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|59}} The temperaments fall under two categories; In relation to beings other than men and in relation to the individual himself. ;A. In relation to beings other than men i. "the equability of the temperament seen in man as compared with other creatures"<br /> ii. the temperament of other human beings<br /> :[[Avicenna]] describes a hot versus cold / moist versus dry equilibrium between the members of the human body. The heart, for example, is hot and must be in equilibrium of other cold parts of the body such as the brain. When this equilibrium between these members are achieved, the person is considered to be in "ideal equability".<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|59β60}} iii. external factors "such as race, climate, atmosphere"<br /> :This third gauge for temperament assumes that each race has their own equilibrium. As an example he says, "The Hindus, in health, have a different equability to the Slaves, and so on." Avicenna explains that the differing climates contribute to differing temperaments among the races.<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|60}} iv. in relation to extreme climates ;B. In relation to the individual himself v. "as compared to another person"<br /> :Although Avicenna had listed the fifth mode "as compared to another person", he seems to contradict that statement by explaining that every individual has a temperament that is unique to themselves and unlike anyone else.<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|59β61}} vi. comparison of the individual himself<br /> vii. comparing one member of the body with another member of the body<br /> :The ''Canon'' here makes the distinction of the members into categories of their individual "moistness", "dryness", "hotness", and "coldness". viii. comparison of a member to itself ''The Canon'' continues to explain the sun's position in relation to ideal temperament and the role that climate and human skin play. Organs are nowhere near ideal in temperament, but skin comes the closest. Avicenna says that the hand, especially the palm and the tip of the index finger, is the most sensitive of all and attuned to tactile contact. Medicine is described as "hot" or "cold", not based upon its actual temperature but with regard to how it relates to the temperament of the human body.<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|62β63}} ''The Canon'' then describes when temperaments are unequal, in other words, illness. Avicenna separates these into two categories, which are fairly self explainable within the context of what he had already defined as the temperaments. ;A. Simple "intemperaments"<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|63}} #Hot temperament (hotter than normal) #Cold temperament (colder than normal) #Dry temperament (drier than usual) #Moist temperament (more moist than usual) ;B. Compound "intemperaments" The compound intemperaments are where two things are wrong with the temperament, i.e. hotter and moister; hotter and drier; colder and moister; colder and drier. There are only four because something cannot be simultaneously hotter and colder or drier and moister. The four simple temperaments and four compound intemperaments can each be divided into "Those apart from any material substance" and "Those in which some material substance is concerned", for a total of sixteen intemperaments. Examples of the sixteen intemperaments are provided in the "third and fourth volumes."<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|64}} ====II The Temperament of the Several Members==== Each member of the body is described to be given each its individual temperament, each with its own degree of heat and moisture. Avicenna lists members of the body in "order of degree of Heat", from hottest to coldest.<ref name="Bakhtiar" />{{rp|66}} #The breath and "the heart in which it arises"; #The blood; which is said to be generated from the liver; #The liver, which may be looked upon as concentrated blood; #The flesh, which would be as hot as the liver were it not for the nervous tissue which pervades it; #The muscles, which are cooler than the flesh because of their tendons and ligaments, as well as the nerves; #The spleen, which is colder because of the faex of the blood; #The kidneys; #The wall of the arteries; #The veins; #The skin of the palms and soles. Then a list is given of coldest members to hottest.<ref name="Bakhtiar" />{{rp|66}} #The serious humour; #The hairs; #The bones; #The cartilage; #The ligaments; #The tendon; #The membranes; #The nerves; #The spinal cord; #The brain; #The fat; #The oil of the body; #The skin. Then a list is given in order of moisture. Avicenna credits [[Galen]] with this particular list.<ref name="Bakhtiar" />{{rp|67}} #The serious humour #The blood #The oil #the fat #the brain #the spinal cord #the breasts and the testicles #the lung #the liver #the spleen #the kidneys #the muscles #the skin Finally, a list is given in order of dryness<ref name="Bakhtiar" />{{rp|67β68}} #the hair #the bone #cartilage #ligaments #tendons #sereous membranes #arteries #veins #motor nerves #heart #sensory nerves #skin ====III The Temperaments Belonging to Age==== ''The Canon'' divides life into four "periods" and then subdivides the first period into five separate categories. The following table is provided for the four periods of life:<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|68}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! Period !! Title !! Name !! Year of Age |- | I || The Period of Growth|| Adolescence || Up to 30 |- | II || The Prime of Life|| Period of beauty|| Up to 35 or 40 |- | III || Elderly life|| Period of decline. Senescence.|| Up to about 60 |- | IV || Decrepit Age|| Senility || To the end of life |} Avicenna says that the third period shows signs of decline in vigor and some decline in intellectual power. In the fourth period, both vigor and intelligence decline. Avicenna divides the beginning stage of life in the following table, according to Oskar Cameron Gruner's edition of the ''Canon of Medicine'':<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|69}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! Sub-division !! Name!! Distinctive Characters |- | First|| Infancy|| The period before the limbs are fitted for walking |- | Second|| Babyhood|| The period of formation of the teeth. Walking has been learnt, but is not steady. The gums are not full of teeth. |- | Third|| Childhood|| The body shows strength of movement. The teeth are fully out. Pollutions have not yet appeared |- | Fourth|| Juvenility. "Puberty"|| The period up to the development of hair on the face and pubes. Pollutions begin. |- | Fifth|| Youth|| The period up to the limit of growth of the body (to the beginning of adult life). Period of athletic power. |} Avicenna generalizes youth as having a "hot" temperament, but comments that there is controversy over which periods of youth are hotter. The general notion that youth are "hot" in temperament is due to youth's supposed relationship to members of the body that are hot. For example, blood was considered "hot" as was mentioned earlier, therefore youth is assumed to be hot partially due to blood being more "plentiful" and "thicker", according to Avicenna. Evidence for youth having an excess of blood is suggested by Avicenna's observation that nose bleeds are more frequent within youth. Other contributing factors are the youth's association with sperm and the consistency of their bile. Further description of youth in regards to heat and moisture is given with respect to sex, geographical location, and occupation. ''The Canon'' says, for example, that females are colder and more moist.<ref name=Bakhtiar />{{rp|69β74}}
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