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====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}}
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