black bile

ancient physiology

Also known as: melancholy

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Last updated

June 23, 2026

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In ancient and medieval physiology, black bile was considered one of the four cardinal humors of the body. This humor was believed to be cold and dry. An excess of black bile was thought to cause melancholy, sadness, and cowardice. The theory of humors, which included blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile, posited that the balance of these bodily fluids determined a person's temperament, health, and personality. An imbalance in these humors was believed to cause both physical and mental illnesses.1234

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humour
… (yellow bile), and melancholy (black bile); the variant mixtures of these humours in different persons determined their “complexions,” or “temperaments,” their physical and mental qualities, and their dispositions. The ideal person had the ideally proportioned mixture of the four; a predominance of one produced a person who was sanguine…
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… (yellow bile), and melancholy (black bile); the variant mixtures of these humours in different persons determined their “complexions,” or “temperaments,” their physical and mental qualities, and their dispositions. The ideal person had the ideally proportioned mixture of the four; a predominance of one produced a person who was sanguine…
Read More