Humoral Concept, Anatomical Theory and Germ Theory

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Theresa Gibson Models The Humoral Concept, Anatomical Theory and the Germ Theory What is the importance of the Humoral Concept, the Anatomical and the Germ Theory? Throughout this essay I will discuss and explain the role that these concepts have played on Health and Wellness in today’s society. I will also discuss the historical significance that these concepts have played in Health and Wellness. What is the Humoral Concept? It is believed that the Humoral Concept comes from the ancient Greeks. The word humoral is derived from the word humor and it also means fluid. According to the principles of Western Medicine it is believed that the human body contained a mix of four humors. The four humors consisted of black bile (melancholy), yellow or red bile, blood, and phlegm (Contagion, n.d., para 1). Each one of the four humors had their own distinct make-up. According to the research the Humoral Concept defines health as having the right amount of balance for each individual person. Furthermore, it is believed that if there was an imbalance in any of the four humors then it would lead to disease. The Anatomical Theory was first formulated by anatomist named Giovanni Morgagni. He discovered a connection between a person’s physical symptoms and the human body. ”Morgagni’s theory lead to the discovery of the physical pathology of the human body”(Van Buskirk, 2011, para 3). This discovery brought about the new concept that because blood could flow through the body, then it could also carry diseases throughout the human body. Morgagni also believed that disease could come from outside of the body via a third party host. The Anatomical Theory is raises questions regarding the Humoral Concept. The Germ Theory stated that diseases where brought about due to the presence of microscopic organisms. In other words they were talking about bacteria, and

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