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Humor Me! Trivia Quiz

Let's look back on the medical theories of humorism, which guided physicians from the Classical era through the mid 1800's.

A multiple-choice quiz by kscleaves. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
kscleaves

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
314,106

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1649

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: nitram67 (8/10), DeepHistory (10/10), StevenColleman (0/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The humors were the main bodily fluids, considered to be the root of all health problems. An excess or lack of any of these fluids would cause illness. How many humors were there? Hint

Five

Four

Three

Six

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Question 2 of 10

2. Who first applied the idea of humors to the practice of medicine? Hint

Galen in Ancient Rome

Hippocrates in Ancient Greece

Avicenna in Ancient Persia

Sushrut in Ancient India

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which was not considered to be one of the humors? Hint

Phlegm

Bile

Saliva

Blood

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Question 4 of 10

4. Two colors of the same bodily fluid both made the cut as humors. Which two were they? Hint

Red bile and yellow bile

Red blood and blue blood

Black bile and yellow bile

Grey phlegm and green phlegm

5. People with an imbalance of humors were said to show certain personality quirks as symptoms. The personality types associated with these quirks have become ingrained in our modern vocabulary even if the origins have been lost.

Which of the following pairings is a correct diagnosis for someone with too much yellow bile? Hint

Choleric - quick to anger, short-tempered

Melancholic - gloomy and depressed

Sanguine - overly cheerful or manic

Phlegmatic - aloof and numb

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Question 6 of 10

6. The humors had other associated qualities beyond personality traits. For example, blood was characterized as *hot* and *wet*. Which of the following ailments might have been treated with bloodletting? Hint

Chronic goosebumps

Sunburn

Hot flashes

Cold, sweaty palms

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Question 7 of 10

7. What was the term used when all of the humors were in proper balance, resulting in a healthy person? Hint

Dyscrasia

Harmonia

Dyspepsia

Eucrasia

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Question 8 of 10

8. The modern concept of humor is related to the ancient theories of the bodily humors.

True

False

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Question 9 of 10

9. What discovery led to the downfall of humorism as a medical theory? Hint

Cellular pathology - Rudolph Virchow

Evolution - Charles Darwin

Psychiatry - Sigmund Freud

DNA - Watson & Crick

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Question 10 of 10

10. Is humorism still followed as a medical theory anywhere in the world?

Yes

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 09 2024 : nitram67: 8/10
Nov 03 2024 : DeepHistory: 10/10
Oct 27 2024 : StevenColleman: 0/10
Oct 07 2024 : BarbaraMcI: 7/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The humors were the main bodily fluids, considered to be the root of all health problems. An excess or lack of any of these fluids would cause illness. How many humors were there?

Answer: Four

The theory ran that humors were the output of digested food as it worked its way through the stomach and intestines.

2. Who first applied the idea of humors to the practice of medicine?

Answer: Hippocrates in Ancient Greece

Hippocrates was the first person known to treat people based on the concept of humors. The idea was spread to the world through the writings of Galen several centuries later.

3. Which was not considered to be one of the humors?

Answer: Saliva

Saliva, sweat, mucus and all clear bodily fluids were considered to be derivatives of phlegm.

4. Two colors of the same bodily fluid both made the cut as humors. Which two were they?

Answer: Black bile and yellow bile

The liver was considered to be the central operating zone for all of the humors. Therefore it is no surprise that two types of bile were included among the four humors.

5. People with an imbalance of humors were said to show certain personality quirks as symptoms. The personality types associated with these quirks have become ingrained in our modern vocabulary even if the origins have been lost. Which of the following pairings is a correct diagnosis for someone with too much yellow bile?

Answer: Choleric - quick to anger, short-tempered

Even though humorism is no longer followed as a medical concept, these four descriptive terms (sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic and choleric) carry on through our vocabulary to modern times, as do many other terms originally associated with the humors.

Answer: Hot flashes

With hot flashes, you get very warm and you sweat. Ladies experiencing bad hot flashes might have been subjected to treatment with leeches to remove the bad blood from their bodies.

7. What was the term used when all of the humors were in proper balance, resulting in a healthy person?

Answer: Eucrasia

Eucrasia was highly desirable but hardly achievable until the advent of modern hygienic techniques!

8. The modern concept of humor is related to the ancient theories of the bodily humors.

Answer: True

The personality traits demonstrated by people with humor imbalances became character stereotypes in stage plays. Someone with an imbalance of fluids was said to be "in a foul humor." While the modern concept of a sense of humor has been separated from its origins, the etymological roots are the same.

9. What discovery led to the downfall of humorism as a medical theory?

Answer: Cellular pathology - Rudolph Virchow

In 1858, Virchow published "Die Cellularpathologie in ihrer Begr�ndung auf physiologische und pathologische Gewebelehre" on the origins of cells. Within, he stated definitively that each cell came from another cell just like it. This disproved the idea that the interaction of various fluids could spontaneously create illnesses.

10. Is humorism still followed as a medical theory anywhere in the world?

Answer: Yes

The Unani system of medicine is still taught in India, and includes theories based on humorism. Unani-trained practitioners can be licensed as physicians in India.

Source: Author kscleaves

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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