The Worst Thing That’ll Happen
For Elizabeth’s loyal courtiers, the situation was bleak. Unfortunately, it appeared that their adored queen would die. Worse, there was no means to get help if you needed it. Smallpox was thought to be caused by a lack of humor in the body at the time, but that theory has since been disproven.
The Worst Thing That’ll Happen
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The Four Humors Theory
In 16th-century England, the Four Humors theory, which was influenced by ancient Greek thinkers, posited that the human body is made up of yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegm, was popular. Doctors who felt helpless in the face of smallpox’s devastation were also encouraged by this thought.
The Four Humors Theory
