936 



TEMPERAMENT. 



sanguineum, et denique a copia atrae bills me- 

 lancholicum.* 



This view of the doctrine of temperaments 

 prevailed in the schools down to the time of 

 Cullen, and we find that able and thoughtful 

 physician thus expressing himself upon the 

 subject : " The ancients very early established 

 a distinction of temperaments which the 

 schools of physic have almost universally 

 'adopted ever since, and appears to me to be 

 founded on observation. J am very much of 

 opinion, that we can perceive a combination 

 of a particular state of the chief circumstances 

 of the economy to take place very steadily in 

 certain persons, and thereby to form at least 

 two of the temperaments assigned by the an- 

 cients." f 



The temperaments, the existence of which 

 seems most consistent with observation, are 

 those admitted by Cullen, namely, the sangui- 

 neous and the melancholic, the phlegmatic being 

 a degree or modification of the sanguineous, 

 and the choleric of the melancholic. 



It is reasonable to expect an infinite variety 

 as regards the extent to which the character- 

 istic marks of the temperaments are manifested 

 in various individuals. Taking examples which 

 afford good indications, the two temperaments 

 above referred to may be described as follows, 

 after Cullen. 



Individuals of the sanguine temperament 

 have the quantity of fluids in the body large 

 in proportion to the solids, the habit of body 

 soft and plump, after the period of manhood 

 disposed to obesity, and at all times, readily 

 sweating upon exercise, the skin smooth and 

 white, the hair soft, generally of a pale colour 

 or from thence passing through different shades 

 to a red ; the complexion ruddy, the eyes com- 

 monly blue ; the strength of the whole body 

 is moderate, and the mind sensible, irritable, 

 cheerful, and unsteady. The most exquisite 

 examples of this temperament are found in 

 men from the time of puberty to that of man- 

 hood, and in women. In both sexes the cha- 

 racteristics of the temperaments are far less 

 manifest in old ace. 



In persons of the melancholic temperament 

 the habit of the body is rather hard and mea- 

 gre, the quantity of fluids in the whole system 

 moderate in proportion to the solids, the sim- 

 ple solids firm and dense, the hair hard, black, 

 with a tendency to curl, the skin coarse, of a 

 dun colour, with a corresponding complexion, 

 the eyes very constantly black, the strength 

 considerable, the mind slow, disposed to gra- 

 vity, caution and timidity, with little sensibi- 

 lity or irritability, but tenacious of all emotions 

 once excited, and therefore of great steadiness. 

 This temperament is most completely formed 

 in advanced life, but the characters of it ap- 

 pear often very early."jl 



By some writers a nervous temperament is 

 admitted, the prominent characteristic of 

 which consists in a great excitability of 

 the nervous system, and a predominance of 



* Haller, El. Physiolog. lib. v. sect. 4. 

 t Mat. Med. 

 j Cullen, loc. cit. 



emotional impulses over the influence of the 

 will. Individuals of this temperament are 

 generally fidgetty and restless, take but little 

 sleep, and are anxious about trifles ; they are 

 called " creatures of impulse ; " their emotions 

 are easily excited, and often not readily sub- 

 dued. In persons of this temperament, when 

 labouring under disease, phenomena referrible 

 to the nervous system are very apt to compli- 

 cate and often to obscure the morbid actions. 

 This temperament, however, cannot be said 

 to exist apart from the sanguineous or me- 

 lancholic : it always accompanies either one 

 or the other, most frequently the former, and 

 the most exquisite examples of it are found in 

 the female sex. 



In looking at the physical conditions of 

 the best-marked examples of the sanguine 

 and melancholic temperaments, it is im- 

 portant to ascertain whether any one pro- 

 perty or quality stands out more prominently 

 than the rest, which might seem to give to 

 the whole economy of the individuals its 

 peculiar cast. It appears to me that there is 

 no single physical property which is so closely 

 associated wiih difference of temperament as 

 variety in the quantity, and perhaps also in the 

 kind, of colouring matter or pigment, evinced 

 by the colour of the hair and skin, and influ- 

 encing also the colour of the eyes, and of the 

 blood, and of the nervous centres. 



Individuals of the melancholic temperament 

 exhibit in their various tissues a considerable 

 amount of pigment, as shown by the dark co- 

 lour, generally black, of the hair and eyes, 

 while on the other hand those of the san- 

 guine temperament are deficient in colour, 

 having light hair, blue or grey eyes, and fair or 

 white skins. Observations are yet wanting, 

 in sufficient number, to determine the relative 

 amount of colouring matter in the blood of 

 individuals of each of these temperaments, or 

 to ascertain whether it is characterised by 

 any peculiar chemical qualities. It seems 

 highly probable that the amount and kind of 

 colouring nutter in the skin, hair, and eyes, 

 as well as of that in some of the secretions, as 

 bile, urine, &c. is influenced by the amount 

 and kind of the hgematine. 



The xanthous and leucous races of man in- 

 habiting for the most part cold or temperate 

 climates, afford the most numerous examples 

 of the sanguine temperament, while the me- 

 lano-comous or dark races found chiefly in 

 warm climates are mostly of the melancholic 

 temperament. And those individuals of the 

 xanthous and leucous races, which in physical 

 characters approach most nearly to the dark 

 races, as by the existence of a large quantity 

 of dark pigment in their tegumentary tissues, 

 are of the melancholic temperament, whilst 

 the light-coloured members of the xanthous 

 races are prone to exhibit the characters of 

 the sanguine temperament. 



If it be admitted that a constant connection 

 exists between colour and temperament, as I 

 think is sufficiently obvious, it would follow 

 that the nature of the temperament is deter- 

 mined by certain peculiarities in the physical 



