Q:
I heard the Rav once say that the concept of four basic elements making up the human body is not a Jewish idea. But I’ve seen it quoted in seforim.
A:
The four humors in the body is an old medical concept which was taken from Galen and other Ancient Greek physicians. But today nobody will study medicine from Galen and that is why this concept of the four humors of the body is meaningless today. You will find old seforim that talk in these terms and there is no harm in that; they are talking in general terms. But actually it is not a real concept because today medicine is so far advanced that it is out of the question to use these ancient medical works as any kind of standard for anything at all.
TAPE # 405
