Reviving Humoral Medicine
with Dr. Hani El Batal
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The physician's role is to preserve the innate hotness and the innate wetness in order to sustain the body's life
What Is Innate Hotness?
Innate hotness is a pleasant, airy, hot essence that has no sharpness, no stinging, no burning, no putrefaction, and no corruption. It is bestowed upon the body when the soul is bestowed upon it, and it leaves the body when the soul departs from it.
Within our bodies there is something called the faculties—the body's faculties. These faculties make use of this innate hotness. Innate hotness is the instrument through which these faculties spread throughout the body.
What Is Innate Wetness?
Innate wetness is a wet, fluid substance. Its relationship to innate hotness is like the relationship of oil to a lamp.
The physicians said:
"It is a wet, fluid substance. Its relationship to innate hotness is like the relationship of oil to a lamp."
A lamp burns brightly when it contains plenty of oil. As the oil decreases, the flame gradually weakens. When the oil is completely exhausted, the lamp goes out.
Likewise, the stronger the original innate wetness is, the stronger the innate hotness is. When the original innate wetness becomes weak, the innate hotness also becomes weak.
Preserving the Innate Hotness
If a person eats drying foods every day, as some people do—for example, those who drink coffee every day, which is considered cold, dry, and dehydrating for many years—and their work requires intense physical exertion that dries out the body, what happens?
The original innate wetness gradually begins to dry up, which weakens the innate hotness. As a result, the person may become very ill without knowing the cause.
Innate hotness may become weak because of excessive cold in the body.
Innate hotness may also become weak because of excessive hotness in the body.
Innate wetness may become weak because of excessive dryness in the body.
Innate wetness may also become weak because of excessive unnatural wetness in the body.
Therefore, the principle based on the temperaments—hotness, coldness, wetness, and dryness—is the foundation of medicine. When these qualities are in balance, the innate hotness remains strong, and the original innate wetness remains abundant.