The Worst Thing That’ll Happen
The situation was bleak for Elizabeth’s devoted courtiers at this time. Tragically, it appeared as though their beloved queen would be taken away from them. Even worse, there was absolutely no medical support available. Historically, physicians believed that smallpox was caused by an imbalance of humors in the body – a theory that has subsequently been disproved.
The Worst Thing That’ll Happen
The Four Humors Theory
The Four Humors idea, which was influenced by ancient Greek thinkers, was popular in 16th-century England. It asserted that the human body is composed of four fluids: yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegm, and that these fluids are produced by the liver. Also encouraged by this thought were doctors, who were helpless in the face of smallpox’s devastation at the time.
The Four Humors Theory
