Believed Causes:
There were many believed causes for madness in this era, all of which were completely different from our most common beliefs today. The top three beliefs are listed and explained below.
There were many believed causes for madness in this era, all of which were completely different from our most common beliefs today. The top three beliefs are listed and explained below.
Humour Imbalance
Humour Imbalance was the most common and accepted belief for madness in Elizabethan England. The idea was that there were four main vital liquids in the body, each working in harmony together: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. If a person was "mad," there would be an imbalance between these liquids, making the access of a humour to the brain much more possible. Each humour was associated with a different essential part of the body. Therefore, excess of humours would have a different outcome for each specific humour. Black bile was associated with the gall bladder, and excess of it was said to cause meloncholy, depression, and mental illness. Excess of black bile was one of the most commonly believed causes of madness in Elizabethan England.
Humour Imbalance was the most common and accepted belief for madness in Elizabethan England. The idea was that there were four main vital liquids in the body, each working in harmony together: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. If a person was "mad," there would be an imbalance between these liquids, making the access of a humour to the brain much more possible. Each humour was associated with a different essential part of the body. Therefore, excess of humours would have a different outcome for each specific humour. Black bile was associated with the gall bladder, and excess of it was said to cause meloncholy, depression, and mental illness. Excess of black bile was one of the most commonly believed causes of madness in Elizabethan England.