"And There's the Humor of it: Shakespeare and the Four Humors," a traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine, will kick off with an opening night reception at 5 p.m. Oct. 29 in the atrium of the Wayne State University School of Medicine's Shiffman Medical Library. The exhibit will be on display through Nov. 28.
The now-discarded theory of the four bodily humors - blood, bile, melancholy and phlegm -- pervades the plays of William Shakespeare. In his time, the four humors were understood to define people's physical and mental health, along with their personality. Carried by the bloodstream, the four humors bred the core passions of anger, grief, hope and fear -- the emotions conveyed so powerfully in Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies.
The opening celebration will feature remarks from Eric Ash, associate professor in Wayne State University's History Department. The director of graduate studies, Ash has taught at Wayne State since 2002. His teaching and research interests include the history of Britain, early modern Europe, the history of science and technology and environmental history. For the opening, Ash will provide a brief overview of humoral medicine as it was understood in early modern Europe around the time of Shakespeare. He will discuss what the humors were, the medical theory that viewed balancing them within the body as the key to health and well-being, and their connection to the wider view of Aristotle's natural philosophy.
The opening reception is free and open to the public. Please RSVP via email to shiffmanoutreach@wayne.edu or online at shakespeare-wsu.eventbrite.com by Oct. 25th.
The National Library of Medicine's resources for historical scholarship in medicine and related sciences are among the richest of any institution in the world. Collected over many years, the material in the History of Medicine Division provides researchers with sources both rare in availability and exhaustive in scope. The History of Medicine Division also produces exhibitions, public programs, symposia and educational resources for students, teachers and the general public.