TEMPERAMENT, among physicians, the same with constitution, or a certain disposition of the solids and fluids of the human body, by which it may be properly denominated strong, weak, lax, &c.
In every person there are appearances of a temperament peculiar to himself, though the ancients only took notice of four, and some have imagined there were deduced from the theories of the four humours or four cardinal qualities; but it is more probable that they were first founded on observation, and afterwards adapted to those theories, since we find that they have a real existence, and are capable of receiving an explanation. The two that are most distinctly marked are the sanguineous and melancholic, viz. the temperaments of youth and age.
1. Sanguineous. Here there is laxity of solids, discoverable by the softness of hair and feculency; large system of arteries, redundancy of fluids, florid complexion; sensibility of the nervous power, especially to pleasing objects; irritability from the plethora; mobility and levity from lax solids. These characters are distinctly marked, and are proved by the diseases incident to this age, as hemorrhagies, fevers, &c. but these, as they proceed from a lax system, are more easily cured.
2. Melancholic Habit. Here greater rigidity of solids occurs, discoverable by the hardness and crispature of the hair; small proportion of the fluids, hence dryness and leanness; small arteries, hence pale colour; venous plethora, hence turgescence of these, and lividity; sensibility, frequently exquisite; moderate irritability, with remarkable toughness of impressions; deadness in action and slowness of motion, with great strength; for excess of this constitution in maniacs gives the most extraordinary instance of human strength we know. This temperament is most distinctly marked in old age, and in males. The sanguineous tempera-
ment of youth makes us not distinguish the melancholic till the decline of life, when it is very evident, from diseases of the veins, hemorrhoids, apoplexy, cachexy, obstructions of the viscera, particularly of the liver, dropsies, affections of the alimentary canal, chiefly from weaker influence of the nervous power. So much for the sanguineous and melancholic temperaments; the other two are not so easily explained. The choleric temperament takes place between youth and manhood. In the
3. Choleric, the distribution of the fluids is more exactly balanced; there is less sensibility, and less obesity, with more irritability, proceeding from greater tension, less mobility and levity, and more steadiness in the strength of the nervous power. As to the
4. Phlegmatic. This temperament cannot be distinguished by any characters of age or sex. It agrees with the sanguineous in laxity and succulency. It differs from that temperament, and the melancholic, by the more exact distribution of the fluids. Again, it differs from the sanguineous, by having less sensibility, irritability, mobility, and perhaps strength, though sometimes indeed this last is found to be great.
These are the ancient temperaments. The temperaments, indeed, are much more various; and very far from being easily marked and reduced to their genera and species, from the great variety which is observable in the constitutions of different men.