The 4 humors, the 4 temperaments and the 4 elements

Four humors

Essentially, this theory holds that the human body was filled with four basic substances, called humors, which are in balance when a person is healthy. All diseases and disabilities resulted from an excess or deficit of one of these four humors. These deficits could be caused by vapors that were inhaled or absorbed by the body. The four humors were black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. Greeks and Romans, and the later Muslim and Western European medical establishments that adopted and adapted classical medical philosophy, believed that each of these humors would wax and wane in the body, depending on diet and activity. When a patient was suffering from a surplus or imbalance of one fluid, then his or her personality and physical health would be affected. This theory was closely related to the theory of the four elements: earth, fire, water and air; earth predominantly present in the black bile, fire in the yellow bile, water in the phlegm, and all four elements present in the blood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_four_humours

This theory of bodily humors -- called "humorism " or "humoralism" -- holds that each person produces all of these humors, but that the preponderance of one relative to the others -- a condition called "dyscrasia" -- brings on illness. Each of these humors was believed to be associated with one of the four elements which, when combined in various proportions, make up all things:

http://www.fisheaters.com/fourtemperaments.html

The humor of Blood, associated with the liver and with Air, which is the hot and moist element. A person in whom blood predomtes is said to be "sanguine," from the Latin "sanguis" (blood).
The humor of Yellow Bile, associated with the spleen and with Fire, which is the hot and dry element. A person in whom yellow bile predominates is said to be "choleric," from the Greek "khole" (bile).
The humor of Black Bile, associated with the gall bladder and with Earth, which is the cold and dry element. A person in whom black bile predominates is said to be "melancholic," from the Greek "melas" (black) and "khole" (bile).
The humor of Phlegm, associated with the lungs and brain and with Water, which is the cold and moist element. A person in whom phlegm predominates is said to be "phlegmatic," from the Greek "phlegmatikos" (abounding in phlegm) .

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Sanguine

Self-composed Not given to worry Liberal
Tends to follow rather than lead Cordial Peaceable
Talkative Not averse to change Adjusts easily
Tends to prefer informality Aware of surroundings Impetuous
Impulsive Lacking in perseverance Lacking in initiative
Prone to carelessness, hedonism, flightiness, and lust

Choleric

Self-composed Not given to worry Persuasive Independent
Rarely shows embarrassment Tends to lead rather than follow
Persistent Insistent Decisive Dynamic Impetuous Impulsive Touchy
Prone to hypocrisy, deceit, pride, and anger

Melancholic

Sensitive Intuitive Self-conscious Easily embarrassed
Easily hurt Introspective Sentimental Moody
Likes to be alone Empathetic Often artistic
Often fussy and perfectionist Deep
Prone to depression, avarice, and gluttony

Phlegmatic

Peaceful Easy-going Deliberative Faithful Reliable
Relatively unaffected by environment Reserved Distant
Slow in movement Constant in mood Not prone to worry
Prone to stagnation and sloth
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