Galen: works on human nature. (Mixtures (De Temperantis) - Volume 1,

Mixtures is of central importance for Galen's views on the human body.

It presents his influential typology of the human organism according to nine mixtures (or 'temperaments') of hot, cold, dry and wet.

It also develops Galen's ideal of the 'well-tempered' person, whose perfect balance ensures excellent performance both physically and psychologically. 'Mixtures' teaches the aspiring doctor how to assess the patient's mixture by training one's sense of touch and by a sophisticated use of diagnostic indicators.

It presents a therapeutic regime based on the interaction between foods, drinks, drugs and the body's mixture.