The Relative Strengths of the Humours through the Seasons. In disease this harmonious temper is lost. The humour is identified by the symptoms produced, whether they were hot or cold, dry or moist. The therapeutic objective is to counteract the predominating humour and restore temper. To illustrate this point, imagine a fever.
Fever is classically a hot and dry condition.
From the various symptoms it can be visualised as a fire burning within the patient. The increase in metabolic rate causes a dramatic increase in body temperature and subsequent water loss through perspiration, clearly demonstrating its hot and dry nature. The heart, linked with choleric humour, markedly increases in rate. Like surging flames, the body is restless and the mind delirious. The skin may develop red rashes or spots.