Who created the Theory of Opposites?

• A. Hippocrates
• B. Herophilus
• C. Galen
• D. Paracelsus

Answer: (C)

Balancing the body's humors by using remedies with opposite qualities is the idea behind the Theory of Opposites. This approach treats disease by counteracting its symptoms with substances that have the opposite properties, aiming to restore harmony among the four humors.

Galen is the figure who developed and formalized this method. He built on Hippocrates’ humoral framework but emphasized that treatment should actively oppose the illness’s qualities—for example, using cold remedies for conditions seen as hot, or moist remedies for dry states. His systematic use of opposites to restore balance became the dominant medical doctrine for many centuries.

Herophilus is known for advances in anatomy, not the Theory of Opposites. Paracelsus came later and is associated with reforming medical ideas in the Renaissance, including chemistry-based approaches, rather than the ancient opposites framework. So the correct figure responsible for this theory is Galen.