Tristram Shandy

Tristram Shandy

by

Laurence Sterne

Radical Moisture Term Analysis

Radical moisture was part of an ancient Greek system of medicine which considered the imbalance between radical moisture and radical heat to be the origin of human health issues. This theory had largely fallen out of fashion by the eighteenth century.
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Radical Moisture Term Timeline in Tristram Shandy

The timeline below shows where the term Radical Moisture appears in Tristram Shandy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 5: Chapters 29-35
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Science, Technology, and the Enlightenment Theme Icon
...on the subject of health. He and Yorick debate the roles of radical heat and radical moisture in the body, the tension between which is the source of all good and bad... (full context)
Book 5: Chapters 36-43
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Science, Technology, and the Enlightenment Theme Icon
Chapter 36. Returning to radical heat and radical moisture , Walter argues that doctors and chemists have mistaken animal fats for radical moisture, which... (full context)
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Science, Technology, and the Enlightenment Theme Icon
...ill at the siege of Limerick, which Toby interprets as a textbook case of excessive radical moisture . Trim, however, thought to maintain the balance of radical heat and radical moisture with... (full context)
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Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
Science, Technology, and the Enlightenment Theme Icon
...on fire each night. Walter asks Trim what his conclusions are, and Trim replies that radical moisture is ditch water and radical heat is burnt brandy, and each that individual only needs... (full context)