In the above research, one-thousand patients, aged between one and ninety-two years, and almost equally divided between the genders, were recruited. The study was five-months in duration and conducted at local Tibb Treatment Centres. The aim of the study was to evaluate the hypothesis that excess or abnormal states of the melancholic humour are a major and significant cause of many common chronic conditions. The physical age, gender and medical history, particularly of chronic disorders, and presenting signs and symptoms were recorded, and an assessment of the humoral imbalance present in the patient made by qualified and registered Unani-Tibb practitioners. The presenting disorder was allocated to one of acute, chronic, or combined acute and chronic categories. There was a steady increase in the incidence of patients with chronic conditions in patients with melancholic imbalance. In children and younger adults, it was virtually non-existent, and 15% in young adults. Thereafter it rose to 18% in mature adults, 56% in middle-aged adults, 71% in senior adults, 78% in older adults, and finally 100% in the aged patients. This clinical observation supports a basic principle of Tibb philosophy that physis, the body’s natural capacity for self-healing gradually weakens during the ageing process and is less able to restore homeostasis to the body.
