Medicine

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(Redirected from Healer)
See also: Disease, poison, and alchemy

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of practices evolved to maintain and restore health, and to prevent and treat illness and disease.

Schools

Acupuncture

Acupuncture as a non-magical healing technique was pioneered by the famous healers of Chu Ye.1

Anatomy

Anatomy concerns the structure of living things: humans and other humanoids, animals, monsters and plants. It is studied by healers to better effect their craft and is taught at universities specializing in medicine (see below). Unfortunately, the study of anatomy may also be used for more nefarious activities such as aiding torture.

Draconic anatomy

See also: Dragon

The anatomy of dragons is particularly well understood, and it is clear that dragons have many elements within their anatomy that are unique.2

Apothecary and herbalism

For a list of apothecary's shops in Golarion, see Apothecary's Shops
For a list of herb shops in Golarion, see Herb Shops

Apothecaries and herbalists use their skills to provide substances, such as medicines, to aid healing. This study can be used for darker purposes, such as the manufacture of poisons and illicit drugs.

Chirurgery

See Surgery and chirurgery below.

Dentistry

The care of teeth.3

Herbalism

See Apothecary and herbalism above.

Relaxation techniques

The use of relaxation techniques, such as massage, was pioneered by the famous healers of Chu Ye.1

Surgery and chirurgery

Surgery, sometimes denoted as chirurgery, is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of injury, deformity, and disease by manual and instrumental means. This is a skilled exercise usually learned at a university.

The mi-go are known to perform surgery on creatures using their specialized claws as a defense or form of attack, and have mastered surgical technologies.4

Trepanation

Trepanation is the practice of relieving pressure in the brain to heal and strengthen themselves of mental conditions, curses, and forms of compulsion.5

In religion

Healing magic usually comes from the gods. Clerics of all good-aligned deities may spontaneously convert any spell they have learned into a spell capable of curing wounds. Nevertheless, certain gods are particularly associated with medicine and healing:

Some of these deities may also grant powers to restore abilities stripped by magical effects, or to resurrect the dead.6

Pharasma has other associations with medicine: she is a goddess with aspects associated with both birth and death. Midwives and those dealing with the dead are often servants or followers of Pharasma.7

Sarenrae is also a patron goddess of healing: healing is a part of her broader portfolio. Her church is therefore well known for its caring of the sick.8

Like Sarenrae, Qi Zhong is the Tian Xia pantheon's patron of both healing and medicine, and many involved in these studies worship him.9

Aroden bequeathed Golarion with his holy text, The History and Future of Humanity‎, which contains a treatise on medicine.10

The psychopomp usher Dammar the Denied is the usher of medicine and doctors but also of alcohol and those who make it, ostensibly for its medical uses, though legends also tell that the Denied invented hangovers.11

In technology

Pharmaceuticals are technological applications of medical concepts, more advanced and versatile than other non-magical methods but limited in scope to Numeria and the Technic League that controls such discoveries.12 An especially complex example is the autodoc, a technological device capable of performing many kinds of medical procedures on a patient.13

In practice

Many of the gods are associated with medicine and healing. On a more practical level, moreover, the gods are often the source of healing by granting their servants—such as clerics, paladins, and other divine spellcasters—spells and other abilities that can cure wounds, poisons, diseases, or the curses associated with supernatural afflictions, or even bring a patient back from the dead. These abilities are often associated with the Conjuration school of magic.14

Some arcane spellcasters also have access to the Conjuration school's healing spells. Such healing comes not from the gods but from raw magic itself. This capability is used by the followers of Razmir, who provide arcane-based healing as a ruse to help convince non-believers that Razmir is indeed divine.15

Mundane healing is also available, and in the god-rejecting country of Rahadoum is the only medical help available.16 Practitioners can buy herbs, drugs, and other mundane healing substances and tools to aid in mundane medical practices. (See "Apothecary and herbalism" above.)

In organizations

For a list of hospitals and similar healing establishments, see Hospitals.

Medicine is taught at a number of institutions in Golarion, including:

References

For additional resources, see the Meta page.

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 James Jacobs, Dave Gross, Rob McCreary. (2011). Dragon Empires Gazetteer, p. 20. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-379-8
  2. ↑ Shaun Hocking, Marie Small, and Jerome Virnich. (2013). Dragonslayer's Handbook, p. 16f. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-526-6
  3. ↑ Dentistry, Wikipedia.
  4. ↑ James Jacobs and Greg A. Vaughan. (2011). Bestiary. Wake of the Watcher, p. 52, 86 & 87. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-311-8
  5. ↑ Robert Brookes, Ben McFarland, Jason Nelson, and Mark Seifter. (2015). Occult Origins, p. 25. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-785-7
  6. ↑ Jason Bulmahn. (2010). Advanced Player's Guide, p. 95f. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-246-3
  7. ↑ James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 224. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
  8. ↑ James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 225. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
  9. ↑ Tim Hitchcock and Colin McComb. (2011). Dragon Empires Primer, p. 26. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-386-6
  10. ↑ James Jacobs, Colin McComb, Sean K Reynolds, Amber Scott, and Larry Wilhelm. (2011). Humans of Golarion, p. 27. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-315-6
  11. ↑ John Compton, Crystal Frasier, Ron Lundeen, and Amber Stewart. (2019). Concordance of Rivals, p. 8. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-64078-127-6
  12. ↑ James Jacobs and Russ Taylor. (2014). Technology Guide, Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-672-0
  13. ↑ James Jacobs and Russ Taylor. (2014). Technology Guide, p. 60. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-672-0
  14. ↑ Jason Bulmahn et al. (2009). Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook (1E), p. 209. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-150-3
  15. ↑ James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 235. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
  16. ↑ James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 154. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
  17. ↑ Crystal Frasier. (2015). Kintargo. In Hell's Bright Shadow, p. 69. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-768-0
  18. ↑ F. Wesley Schneider. (2011). Rule of Fear, p. 46. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-301-9
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