Medical Magic

From the shelves of the Scroll and Spine Library, Shepherd’s End

Excerpt from Modern Medicine, Vol. XVI
Physicker and Healer Training

…Physickers and Healers begin their training by learning the oldest and most basic form of modern medicine; manual treatments using physical tools to address injuries.

For this discussion, a simple laceration will serve as the generic ‘wound’ being treated.

Ancient, manual practices dictate wounds to be cleaned, sanitized, and closed before being coated in antiseptic ointments and finally bandaged. This is obviously a very unnatural and labor intensive approach but once these methods are mastered by a physician, magic may be used to accelerate the process by replacing some of the more tedious, manual steps. This means that a wound may be mended together using magic that replicates (and replaces the need for) mundane sutures, saving the physician the time and effort of ‘sewing’ the wound shut with a common needle and thread.

While this is supremely beneficial, this simple magic is dependent upon a physician’s foundational knowledge and skill applying those manual treatments. As such, a deep understanding of anatomy and a steady hand cannot be overstated. Additionally, this method still often leaves behind a scar in the same way that physical stitches can (and often do).

More advanced techniques use magic to call upon the deeper sources of energy from within the patient’s body, energy from the surrounding environment, or from within the Healer herself to accelerate and enhance a patient’s natural healing properties by hundreds or even thousands of times! Techniques to accomplish this include: harmonics, chiropractics and acupuncture, all of which help to align the patient’s Mana.

Using our example, instead of replicating sutures (like the more basic techniques) these advanced methods magically amplify the natural healing process to treat wounds completely and without any signs of scarring…

Excerpt from The Kingdom’s Encyclopedia, Edition XXVI
Field Medicine

…Medical examinations and procedures often benefit from having an additional pair of hands. However, in many circumstances, a physician may not have the luxury of additional, capable hands to assist them. Knowing this, Healers (and even some Physickers) have found different magical substitutes to ensure they can be independently effective. The most popular substitute is a variant of the common cantrip, Mage Hand. This variation is often referred to as, “the invisible assistant” due to its intended function.

Note: In truth, this cantrip variant functions much more like pure telekinesis (ref. pg 1187–1188) — a heightened awareness of the surrounding area allows the caster the ability to focus on and manipulate the energy around objects in their immediate vicinity as though they were using their own physical hand to do so.

This cantrip variant allows the physician the benefit of a third hand which they themselves can control as adeptly as they would their own physical hands. Within a short distance, this unseen ‘invisible hand’ can help perform functions such as: exchanging medical instruments, manipulating a patient’s body (from delicate tissues and organs to holding substantial body parts such as a head or limbs to prevent unwanted movement), or simply adjusting a lantern or mirror to provide ideal lighting conditions. Best of all, because this ‘third hand’ is mentally controlled by the physician, it can eliminate delays that would be caused by verbal communication between separate parties…

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