Doctors and Nurses
- 178 Doctors
- 445 Nurses
In Seregon, the integration of both medieval and early modern medicine into the city's healthcare system has created a unique environment where the education and training of doctors, clerics, and barbers reflect the realities of life and death in a large, bustling city.
Medical Demographics
Seregon's population requires 625 doctors to maintain a healthy ratio of 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people. These doctors are trained at Iron Knot University, where they undergo rigorous study based on 1800s-level medicine, learning techniques such as bloodletting, amputation, quarantine procedures, and the use of herbal and chemical-based treatments. They rely on symptom management and restoring balance within the body, and though their methods are not always precise, their education gives them an edge over barbers in understanding basic anatomy, vaccination, and preventative measures for conditions like scurvy.
In addition to doctors, 1,563 nurses are required to support the city’s healthcare system, providing bedside care, assisting with surgeries, and administering treatments prescribed by physicians. While midwives handle the majority of childbirths, they also play a crucial role in women's healthcare, managing pregnancies, and treating complications without the resources of modern hospitals.
Role of Barbers and Apothecaries
The 514 barbers in Seregon have historically filled the gap in healthcare, handling much of the work now taken over by doctors. With medicine evolving, many of these barbers are transitioning into the grooming trade, but a significant number still operate as practitioners of crude surgeries like tooth extractions, amputations, and basic wound care. They are often the first stop for lower-class citizens who cannot afford the services of a trained doctor.
Herbalists and apothecaries remain vital in Seregon's medical ecosystem, providing herbal remedies and concoctions to treat everything from infections to digestive issues. While not as formally trained as doctors, they are deeply respected by the lower classes for their knowledge of natural medicines and remedies. Many doctors continue to rely on these apothecaries for common medicinal ingredients, as pharmaceutical chemistry is still in its early stages.
Clerics and Priests in Healing
Clerics are the most powerful and expensive healers in Seregon, but they are few in number. Of the 244 priests in the city, only 48 are actual clerics with divine healing abilities. Most priests, while spiritually significant, do not have access to the powerful restorative magic that true clerics possess. The 48 clerics are highly sought after, but only 12 can cure diseases or poisons, and only 6 can raise the dead. This creates a system where wealthy individuals can afford to secure the services of clerics, leaving the common folk reliant on doctors and barbers for most of their healthcare needs.
For the super wealthy, clerics are often on retainer, and their services can prevent all but the most catastrophic illnesses or injuries. These elites may only succumb to old age or misadventure outside of the city, as they have access to powerful restorative spells and healing potions, which are prohibitively expensive for the general populace.
However, clerical magic is limited. Regeneration, a spell capable of restoring lost limbs, costs the equivalent of $50,000 and is only available to 5 clerics in the entire city. Such spells are used only in dire situations, typically for the nobility or powerful individuals with strong ties to the temples of Set or Ishtar.
Challenges of the Healthcare System
Despite the presence of trained doctors, the technology and understanding of medicine in Seregon are still based on 1800s science. This means that while they have the knowledge to perform appendectomies and have developed vaccinations for certain diseases, they still rely heavily on treatments like bloodletting, amputation without anesthesia, and the use of questionable remedies for many ailments. Their work is complicated by a lack of stethoscopes, anesthesia, and modern sanitation, leading to high mortality rates during surgeries or from infections.
Doctors frequently learn by dissecting corpses—often of the poor or criminals—and apply their rudimentary knowledge of human anatomy to their practice. Though crude by modern standards, their work has helped reduce fatalities from infectious diseases and injuries in ways that traditional barbers and herbalists cannot match.
Quarantine measures are in place for major outbreaks, and doctors work tirelessly to prevent the spread of contagious diseases, but the lack of modern medicines and technology often leaves them relying on trial and error to combat new illnesses like Amber Fever.
The Gap Between Rich and Poor
The super wealthy enjoy a near-perfect system of clerical intervention for their health issues, while the common people rely on a patchwork of doctors, barbers, and herbalists to survive. Healing potions, when available, are expensive luxury items, and the common folk must often rely on apothecaries or natural remedies to treat common ailments. Clerical healing is out of reach for most, leaving the lower classes with limited options and at the mercy of the city's unpredictable medical system.
Future Outlook
With advancements slowly creeping into the city, Seregon is on the verge of major breakthroughs in medicine. In another 50 years, the city will likely see the arrival of stethoscopes and general anesthesia, transforming its healthcare system and making treatments safer and more effective. However, for now, the city remains in a period of transition, with Iron Knot University at the forefront of training the next generation of doctors who must balance their knowledge of early modern science with the brutal realities of life in Seregon.