Brundisium

Physicians Caste

 

Walk with Honor always. We are the most technologically advanced Caste on Gor, and a High Caste as well... this Honor means responsibility.


Regarding War

In times of War, a Physician is non-combatant. If the Warriors are the swords and shields defending the Homestone, we are the blacksmiths that keep the blade sharp and buckler strong. If this non-combatant status is disregarded in times of war, the Caste will declare the transgressor Anathema.

When a Freeperson is declared Anathema, he is forbidden care from any who wear the Green. In times of war, his bones will not be mended... in times of peace his diseases will not be treated.

A Physician will not initiate combat. To do so shames the Caste and invites violation of our status. Transgressors will lose their Practices.


Regarding Practice

A Physician's right to perform his art is called the Practice. A Physician may only begin his Practice once his training is complete. Unlike a Warrior who can take battle scars or a Scribe who can re-write a scroll, a Physician who fails in his duties can kill his patient.

A Freewoman of the Caste is permitted have a Practice. However, for reasons relating to the propagation of the Caste, some cities do not allow a Freewoman her Full Practice until she has borne two children. In those cities, a Freewoman has locked on her left wrist two bracelets upon the beginning of her training. For each child the woman bears, a bracelet is removed.


Regarding Responsibility

A Physician's responsibilities are as follows in descending order of priority:

 

The General Health of Gor
The General Health of one's proximity
One's Homestone
The Health of an individual

If your Homestone is Port Cos, and you are in Ar, your responsibility is to the general health of Ar, War or no War. Physicians within an army are considered in proximity of their army, not the city it holds under siege.

One of the responsibilities of a Physician is that of advice. Any Freeperson [or slave with proper permission] may come to a Physician and seek his advice. They can expect reasonable secrecy and discretion: the Physician's Confidence. He may discuss matters of Physician's Confidence with other Physicians and only other Physicians. He must have the consent of the one asking of his advice before discussing it with anyone not of the Green. Matters of Physician's Confidence cannot be used for selfish gain.

Sometimes a patient will need to be kept in the care of a Physician for some extended period of time. A Physician cannot enslave a Freeperson in his care, nor can he allow the patient to be enslaved.

If it is in the interest of greater health, a Physician can enact Euthanasia. An example is in the case of a fatal epidemic or plague; the killing of a violent mass-murderer is not: that is the province of Warriors. 
 

 

 

 

The Physicians Caste is one of the five High Castes on Gor, the fourth highest of those castes. Their Caste color is green so most Physicians wear green tunics. Though it is not explicit in the books, it seems logical that many medical specialization would form subcastes of the Physician's Caste.

Obstetrics, immunology, pediatrics and such would make valid subcastes. Certain other specializations would not be necessary on Gor so would be unlikely to form subcastes. Dentistry, psychiatry and geriatrics are fields where the need on Gor is low so they are unlikely to form full subcastes. Major cities would have a Cylinder of Physicians as they do in Ar. Though this is not described in any great detail, it appears it would contain a hospital, research laboratories, a library and maybe even living quarters for some Physicians. Each city would also have their own High Council of Physicians to aid in the governance of that caste within the city. Each Physician's Caste, in every different city, is basically autonomous.

But, Physicians from different cities do find ways to interact with each other. The Sardar Fairs, the four major fairs held each year on the plains below the Sardar Mountains, are a spectral place for the Physicians, and other Castes, to meet and share information. Caste conventions may be able to discuss general caste-wide issues. Research can be shared and compared. New discoveries spread across Gor at these fairs. These fairs are very important to the Physician's Caste.

The welfare of the Caste takes priority over the ambitions of specific individuals. The welfare of a larger number of individuals is more important than the welfare of a smaller number of individuals. This is an accepted given when dealing with the vast majority of Goreans.

Unfortunately, Gorean medicine is not depicted in great detail in the novels. In some ways, it is more primitive than Earth medicine. Goreans do not possess computers to help them in diagnosis or research. They do possess though many diagnostic machines that do not use computers. But, in many other ways, Gorean medicine is far more advanced than Earth.

Gor has created potent drugs and serums that Earth only dreams about. And they created them without the aid of computers. Deciding what is permissible and not in Gorean medicine is not always easy due to the dearth of material in the novels on the subject.