Esoteric Medicine - Humoral (Perception/Hard. Defaults to Humoral Veterinary -5, or Perception-6)
An humoral physician aids the healing of illness and injury by restoring the balance of the five bodily elements. This is done through various means, including phlegotomy (bleeding), acupuncture, massage, various medicines and purgatives, as well as physical exercises.
This is the general, professional ability to aid the sick, prescribe drugs and care, etc. A humoral physican may specialize in afflictions related to one of the five elements (aether, air, earth, fire or water).
Having the care of a competent (skill 12+) humoral physican gives +2 to all recovery rolls. The physician may roll against his skill every day to restore another hit to the patient. One physician may care adequately for 10 wounds or afflictions.
Many physicians also know herbal pharmacy. However, making medicines is difficult and time-consuming so most humoral physicians will prefer to purchase their medical supplies from pharmacists, herbalists and alchemists
Pharmacy - Herbal (IQ/Hard. Defaults to IQ-6, Herb Lore-5, Naturalist -5 or Alchemy -7)
The skill of preparing and administering remedies made from plants.
Herbal pharmacy includes the ability to find healing herbs in the wild. If you are in familiar territory, a successful roll versus skill will always turn up some sort of medical plants - the better the roll, the more useful they will be. Obviously, someone with this ability will also be able to find edible plants, and identify/avoid poisonous ones. Many herbs will require further treatment to be useful as medicines,
Surgery/TL 4 (Mental/Very Hard. Defaults to Esoteric Medicine -5, Physican -5, Veterinary -5, Physiology -8, First Aid -12, prerequisite: Esoteric Medicine, First Aid or Physican) (GURPS Basic, p 223)
This skill is used when someone attempts to operate on a character to cure sickness, injury or bodily malfunction.
A successful roll means the operation proceeded without undue complications. A failure means the patient took damage - 2 dice for simple amputations, etc., 3 dice for more complex attempts.
Modifiers: -2 if proper equipment is not available. -3 for head or chest surgery; -5 for undiagnosed problems. -3 or worse if the area or equipment cannot be properly cleaned.
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