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Revision as of 18:40, 18 November 2020
Contents
- 1 Can I use a Terran herb not listed in the Herbal Guide?
- 2 Do herbalists have to be craft-ranked healers?
- 3 Do midwives have to be craft-ranked healers?
- 4 Does birth control exist?
- 5 Healer Terminology: Effects and Preparation of Medicinal Plants
- 6 What diseases and conditions are present on Pern?
- 7 What is massage therapy?
- 8 What is pithin?
- 9 What is the average lifespan of the Pernese?
- 10 What surgeries are acceptable?
Can I use a Terran herb not listed in the Herbal Guide?
It depends. If you want to write up a description of the herb and its properties and prove your case to the Council and Healer Hallmaster that the herb would have been brought to Pern, please feel free. Otherwise, stick to what is listed in the Herbal Guide.
Do herbalists have to be craft-ranked healers?
No. Again, many women are trained in herbal lore from childhood, as part of their duties to their family. Herbs are used for a variety of purposes from cooking to healing, and such knowledge is considered key, especially for non-weyrfolk.
Do midwives have to be craft-ranked healers?
No. Many women are trained from their teens to assist other women in childbirth. Unless complications are expected due to maternal illness, age, or history, it is perfectly acceptable to have a non-craft midwife deliver her child. Non-craft midwives would never attempt a surgical delivery, unless it was to save a child as the mother died from an inability to deliver.
Does birth control exist?
Yes. No longer very well known in the South outside the Weyrs, there is a herbal combination that decreases a woman's chances of pregnancy. Not as effective as modern Terran methods, and no, we aren't going to detail what such herbs actually are on the website's Herbal Guide. For posting purposes, it is a herbal mixture taken as a daily tea around times of the woman's cycle where she is fertile that prevents an egg from implanting in the uterine wall. As Weyr-Hold-Hall interaction increases, the mixture is slowly becoming known to non-weyrfolk in the South again.
Note: The facts listed here are for role playing purposes ONLY**\
Healer Terminology: Effects and Preparation of Medicinal Plants
Decoction – liquid produced by boiling down plants to produce a stronger essence
Distillate – pure liquid produced by collecting condensed vapor
Embrocation – liquid used for rubbing on the body to relieve muscular pain
Infusion – liquid produced by steeping plants to extract soluble constituents
Ointment – soft, oily substance applied to the skin to heal or soothe
Poultice – heated mass (including medicinal plants) applied to a sore or wound
Salve – soothing ointment
Tincture – alcohol-based solution of medicinal plants
Healer Terminology - Effects of Medicinal Plants
Some examples of herbal effects are listed below.
Abortive, abortifacient – causes abortion
- Tansy
- Yarrow
- Hissop, Hyssop
- Basil-essential oil
Analgesic – gives pain relief
Anodyne – gives pain relief
Antibiotic – reduces or prevents bacteria growth
Anticongestant - reduces or prevents congestion (usually in lungs)
Antifungal - reduces or prevents fungal growth
Anti-inflammatory - reduces or prevents inflammation
Antiseptic - reduces or prevents infection (sepsis)
Antispasmodic - reduces or prevents muscle cramps and spasms
Antiviral - reduces or prevents viral growth
Astringent – causes the contraction of body tissues
Carminative – eases or cures flatulence
Demulcent - soothes
Diaphoretic – induces copious perspiration
Disinfectant – cleanses of infection (usually objects, rather than bodies)
Diuretic – causes increased urination
Emollient – causes soothing (usually on skin)
Expectorant – aids in the ejection of phlegm or mucous (usually by coughing)
Febrifuge – reduces fever
Laxative – causes evacuation of the bowels
Narcotic – makes sleepy but also affects the mind
Palliative – alleviates without curing
Purgative – clears the bowels or body
Relaxant – causing relaxing of muscles, bowels, etc
Rubefacient – increases heat at the skin, draws out inflammation
Sedative – induces calm, soothes
Stimulant – causes an increase in activity
Vermifuge – causes the expulsion of worms and parasites from gut
What diseases and conditions are present on Pern?
If referring to infectious diseases, firehead and the ones listed in the Infectious Diseases article of the Healer Hall craft pages. If referring to chronic conditions such as arthritis, rheumatism, diabetes, or asthma, yes, they exist, and are treated as much as possible with current healer knowledge. Children with severe birth defects don't generally survive beyond infancy, and genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis exist (not under such names). They simply aren't treatable and most people afflicted with them die without living a normal lifespan
What is massage therapy?
It is the equivalent of Terran physical therapy, combined with massage and other natural healing techniques. A massage therapist would also perform services similar to a chiropractor on Terra.
See: massage therapy
What is pithin?
It is our name for a fibrous plant discovered in the South that is used in paper production. It has no known medicinal properties.
What is the average lifespan of the Pernese?
Approximately 100 turns, particularly in Intervals. A Pernese is not considered 'middle-aged' until about 65 turns, rather than the Terran designated 40. The elderly are not classified as such until 85 turns or so, with most continuing active lives up until 90 to 95 turns easily. Keep in mind that those Pernese with a harsher lifestyle, particularly outside the Weyrs, would have a shorter lifespan due to more 'wear-and-tear' on the body. Dragonriders during a Pass are also unlikely to reach 100 turns, both from Threadfall injuries and deaths and from the extreme stress their bodies goe through to battle Thread. Fertility for women does remain more in the Terran range (early teens to late forties). Women are born with a set number of ova, so an increased lifespan would not increase the range of fertility.
What surgeries are acceptable?
C-sections (known simply as surgical deliveries), hysterectomies, appendectomies, hernia repair, and other such repair surgeries are accepted by most Pernese in our timeline. Vasectomies are not unknown, but not terribly common outside a large population center such as a major Hold or Weyr. Open heart surgery, organ transplants, brain-related surgeries, and any procedure that is high risk and complicated on Terra (Earth) are not present.
