Atma - the Science of the Balanced Body
Let me guess, you've been eating a lot of hot food, haven't you? Yes, yes. What you need is to balance that heat with cold. Rest in an hour in a cold draft a few times a week, avoid fires and eat only temperate meals.Atma is one of the primary theories on medicine and health currently popular in Araea. Its practitioners are known as Medikari and they believe that illness comes from within, not without. Imbalance causes the body to function poorly and break down, and only by restoring things to their right and proper order can healing be achieved.
Theory
Blight is a category all of its own and thought to be necessary like any other ingredient, but in much smaller doses. When all else fail, the Medikari suspect that the sick does not have enough Blight in their system and seek to irradiate them as a remedy.On occasion, the Medikari are forced to make quite the leap of imagination to put some of the stranger afflictions in Araea into these terms but so far, they've made it work.
Practice
Medikari in the World
Despite the best efforts of the Medikari, many diseases and plagues remain debilitating and deadly in Araea. Depending on the nature of ones affliction, the aid of a Medikari can either save your life or shorten it considerably.
The Atma map of the Body
Tools of the Trade
The Medikari use containers to hold samples of their patients fluids, small hammers and singing rods that they use to sound out the body for impurities and imbalance. Blood-letting is done usually by carefully cutting veins with small, sharp blades and draining the blood into vials or mugs.Center of Atma
The largest seat of learning for practitioners of Atma is the College of Medicae in Mharaji. This grand, imposing structure has taught generations of Medikari who have been able to afford its steep fees and many experimental treatments have first been conceived off within its halls. It doubles as a hospital and the very sick (and very wealthy) are reassured that they keep some of the most skilled Shikei on staff.Dueling Doctors
For centuries, the practitioners of Atma have been at odds with the scholars of Deva over those way of treatment is the correct one. These debates sometimes become brawls, giving both sides ample opportunity to practice their craft. Many patients prefer one or the other, to the point of refusing the service of a doctor of the "wrong" school.Yes, clearly the *mushrooms* growing from his face is caused by eating too many pies. For the love of.. Come on! How can anyone take you seriously when you tell them that. If you sprout this nonsense anywhere near my patience, I'll imbalance your face!
This is so interesting! It reminds me of the diets they'd put people on before vaccinating them in around the 19th century, all about balancing out and weird concepts! Nice work! :D
It's a mix of various eras of crummy medicine. :D
Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.