Imperial Society of Physicians

"The old sages said, while I breathe, I hope. While the populace lives, is strong and is healthy, the empire's future is bright... [It is of] eminent importance to establish an Imperial Society of Physicians, such that we may standardize, improve, and spread medical access throughout the empire... By improving the living standards of the people, we deepen the well of power the empire draws on."

Ingan Dynasty, Letter from the Minister of Divine Connection to Emperor Orepam

Structure

The Imperial Society of Physicians is a selective grouping of the familial lineages within the empire that have historically practiced rigorous, certified medicine. The certification, of course, is granted by the society itself. The insularity of the society is guaranteed by the closeness with which medical knowledge is guarded, passed down only within the lineages already practicing medicine and rarely, if ever, disseminated to outsiders. 
The families within the society, thanks to close working relationships and intermarriages, largely regard each other equally, and use the society as an institution representing their unified interests, and as a forum to socialize and strengthen their societal relationships with each other. Thus, the core of the society operates as a round-table of the heads of each family, moderated by the current head imperial physician.

Culture

While I breathe, I hope. The society has always been well aware of its power in the choice to cure and revive, or to allow to waste away and fade – while alive, anything is possible; when dead, all is dust and ashes. The crest of the society, embroidered on blue patches sewn to the upper sleeves of the uniform, depicts two arrows of fate intertwined, two outcomes of life and death, captured in a three-sided box, yet to be separated and determined. The role of the physician is to reach inside, to disentangle these fates and guide the desired one out.
By imperial edict, the society has functions as a public health institution, specifically monitoring pandemics and dispatching members to regions hard-struck by disease to advise and oversee government aid and response. Many young members also begin their careers at clinics servicing the common people, to build a reputation and gain experience, somewhat callously, on patients who matter less. The common people, with little access to medical professionals, easily come to worship their doctors as saviors and semi-divine beings.
Many of the society's members hold or have held positions as imperial physicians, and the society is of course always led by the current head imperial physician, inextricably tying the society to the prestige and exclusivity of the imperial court. With power over the health, life, and death of the imperial family itself, much less the countless other noble clientele, the Imperial Society of Physicians and its constituent members are by necessity of political stability neutral, abstaining from factions and court politics, and affording them a degree of political immunity.

Public Agenda

The Imperial Society of Physicians maintains the exclusivity of the medical practice, and the prestige of the lineages that are members of the society. Members are drawn ever tighter by social connections established through the society as part of the in-group, sharing knowledge and recommending each other. Outsiders in the medical field find it difficult to make a name for themselves, and are relegated as second-choice options.

Assets

A main campus in the Northern Capital serves as the society's base of operations, with the capital's (and the empire's) largest medical clinic, a library of medical knowledge and records, a repository of medicinal herbs and materials, and offices for each head of family. A smattering of smaller branch buildings are found elsewhere in the empire in the hometowns of member families that are not based on the capital, as well as a branch office specifically for the imperial family, located within the imperial palace in the capital. 
A section of imperial lands are designated for the growth of medicinal herbs, with fields for the ones that can be easily cultivated, and protected parks for herbs that only grow in specific conditions and are unsuited to agriculture. These lands are also used for the raising or keeping of animals with parts, such as horns, organs, or blood, believed to have medicinal usages. These lands are not operated by the Imperial Society of Physicians itself, instead being overseen by the Department of Agriculture, but are advised by the society, and the products produced are considered the property of the society.

History

Established by imperial edict of Emperor Orepam, the Imperial Society of Physicians has a history going back nearly to the founding of the Ingan dynasty. The Ministry of Divine Connection oversaw the society's establishment and its early years as the roles and regulations of the society were ironed out. Today, the society is technically still a department under the Ministry of Divine Connection, but operates nearly completely independently.

While I breathe, I hope.
(dum spiro spero)

Founding Date

Ingan Year 8

Type

Civil Services

Leader Title

Head Imperial Physician

Founders

• Emperor Orepam

Parent Organization

Ministry of Divine Connection

Location

Northern Capital