Stolc
Stolc is the largest and most densely populated city on Galtern, and is known throughout the Cluster Islands as having the best medical facilities in the entire ocean. Most medical personnel anywhere in the cluster had their training there. For many of the most serious or puzzling cases, the hospitals in Stolc are the only chance at recovery. The price can be steep, however, because Galtern's value economy places a low valuation on foreigners. At the same time, Stolc loves a challenge, and the reward of studying a particularly unusual case (such as the first successful stabilization of neonatal collapse) can offset the cost of treating it.
Government
Stolc is managed by the The Worthies, a group made up of those citizens with the highest public valuation. They do not meet formally, but decide on policies by writing up their support or disapproval of suggestions posted publicly on the Worthies' Wall.
History
Stolc has been a health-minded city since its beginning. When the atolls were evacuated late in the Oceanic Era, almost all the evacuees were taken to Galtern. Camps sprouted up to hold the people while the various groups sorted out who would be allowed to settle where. Because of the high population density and less-than-ideal sanitary conditions, diseases began spreading at a rate never seen before. Camp leaders began discussing the health problems as well as the settlement issues, and discovered that even when the same maladies struck all camps, some outbreaks were less severe than others. They appointed a team to investigate the discrepancies, and began keeping records of who was getting sick and how they were treated.
Most groups eventually dispersed to settlements elsewhere on Galtern or on other islands, but several whose industries did not rely on access to the ocean chose to remain as neighbors in the camp areas. While they remained distinct communities, they continued to collaborate in gathering health information. Fifty years after the first camps were set up, Stolc was an established city with a growing medical library. A school developed naturally alongside, as other towns on Galtern sent representatives to consult the records for advice in managing outbreaks.
Today, a thorough health education is part of the standard curriculum from the entering grades through to graduation. The average resident of Stolc is as capable of treating illnesses and injuries as the average accredited medic anywhere else.
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