"Hello there. And what have we here. … No lay still and let me look. OK that's not too bad. Here drink this … you'll be out for about 2 days."

Physician Jones bedside manner

The Physician in the Legion

The physician's society is a loosely associated group of professional healers, herbalists, and surgeons. Its members include both priests and Shek-Pvar as well as kvik-kir. Usually the society sees that a scuttage is paid to the legion so that their members need not enlist. A "physician" is really a catch-all title. Followers of this career are part healer, part doctor and part butcher. Their skills are in great demand by most equestrians and citizens.

It can take up to 5 years of apprenticeship for a physician to gain journeyman ranking in his craft. Once released from his apprenticeship, he may either start his own practice or become a bonded physician for the legion. The benefit in becoming a bonded physician is that - instead of charging for each patient received, the physician receives a wage every 10day from the legion.

"Join the legion? Why the heck would you do that? Don't you realize you can set up your own little practice right here? I'm about ready to retire and you can take on my patient list. There's good money here. Why in the name of the nine heavens would you want to do something so stupid?"

Parent of Physician Jones

Like the Milities, the physician is given a legionnaire's cloak and leather lace up knee boots each year by the legion. Any other equipment, weapons and armor must be brought by the physician. However the physician can bill the legion for any equipment damaged or lost in the line of duty.

Duties

The physician must serve with the recruits during the first six months of his time as a bonded physician. In the training camps he gains the following skills:

Short Sword	SB3
Tower Shield	SB3
Javelin	SB2
Survival	SB1
Heraldry	SB1

These are the basic skills of the Milities Linari, and in a pinch - the physician is expected to at least be able to defend himself, and his patients in a field hospital. Physicians are encouraged to learn and master unarmed combat in their spare time.

Each Month

The physician is expected to visit each legion outpost each 30 days. Usually they travel with a patrol, but they may travel alone. The physician may request a legion mule for his travels but is expected to return it to the quartermaster upon his return.

Each 10Day

Since each legionnaire is suppose to know physicianry (the basic skills for wound treatment) the local physicians must hold class two afternoons each 10day. Any legionnaires not on duty at the legion outpost must attend these classes. Occasionally one or two milities become the physician's assistants either because of prior training or natural capabilities. Such assistants are usually exempt from most other duties whenever the physician needs them.

"Every morning the same faces. Some don't want to go to war, some are scared and some are just old and worn out. Patch them up, pat their backs - give them something foul to drink and send them back to die. It's a job."

Physician Jones
suffering from the sick call blues.

Daily

Each day a bonded physician performs sick call in his home fort. At dawn all the milities that feel ill, damaged, or could not be roused, are brought before him. In a few minutes he has to assess these milities into one of three categories:

Fine	The solider is either upset or scared - but has no injury/ailment. Officially the physician is suppose to tell him he's fine and send him back to his unit.
Minor Injury/Aliment	Such conditions are medicated/treated, and the milities is given light duties for the duration the physician proscribes.
Major Injury/Aliment	Such conditions require the milities to remain in the physician's care for their duration.

Men on sick leave are paid at half their normal rate. The difference in pay is used partially to help pay for their housing and medicines while under the physician's care. So long as there are patients in the physician's hospital he is exempt from practice marches and survival training.

When on the move men on sick leave often travel in the supply wagons an hour or two behind the main column.

If the hospital is empty, or has very few cases requiring his attention, the physician is expected to travel with patrols and offer his aide at the surrounding forts.

"The 10day wage is worth the trouble I say. I don't have to pat a rich equestrian's hand and come up with a new aliment for her. Here it's usually pretty easy to diagnose what happened. Look here - see, now who could misdiagnose this? It's a sword cut - straight and … eh? Oh. It's a pike wound, my apologies."

Physician Jones

PAY

Physicians are paid 24d per 10day as journeymen, and 36d per 10day as masters. Milities who act as physician's assistants, or who join up as Milities, receive no extra pay.

"Well of course my hospital's dirty Triberties! It's a bloody field hospital!"

Physician Jones

Fines

Physicians, like all legionnaires, can be fined for shirking duties, or disobeying orders. Demerits must be paid off every 10day. The price is 1demerit 1d unless otherwise specified by the physician's commanding officer.

Crime	Demerits
Disobedience	1
Out of Uniform	1
Unable to perform	10
Failing Inspection	5
Missing a Class	10
Missing Assembly	5

Each fine has one of the following modifiers attached:

Modifier	Cost	Description
Flagrant	*5	Mutinous. Completely ignoring the chain of command and (more specifically) the man giving the orders.
Major	*4	Breach in discipline - bordering on mutinous
Insolent	*3	Usually caused by a disregard of the man giving the order more than the order itself.
Minor	*2	A minor offense - barely worth mentioning but for the lack of discipline it shows.
Slight	*1	Situational occurrence, could be excused but really should not have happened

Fees

A physician in the legion promises to charge the following to any non-legionnaire (including servants and other bonded staff.)

Task	Price	Description
Check up	1	Includes writing out a recipe for a herbalist if needed.
Clean & Bind Minor Wound	1	small cut, scrape or splinter.
Clean & Bind Average Wound	5	breaks, gashes and tears
Clean & Bind Major Wound	10	major breaks (greenstick fractures), bleeders, etc.
Surgery	15	Includes amputation

And you'd be surprised to see how much a milities will pay for a few herbs to spice up his dinner!

Physician Jones

A Day for a Physician at Peace

In times of peace, the physician is kept busy at their home fort and at their rounds. The physician is technically part of the Triberties Primus's staff. At assembly each morning, he stands just beside or behind the Triberties Linari Primus. If the Triberties Linari Primus travels, often the physician travels with him.

Physicians get lots of training in their chosen field. In the legion daily practices, patrols and even manual labor can cause a lot of injuries. During quiet periods, the physician can practice combat with the milities. A few physicians do practice at least unarmed and tower shield to better their chances at survival.

When the legion is on the move, the physician travels either in front with the Triberties, or in back with the supply wagons. When traveling with a patrol the physician is suppose to remain the center of the soldier's ranks whenever possible.

And when travelling alone, legion physicians travel quickly!

Physician Jones

When the legion is encamped, the physician pitches his tent next to that of the Triberties. His marching camp duties include: inspecting the jacks, testing the washing water, and sick call. In temporary forts, or at battle sites, he is expected to organize a field hospital - and take whatever milities he requires for assistance.

The physician is an honorary officer, as such he eats from the Mani's messkit. His daily ration is the same as the regular milities - but he usually can afford better.

Hospitals

In times of war the field hospital becomes the physician's first priority. By tradition, anyone inside the field hospital is under the physician's orders. Not even the Triberties Primus himself can disobey a physician in his hospital. The physician is permitted to take whatever milities he requires as assistants (within reason) and any man he claims is unfit to serve cannot be removed from the hospital without the physician's express permission.

The field hospital is always within the walls of the legion's fortification - temporary or otherwise. The physician sets up his field hospital as close to fresh water as possible.

The physician has a lot of equipment, a wagon master, 2 oxen and a wagon assigned to him when the legion is on the move. His equipment includes a giant cauldron, water buckets, and at least 2 gross of blankets from the quartermaster's stores. He also carries up to 2 gallons of best brandy for medicinal purposes.

This page was last updated on January 23, 2002
Questions/Comments should be directed to the Webmaster.
All works are Copyright their respective authors, 2002.

Pax Tharda