Moody's maimed body parts and the limitations of wizarding medicine

[jrober4211]

No: HPFGUIDX 34929

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "uncmark" <uncmark at y...> wrote:
> 
>
> 
> Excuse me? No soft tissue replacement? Has Madame Pomfrey had ANY 
> injury she could not cure? Has there been ANY mention in the 4 
books 
> of an incurable injury? No!

Can you site another canon based incident of amputation that Madam 
Pomfrey healed? No! The closest thing I could think of was the 
reversal of the petrification caused by the basilisc, but thats a far 
cry from having an extremity blown to bits. She wasn't there to treat 
Moody's injuries, we really don't know what caused Moody to lose his 
leg, we just all assume it was fighting dark wizards. 
> 
>Moody didn't trust any medic to heal him (or did 
> not want to let his guard down long enough to recuperate.
> 
Do you have any idea how long it takes for an amputated limb to heal? 
Not to mention getting the prosthesis to fit right and learning how 
to balance on it, so he had to have spent at least a few months 
recuperating whether he wanted to or not. 
>
As far as Mrs. Crouch, it perfectly believeable that there are some 
> diseases that magic cannot cure, or there may be magic diseases 
> unknown to Muggle science. 

True, this is why I never really questioned what Mrs Crouch died 
from. I think someone else assumed cancer, so I used that as an 
example in my original post. 
> 
> Concerning Hermione's teeth and cosmetic magic, It's quite possible 
> that she had the 'invisible braces' on the back of her teeth, (I've 
> heard kid actresses use them) abd the Granger's being dentists 
> probably had the best for her. Hermione could have had the braces 
> restored with repairo, but I can't blame a 15 year old girl for 
> altering her appearance a little bit. I just eoulfd like to be a 
> beetle on the windowsill when she tries to explain to her parents.

Hermione's tooth problem could not be fixed with braces. The books 
describe her two top front teeth as being overly large, much like a 
rabbit's, before the spell from Malfoy made them grow even bigger. 
And yes, I would have shortened them too had I been given the 
opportunity. 
> 
> My take on magic is that it is mainly limited by the ability and 
> creativity of the user. Nicholas Flamel and his Sorceror's Stone 
> fought of death for several centuries. What could a master wizard 
NOT 
> accomplish in that time?

Restoring a dead person back to life. Curing mental illness caused by 
the cruciatious curse. Curing the werewolf syndrome.Those are the 
three that immediately come to mind, based on canon. 
> 
> I think that much of the perceived limitations of magic come from 
> laziness or lack of initiative by the powerful wizards. I mean one 
of 
> the most powerful familys, the Malfoys, spend the majority of their 
> energy blackmailing those in power or plotting the return of LV!

There is no way to know this for sure, unless the medical wizarding 
action becomes more involved as the war picks up in the next three 
books. So far, there hasn't been too much of the medical aspect in 
the last four books.
> 
> If wizards like Hermione and Harry come into power can you imagine 
> anything they can't do? (Short of the dead coming back to life, 
which 
> JKR said will not happen in the Potterverse.

As Hagrid said when Harry asked why the wizarding world kept 
hidden, " Muggles think magic will cure all their problems." 
Obviously, this a muggle misconception of those muggles that are 
aware of magic.
> 

Jo Ellen
>