Disease and Sickness

[fandulin]

No: HPFGUIDX 55686

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Rebecca Stephens 
<rsteph1981 at y...> wrote:
> 
> --- fandulin <fandulin at h...> wrote:
> 
> > Is there anything in canon or conjecture that
> > mentions sickness and 
> > disease in the wizarding world?  I've been
> > re-reading the books 
> > recently and although it's clear that they are
> > subject to all manner 
> > of injuries, curses, and wounds, I can't remember an
> > instance of 
> > someone coming down with any run-of-the-mill colds,
> > aches, sniffles, 
> > or anything like that.  
> 
> 
> IIRC, there was mention of a cold or something of the
> sort in COS.  Isn't that why people were taking Pepper
> Up potion?
> 
> 
> Rebecca


Ah, right you are.  The lexicon lists the potion and that a bout of 
the flu going around.  I missed that.  Thanks.  I suppose that if 
magical folks are subject to the flu, they would also have the same 
chance as muggles to come down with other more or less serious 
illnesses as well.  I wonder if there are spells that have the 
ability to cure or reverse the effects of cancer or alzheimers 
though.  I'd always thought that even though wizards don't have very 
close dealings with the muggle world, there must have been members of 
magical society that have considered using their versatile powers to 
do good in the world at large.  For instance, sneaking into muggle 
hospitals with an invisibility cloak on and healing broken bones, or 
other minor, "wand-wavable" injuries.  Or if there are indeed magical 
means of treating more serious diseases, doing so.  We know through 
Hermione that there are definately activist, do-gooder types in the 
wizarding world.  It wouldn't have stop at medicine either.  Think of 
the things that a clandestine group of stealthy wizards could do, 
roaming the world stopping senseless conflicts by making them forget 
why they're fighting, fixing irrigation problems, providing food and 
such.  I'm not suggesting that wizards could save the muggle world 
from itself by any means, but a lot of good could certainly be done.  
Perhaps the Ministry has a "non-interference with the muggle world" 
clause.  Ah well, just musing.....

Fandulin