Disease and Sickness

[fandulin]

No: HPFGUIDX 55841

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "siriuskase" <siriuskase at e...> 
wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Rebecca Stephens
> <rsteph1981 at y...> wrote:
 
> > IIRC, there was mention of a cold or something of the
> > sort in COS.  Isn't that why people were taking Pepper
> > Up potion?
> 
> In PoA, Trelawney predicted that there would a flu outbreak after
> Christmas, does that count?
> 
> sirius kase
> > 
> > 
> > Rebecca
>>
Yes, that definately counts.  You folks have sharper eyes then I do.  
Now that you bring them up, I remember the references clearly. I 
think I need a pensieve to store details in.  I still wonder 
however about more serious muggle diseases though.  Would a wizard be 
able to shrug off SARS for instance? As for my earlier post, 
regarding diseases and altruistic wizards helping out with the worlds 
problems....

manawydan wrote:

>It's quite possible. Though given the existence of St Mungo's, it's 
>certain
>that magic can't cure everything, at least yet - doubtless the 
>hospital has
>a research programme, given that the various branches of magic do 
>seem to
>develop over the years.
> Perhaps in a way, the healers would be a bigger threat to the WW if 
their
> existence was discovered. Because what began as a favour would then 
be
> demanded as routine, and refusal would threaten to end in a pogrom 
against
> wizardry, the same threat that caused the WW to go underground in 
the first
> place.
> 
> And don't forget that if the muggle world found out about wizardly 
powers,
> they might well start demanding not just intervention for healing 
and peace,
> but on the opposite side. Wizards of mass destruction, anyone?

me:

I responded thusly (while ducking, because i'm new here, and am not 
sure how folks feel about re-posts)

All very good points. It seems cold-hearted, but then again, wizards 
don't ask muggledom for help with problems particular to them, i.e. 
Voldemort. I was just thinking that young wizards, especially those 
from muggle backgrounds would sometimes see the chaos and sadness of 
the muggle world and wonder if they should be doing something. I 
mean face it, outside of the threat of dark wizards, the WW is a very 
comfortable and safe place to be (with the exception of dangerous 
activities they gleefully pursue, such as quidditch). Perhaps they 
would begin to wonder where their loyalties should primarily lie, 
with the WW or the human race. Then again, once they enter the WW, 
wizards and witches probably don't have much contact with the 
muggles, and may simply forget or not realize the problems and 
struggles that most of the world has to put up with. I do agree that 
if their interference was discovered, it would be an extremely 
slippery slope from then on.

Any other thoughts?

Fandulin