Wizarding health and hospitals (was: Re: Source of LV's evil nature)

[Bex]

No: HPFGUIDX 113500

Sarah wrote:
> > I think we're missing some info on TR's mum. Also, the 
> > circumstances about her death seems weird to me. I think 
> > we were told that she died giving birth to TR. This doesn't seem
> > to make sense considering all those wizard cures they have. Can 
> > child birth kill a wizard then?
> > 
Angie replied:
> Good point -- TR probably sucked the life force out of her! It 
> seems like most of the things that have been easily "cured" were 
> relatively minor:  broken bones, bone replacements, blood loss, 
> minor hexes. Things like that. To me, the fact that child birth 
> can kill a wizard (or technically, I guess, a witch) is consistent 
> with the fact that wizards can't raise the dead - meaning their 
> power over life and death is limited. Like Muggle doctors, 
> wizards can't cure everything.

Yb's turn:
I always assumed TR was born in a Muggle hospital. I mean, if he was 
born in a Wizarding hospital (where Healers could possibly have 
saved his mother), why would he have been put in a Muggle orphanage?
But Angie does make a good point, that it reiterates the fact that 
magic can't fix everything.

Sarah also wrote: 
> > Hagrid was offended when he found that Harry believed that his 
> > parents died in a car crash.

Angie replied:
> True, but I think his offense was twofold: First, he was offended 
> that the Dursleys had lied to Harry and belittled James and Lily's 
> death. Second, as you seem to indicate, I believe it was a
> reference to the fact that James and Lily were powerful wizards 
> and that it would have taken more than a mere car crash to kill 
> them (which begs the question of whether Muggle-type illnesses or 
> accidents can kill wizards in the first place). Thus, whether an 
> illness or accident is fatal may depend on the power of the 
> particular witch/wizard. We don't know how strong a witch TR's 
> mother was, although some may assume she was strong and that is 
> where he got some of his power.

Yb, going "one for the road" style:
Definitely on count one. Hagrid was enraged that the Dursley's had 
been lying to Harry for so long. I think some of the anger was 
building up from the time when he realized Harry knew /nothing/ 
about Hogwart's, or his parents, or their magical abilities. But I 
believe that Muggle-like accidents/illnesses can kill wizards (they 
are human, some more than others), just that a good healer can save 
cases normal Muggle doctors couldn't, given that the healers get 
there in time. If a car was coming at me, and I was a witch, I'd 
certainly try to Wingardium Leviosa it into the air, or transfigure 
it into a box of feathers or something. I think the reason we don't 
hear about Wizards dying because of Muggle-like accidents is because:

1) they avoid some of the potentially dangerous technology (like 
electricity and guns, for example)
2) they have very good healers available. I think St. Mungo's has an 
ER ward we didn't see--hence Arthur's life was saved in OotP. St. 
Mungo's probably has a ward specifically for life-threatening 
illnesses. I really doubt we saw all of St. Mungo's in OotP.
and
3) They can apparate out of potentially dangerous situations, or use 
their powers to make said tight spots safer (like my car example 
above).

Sounds good, good night.
~Yb