Is There Alternating Current in Harry's World?

[tommy_m_riddle]

No: HPFGUIDX 184202

> Carol adds:
> I agree that Dumbledore's injury, the result of a terrible curse, is
> not comparable to cancer (though I'd hardly call cancer a mundane
> illness).

Sarah:
I meant that it is mundane in the sense that it is not known to 
result from the paranormal, i.e. not a magical disease.  Maybe fumes 
from a potions lab or something can contribute to magically-caused 
cancer, if so, I bet that would be difficult or more probably 
impossible for wizards to cure.

Carol:
> Professor
> Trelawney predicts a bout of flu (evidently an annual occurrence), 
but
> there's no indication that flu is treated magically.

Sarah:
But Trelawney predicts all kinds of batty unlikelihoods.  However I 
was also going to say the same thing as zanooda, there are colds, but 
they are treated with Pepper-Up potion.

Carol:
> Perkins, Mr.
> Weasley's co-worker, suffers from lumbago, which presumably can't be
> cured by magic, either. 

Sarah:
But since that's a catch-all term for lower back pain, how do we know 
it isn't from a magical cause?

> An, unfortunately for
> Sirius Black and Tom Riddle and Severus Snape and many other 
troubled
> or psychologically damaged characters, apparently there's no magical
> substitute for much-needed psychological counseling.

Sarah:
I don't know if it's a substitute for the therapy part, but they seem 
to have the medication part covered.  There's the Cheering Charm, 
which is only third year magic.  I don't know why the trio didn't try 
this to counteract the effects of the locket, except Hermione would 
probably be the only one to come up with it and she was out of Charms 
class that day since she fell asleep.  There's also the Calming 
Draught, the Draught of Peace, Hate Potion which reveals annoying 
qualities of the target, helping the drinker to get over being in 
love with the target.  I'm looking at you, Snape.

I don't think any of the above characters really wanted to fix 
themselves.  I think Tom reckoned was pretty happy unless his plans 
weren't going right at a particular time, and Sirius and Snape felt 
like they should just accept their angst.

Carol:
> I think it's something that JKR just didn't think about 
or
> consider important.

Sarah:
My hypothesis is she did think about it, and decided that wizards 
just wouldn't be plagued with the illnesses and injuries of Muggles, 
for very long at least.  They have their own.  Eyesight is the 
exception that proves the rule (not *proves* but you know, figure of 
speech).  The reason that comes to my mind for this exception is that 
she just wanted some characters to have glasses, most notably Harry.

Sarah