Role Playing the Gorean Physician

Role Playing the Gorean Physician
Lecturer: Snow Gryphon
January, 2015
Prerequisites: None

At Physician’s Academy we make no effort to train you for any real life medical situations. We offer general information on medical topics, by the book and others, designed to better prepare you to role play as a Second Life Gorean physician. I make no claim to authoritative interpretation of the books by John Norman; nor am I trained in medicine in real life.  These lectures are offered as a resource to role play only.

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Role Playing the Gorean Physician

This week we will discuss role playing the Gorean physician.  But first let us re-cap what we learned last month, to bring us up to speed and provide some context.  We discovered that a caste is much more than an occupation.  It also includes a social structure and common customs.  Gorean castes were like sub-societies within overall societies, and very distinct in their own way.  We also found who were included in a caste and how they were trained, and that the Physician’s Caste was unusual in that women as well as the men were trained.  And finally we touched on the role of the Physician’s Caste in Gorean society.  See you didn’t miss much, did you?

Now let us turn from the group to the individual.  We will try to get into the life and mind of Gorean physicians using examples from the books.  For example, How did they live, where did they work, what did they look like and wear?  And what did they think and believe, and how did they behave? Was there a common physician archetype or were all just individuals?  Coming to a deeper understanding of all this is bound to enhance and improve our RP, don’t you think?

Let us start with the easy stuff first.

What Do They Look Like?

Well we know that about half the physicians were women, but there are few examples of women physicians in the books, with the notable exception of Vika of Treve.  One wonders if the author changed his mind on this subject as he grew older.  So due to the lack of female physician examples, I will refer to physicians as “he” to save typing.  But it is assumed that women are included.

So what did physicians look like?  Could you identify them on the street?  Here are a few quotes:

"There was also a man in the green of the Caste of Physicians, standing at one side, writing notes on a slip of record paper. He was a large man, smooth-shaven."
Assassin of Gor   Book 5   Page 124

"Beside the man before me, ……was a slender, gray-eyed man, clad in the green of the caste of physicians."
Slave Girl of Gor   Book 11   Pages 385 – 386

"A physician entered the booth, with his kit slung over the shoulder of his green robes. He began to attend to the merchant."
Beasts of Gor   Book 12   Pages 103 – 104

Q: What do these examples have in common?

A: Yes, Green robes!  Looks around the room noting all the lovely multi-coloured dresses and outfits, and smiles.  You know I have never seen a quote of physicians wearing armbands.  If anyone has, please let me know.

Q:  What else did you notice in there quotes?

A: Well one man was large and clean shaven and the other was slender.  Not much to go on, is it, but one could conclude that physicians looked much the same as others in their community.

Well what of our female physician, Vika of Treve, featured prominently in Priest Kings of Gor.  When we first meet her, she is a slave and is described thusly:

“Vika, in spite of her nine years of captivity, her confinement in this chamber, was still a headstrong, spoiled, arrogant girl, and one fully aware of her yet unconquered flesh, and the sinuous power which her beauty might exercise over men, its capacity to torture them and drive them wild, to bend them in the search for its smallest favours compliantly to her will.  There stood before me insolently the beautiful, predatory girl who had come so long ago to the Sardar to exploit Priest-Kings.”
Priest Kings of Gor

Laughs…  Now that reminds me of some of my friends in SL! 

She goes on to follow in her father’s footsteps as a physician and dedicated herself to finding a cure for Dar Kosis.  So she went from predatory seductress to research scientist.  Now that is a life!

Q: How do you portray yourself in SL Gor, by your dress and looks?  Let’s have some examples.

Now most of the physicians in the books are not described or identified.  They and we tend to be in the support cast.  Such is life.  Now we will move on to the life and work of physicians, including where they work and what they do.

How Do They Live and Work

When we think of where physicians work here in SL Gor, the image of an infirmary seems to automatically come to mind.  Well is that the case in the books?  Here are a few relevant quotes to consider.

“At certain times of the year several such booths are set up within the courtyard of a slaver's house; in each, unclothed, chained by the left ankle to a ring, on furs, is a choice Red Silk Girl; prospective buyers, usually accompanied by a member of the Caste of Physicians, in the presence of the slaver's agent, examine various girls; when particular interest is indicated in one, the Physician and the slaver's agent withdraw;”
Assassin of Gor   Book 5   Page 57

“Two men from the desk of the nearest wharf praetor, he handling wharves six through ten, a scribe and a physician, boarded the ship. The scribe carried a folder with him. He would check the papers of Ulafi, the registration of the ship, the arrangements for wharfage and the nature of the cargo. The physician would check the health of the crew and slaves……”
Explorers of Gor   Book 13   Pages 117 – 118

Q:  What common theme have you noticed in these two quotes?

A. These are examples to show that the physicians tend go where the action is.  They go to the slave auctions and to the docks; they heal patients on the street and in their homes; they are found in the middle of battles.  Another theme in the books is that often wealthy individuals or businessmen have in-house physicians to serve their needs.  All this is much different than is found on earth in most places.  However, is this part of an over-arching philosophy or just a convenience in the plot?  I suspect it is more the later, but would not rule out the author fondly remembering his childhood when doctors on earth made house calls.  So our perception of the need for fancy infirmaries may be more based on our notions of what is normal and good on earth than on what is found in the books.

Looks over and winks at my Companion who has the most fabulous infirmary in Gor.

So physicians were found everywhere doing their work.   How did they make their living?  Were they likely salary men or did they live by fee for service?  There are a number of quotes in the books like the following:

“He had come, like many, to Port Kar. He had risen in the city, and had been for years the private physician to Sullius Maximus,…..
"Thurnock," said I, "give this physician a double tarn, of gold."
     "No," said Iskander, "I wish no payment." 
Marauders of Gor   Book 9   Pages 17 – 19

OK the answer is in the quote:  Physicians usually were paid in cash after treating patients. But…..I have not seen an example of a physician asking for payment before providing service or quoting a price before service.  It seems to me, and I could be wrong, that the payments were more like tips based on what the patient was able to pay.  Of course the more skilled or experienced physicians would more likely to be “hanging out” with the rich and famous and on average make more in “tips”.  And in case you were wondering, Iskander refused payment by Bosk of Port Kar (Tarl Cabot) because they had previously been in a battle together.  They were comrades.

Well a few physicians were famous, but most toiled in relative anonymity.  But were they at least rich, if not famous? Here is the bad news.

“No," I said. "They, too, are not rich enough. I gather their pleasure is in their healings, and not in their fees. They are too devoted to their work to their research, serums, and medicines, and distributing the benefits of their administrations and learnings indiscriminately, denying such to no one."
"That is in their caste codes," said Mrs. Rawlinson.
"They are fools," I said. "People sometimes need their skills and knowledge even desperately. That is when they could make others pay, and well."
"Yet they seldom do so," said Mrs. Rawlinson."
Conspirators of Gor   Book 31   Page 25 – 26

Yes we are indeed fools….or are we?  I for one am proud to be in my caste.  Also note in this quote that we "deny such to no one" implying that we treat those unable to pay for free.

When not out and about, the physician is often shown to be treating patients in his home, as in this quote;

“The building where I would wait on these days was the house of a physician. I was taken through a corridor to a special, rough room, where slaves were treated. “
Captive of Gor   Book 7   Pages 92 – 94

Q: Now I wonder how many of us here have built homes that included “rough rooms, where slaves are treated”?  Any examples?

The work of the physician was highly varied and many specialized in certain fields such as dentistry and surgery. Most of us are quite familiar with duties such as slave exams and healing the sick and injured, but here are a few examples of physician roles you may not have considered.  Think on how much fun these would be to RP.

“A familiar bit of advice given by bold Gorean physicians to free women who consult them about their frigidity is, to their scandal, "Learn slave dance." Another bit of advice, usually given to a free woman being ushered out of his office by a physician impatient with her imaginary ailments is, "Become a slave." Frigidity, of course, is not accepted in slaves. If nothing else, it will be beaten out of their beautiful hides by whips.”
Guardsman of Gor   Book 16   Page 260

Laughs, so you could be Lady XYZ, sex counselor.  Imagine that!

Or how about this one:

“Some Goreans breed slaves, of course. This is commonly done by agreement amongst masters. There are, too, of course, the slave farms. Some members of the caste of physicians, incidentally, concern themselves with such matters, for example, by implanting fertilized eggs in host mothers. In this way, a prize slave may be used to produce numerous offspring.”
Kur of Gor   Book 28   Page 27

Well having an artificial insemination clinic sounds interesting, does it not?

And finally:

“And the capacity for work is determined by physicians, neither by politics nor rhetorics. “
Swordsmen of Gor (Gorean Saga, 29)

This is one I actually hadn’t considered, until I read it recently.  Could be a new way to RP certain scenarios.  For example, a blacksmith comes in with a sore arm, and you find he has acute tendonitis and should not work for an extended period; or how about a slave who has been beaten so badly she cannot perform her duties.  I could have used that one a few times to help brutalized girls.

Q: Have you examples of “unusual” physician roles you have used?  Please share them.

In summary, physicians are found everywhere doing their highly varied skilled work.  They tended to be paid in coin and not that well.  Now we will try to get into the heart and mind of the Gorean physician and look at some examples of how they think and behave.

What Do They Think and How Do They Behave

There are several quotes that describe a physician at work.  How do they tend to behave?  Are they casual and funny; serious and cruel?  Let us see.

This is my favourite quote:

“Flaminius then stood up and faced us. He was instantly again the Physician, cool and professional.”
Assassin of Gor   Book 5   Page 136

Cool and professional.  Is that how you role play your physician?  I know I often don’t, but probably should.  But there is another side to that cool and professional demeanor that oft times I find disturbing when I read it.

“On the other side of the belt, there hung a slave goad, rather like the tarn goad, except that it is designed to be used as an instrument for the control of human beings rather than tarns. It was, like the tarn goad, developed jointly by the Caste of Physicians and that of the Builders,…”
Assassin of Gor   Book 5   Page 84

Does that not give you pause?  And there are many other examples. Sometimes Gorean doctors more resemble those found in Nazi death camps than in the Mayo Clinic.  But this has its roots in the idea that slaves were animals, not human, a notion that I personally find hard to accept, even knowing it was widespread on earth until recently.  Is Gor really a sustainable model of a society?  It certainly wasn't on earth.

Now here is a very interesting question.  Should we RP treating slaves differently than free men and women?  When I first came to Gor, I was taught to deal with slaves with loving-kindness, gentleness and compassion.  Is that what is in the books?  Let’s have a look in this quote.

“On the first day the physician, a quiet man in the green garments of his caste, examined me, thoroughly…… Though the physician was not unkind I felt that he treated me as, and regarded me as, an animal. When I was not being examined, he would dismiss me to the side of the room, where I would kneel, alone, on the boards, until summoned again. They discussed me as though I were not there……
They left me secured to the table for several minutes and then the physician returned to check the shot. There had been, apparently, no unusual reaction.
     I was then freed.
     "Dress," the physician told me……”
Captive of Gor   Book 7   Pages 92 – 94

He is being “cool and professional”, isn’t he? And she is slave and slaves are animals, aren’t they? Would you discuss your exam with a bosk? Not likely. But if a physician treats a slave as a human, would not that threaten the social structure of Gor?  The answer in the books seems to be that slaves have lost their rights under law and so have the same rights as an animal, which is to say none.  Although of course they are biologically human. But we do show compassion to animals who suffer.  Many things to consider in these interactions.  Think it through.  Know your role.

Here is another:  the physician Tamirus examining the virginity of a slave:

"How are you, my dear?" asked Tamirus.
     "Very good, Master," I said. "Thank you, Master."……..
          "Throw your legs apart or we will do this differently," said Tupita.
     I obeyed, on my back, on the dancing floor. There are various attitudes in which the virginity of a girl may be checked. The least embarrassing to her is probably this one.
     Tamirus was careful with me, and gentle. He checked twice, delicately.
     "Thank you, Master," I said to him, gratefully.
     He stood up. "It is as certified by the house of Hendow," he said. "The slave is a virgin."
Dancer of Gor   Book 22   Pages 186 – 187

So this physician seemed a bit more kind and considerate, didn’t he?  Not all physicians behave the same, but within a fairly narrow range, I think.  Here is the final example of a physician examining a slave. Note the sexual evaluation.  I think I would be reported  if I did this..laughs:

“Curious, the physician touched her again, She whimpered, squirming. "She's a hot one," said the physician.
"Yes," said Ulafi.
     The girl looked at the physician with horror, tears in her eyes. But he completed her examination, looking into her eyes, and examining the interior of her thighs, her belly, and the interior of her forearms, for marks.
     Then the physician stood up. "They are clear," he said. "The ship is clear. All may disembark."
     "Excellent," said Ulafi.
     The scribe noted the physician's report in his papers and the physician, with a marking stick, initialed the entry.”
Explorers of Gor   Book 13   Pages 119 – 120

Physicians not only were shown to consider slaves as animals, but sometimes free women as well.  Did you not know this?  Looks around and smiles. 

Here is a quote that will make you love Flaminius, one of Gor’s most famous physicians:

“Flaminius argued for a position in which women were hardly to be recognized as belonging to the human species….Flaminius commonly had the best of these exchanges, producing incredibly subtle, complex arguments, quoting supposedly objectively conducted studies by the Caste of Physicians, statistics, the results of tests, and what not.”
Assassin of Gor   Book 5   Page 196

It seems our caste did studies that showed that women were not humans?  And so what species are women?  And how do we manage to breed?  Obviously not all physicians were brilliant at everything, and we, including Flaminius, wear our prejudices each day like an ugly hat.  And whether it was the attitude toward slaves, or women, or distrust of Initiates, Gorean physicians certainly had a strange mind-set, at least based on these quotes.

And poor old Flaminius had quite a rough time, losing his lab to sabotage and all.  He became depressed and turned to drink.  I once asked when I was an apprentice about how Goreans could drink so much and not become alcoholics.  Well it seems even Goreans are not immune.  Here are a few quotes:

“Flaminius looked at me, with a certain drunken awe. Then he rose in his green quarter’s tunic and went to a chest in his room, from which he drew forth a large bottle of paga. He opened it and, to my surprise, poured two cups. He took a good mouthful of the fluid from one of the cups, and bolted it down, exhaling with satisfaction.
     "You seem to me, from what I have seen and heard," I said, "a skilled Physician."
     He handed me the second cup, though I wore the black tunic.
     "In the fourth and fifth year of the reign of Marlenus," said he, regarding me evenly, "I was first in my caste in Ar."
     I took a swallow.
     "Then," said I, "you discovered paga?"     
Assassin of Gor   Book 5   Pages 265 – 269

Well it turns out he was not depressed because of paga or women but because of the loss of his life’s work.  Can any here relate to that?

The next is a rather long quote, but so poignant.  I offer it without editing for your enjoyment.  Consider it well.

“Flaminius seemed shaken. He looked to me, and I to him. Flaminius looked down.
     "You must live," I said to him.
     "No," he said.
     "You have work to do," I told him. "There is a new Ubar in Ar. You must return to your work, your research."
     "Life is little," he said.
     "What is death?" I asked him.
     He looked at me. "It is nothing," he said.
     "If death is nothing," I said, "then the little that life is must be much indeed."
     He looked away. "You are a Warrior," he said. "You have your wars, your battles."
     "So, too, do you," said I, "Physician."
     Our eyes met.
     "Dar-Kosis," I said, "is not yet dead."
     He looked away.
"You must return to your work," I said. "Men need you."
     He laughed bitterly.
     "The little that men have," I said, "is worth your love."
     "Who am I to care for others?" he asked.
"You are Flaminius," I told him, "he who long ago loved men and chose to wear the green robes of the Caste of Physicians."
Assassin of Gor   Book 5   Pages 386 – 387

We have left the trials and tribulations of poor old Flaminius to the end for a reason.  Because, to me at least, it shows that physicians were not always cool and professional.  They had feelings and emotions like all of us.  They could be depressed and even suicidal.  So as you role play your physician, think about what you have learned today.  Physicians were guided by their codes and training, but in the end were just men and women making their way in the harsh world that is Gor.  Tap into your inner Gorean physician. He is there in all of us.

Thank you for your attention.

Safe paths!