Free Women as Physicians

The online Caste of Scribes is overflowing with free women. They may be assistants, chroniclers, web designers, researchers, and editors for the scribe Masters, or they may ply their trade for their own purposes. Some have worked their way through the ranks and are considered, within the caste, peers in composition with the men. Of all the castes, Scribes seems to be the most liberal. Free women often give speeches and lectures on specific topics, and may be supervised by the Scribe Masters. They are valued for their intelligence and wit, and are often sought out as companions by other caste members.

Freewomen of the Scribes caste are generally welcome in most establishments, whereas their male counterparts may be given a more watchful eye. These women quietly infiltrate the ranks of common denizens with a listening ear. A secret whispered too near a Scribe woman might well be found in a Master speech repertoire, in another city. News travels fast on Gor by the Scribe women's grapevine.
Physicians

Just as on Earth, the Physician's caste is subdivided into specialties. (Some guilds may not be this organized - this information is based on the guild founded in Port Kar, dalnet, 1996) All take the same oaths, swear by the same Caste laws and honor the same Caste decisions. The Healers have many demands on them and thus require some individuals to specialize.

Research and experimentation - mage
Treatment of wounds - healer
Care of livestock - veterinarian
Mental and emotional well being - kestra`chern.

Research and experimentation, due to the nature of the work, borders on the religious aspects of Gor, and is often overseen by an initiate. The priest-kings watch the healer mage closely, so that he might not discover by accident some weapon that would endanger the ruling ability of the Priest-kings. Due to the nature of the Priest-king species insecticides and chemical manipulation is discouraged. Still some steadfast Men, and Women, choose this field to work in.

An online mage might be a person experienced in branding, piercings, or tatoos offline, and be able to give reliable advice or resource recommendations to a querrant.

The largest numbers of Caste-members are concerned with the treatment of wounds. Gor being a primitive world, and the weapons being, for the most part, slow to kill, it is the demand for wound treatment that healers are called on to tend most often. Indeed, no intelligent commander would set out to do battle without a healer among his ranks. In fact, often a full wagon or two will trail behind a marching army.

An online healer might be an advice nurse, EMT, firefighter, physician's assistant or school nurse, offline. These folks generally refrain from advising more than "common sense" advice online, and may *not* be held liable for any recommendations. Always check with your doctor first.

Tarns, tharlarions, slaves, and other pets and livestock do occasionally take ill. It is the Physician's Caste that comes to the aid and comfort of these poor unfortunates. A Master that values his slave may seek out a healer for the treatment of his injured, or he may simply take her to the veterinarians. The term has an Earth origin, and it is believed that a healing slave that was found in the house of Cernus of Ar some 20 odd years ago coined it. The girl was found to have gifts of caring for her chain sisters in their minor injuries, and she was called on to care for an injured tharlarion in the streets when a Physician could not be found. Since that incident, the Physician's caste has allowed slaves to assist the Masters and Mistresses of their ranks, much as the Scribes Caste has.

Online veterinarians are often vets offline. Or they may have some other connection to the animal world, such as groomers, caretakers, breeders, competitors or simple owners.

And then there is the kestra`chern. This specialization deals with the healing of troubled minds. The term kestra means casual, and chern means intimate. Because this healer is for hire, the relationship he or she has with the client is casual. But due to the nature of the work done, they can become quite intimate in the things that the healer learns from the client. It is for this reason, that kestra`chern are valued for their absolute confidence. The kestra`chern's code is: "Give the client what he needs, not necessarily what he thinks he wants." Many an Ubar has secreted in his tents of war a kestra`chern to offer him other perspectives. Many a Warrior, weary from the battle, has lain in the kestra`chern's chambers and found his soul again. Many an assassin has cooled his emotions at the side of a kestra`chern. And still, this is a quiet specialty rarely taken up. The integrity of the individual is under such scrutiny that even one mistake can cost the kestra`chern her life.

Kestra`chern is probably the most "online intensive" position among the physicians. She is confidant, friend, and advisor. She is expected to understand the emotional and political interweavings of a homestone and yet keep this information to herself - giving advice from a perspective of the larger understanding without revealing her sources. People come online for various reasons. Not a few people come to escape from offline stressors. Sometimes these offline events spill over into the online environment and it is the kestra`chern who often picks up the pieces and helps others keep perspective. Many people take on some degree of "kestra`chern-type" behavior in the course of their interaction online.

It should be noted that the Castemembers of IRC community on Dalnet developed the divisions of the Physician’s Caste. "Local" customs, adaptations of the definitions assigned here and self-identification is up to the individual's interpretation of Gor. As for why it seemed necessary to divide the caste up, it was found by the Gorean Council members that the physician's caste members had different, yet grouped, self-identification. For clarity’s sake, these groups were identified. This is an example of one way in which the ideals of the fantasy books of Gor, written by John Norman, have been allowed to grow in the online community. Purists of the "book Gor" are welcome to ignore these definitions.