[Basic] Skill of the week: Veterinary

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Below the resolution of GURPS rules for the most part. Realistically there are large numbers of diseases and syndromes that are treatable in humans that aren't in vetinary medicine. Trauma medicine is about the same though, and that is more game relevent.

A lot of those treatments involve Surgery and Pharmacy though. I just have trouble understanding what isn't those or Diagnosis and therefore involves only Physician/Veterinary.

[sir_pudding]

Nobody euthanizes a person when they break an ankle. Even amputation doesn't stop human athletes from competing nowadays.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by acrosome

Well, then I'll just counter that your claims don't mesh with the experiences of any doctors I know. And I know a lot of doctors. :P I mean, I'd really like to see cites for these "studies" that claim to support veterinary diagnosis being easier than human diagnosis. I think you're just bunkering up, here.

Actually it looks like one of the fairly standard net dispute failures - the perfect is the enemy of the good. Method B is better 49.999% of the time, makes no difference at all 50% of the time, and 1 time in a million causes a serious problem. It's obviously absolutely terrible, it doesn't help in the majority of cases and can sometimes be catastrophic!

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Nobody eurhanizes a person when they break an ankle. Even amputation doesn't stop human athletes from competing nowadays.

I remember a documentary I saw where a three legged wild capybara was evading crocodilian strikes with the same agility as the other intact members. Obviously a fully healed stump too, from what I could see. And the amazon is not a nice place in which to have an open wound.
Some animals are tougher than even the toughest humans.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I remember a documentary I saw where a three legged wild capybara was evading crocodilian strikes with the same agility as the other intact members. Obviously a fully healed stump too, from what I could see. And the amazon is not a nice place in which to have an open wound.
Some animals are tougher than even the toughest humans.

That capybara received vetinary care?

[(E)]

Some smaller quadrapeds can get by with even a badly damaged leg with no medical care. Lambs being an example I deal with regularly.

[sir_pudding]

My point was that repairing a crippled limb is definitely Physician or Veterinarian, not Diagnosis or Pharmacy, and while a racehorse with a broken ankle is never going to race again (or often even live much longer) a human with a leg amputation can now win professional races...

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I remember a documentary I saw where a three legged wild capybara was evading crocodilian strikes with the same agility as the other intact members.

Crocodiles are not agile, skilled strikers, and they don't pursue on land. They rely on explosive surprise attacks for a reason. Losing a leg doesn't make your vision or hearing any worse.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Crocodiles are not agile, skilled strikers, and they don't pursue on land. They rely on explosive surprise attacks for a reason. Losing a leg doesn't make your vision or hearing any worse.

It looked pretty darn fast. But I meant that it was still quite agile despite missing a limb.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

That capybara received vetinary care?

No, but I assume the human athletes you mentioned did receive professional care along with enough time to recover.
You seemed to be implying that humans are tougher than wild animals.