Path to Power: Book I: Training

Chapter 10: First Day of Classes: Part Four

07:00 P.M.
Healing Arts Classroom, Udagamandalam Academy of Magic (உதகமண்டலம் அகாடமி ஆஃப் மேஜிக்), Tamil Nadu, India
25th May, 1985.

Hadrian walked in the Healing Arts classroom which was a sight to behold. Painted in marble white, full of human body models which were blurred by an obscuring charm, put on a spinning pedestal with a number of buttons on it, a couple of chairs around the models, a board with symbols on it and a faint smell of antiseptics, which is to be expected considering this is a Healing Arts classroom. Gurvi Deshai was standing near a model herself while she waited for the rest of the students to come. After five minutes, all had entered and Gurvi Deshai began:

"Welcome to Healing Arts class. I am Gurvi Aadarshini Deshai and I will be your Healing Arts instructor. Healing Magic is an extremely important branch of magic whose demand will be there as long as wizardry and witchcraft is alive. It is a very diverse field of magic. But before we attempt healing, whether magical or non-magical, we need to know about the anatomy of wizards and witches."

"As you can see, this class is equipped with human body models, which we will be learning through observation. You will see that there are buttons on the pedestal upon which they have been placed. There are three strata of buttons, all of which are charged by runes which either have a function of themselves or will carry out a specific spell. The first stratum contains buttons which will show the various systems in the human body and the magical sources inside human body. The second stratum contains buttons which will depict mundane injuries and the changes human body goes through both internally and externally when mundane injuries take place. The third stratum contains buttons which will depict magical injuries. So let's get started." With that she took out her wand and casted, "Finite Incantatem! "

The obscuring charm on the models lifted and all sprang into attention. Gurvi Deshai said, "Everyone press the button called the skeletal system." With that, a cacophony of buttons being pressed were heard. After all had completed that, Gurvi Deshai began again, "The skeletal system is one of the systems of the human body and it's main function is provide a framework for the body and provides support to muscles and protection of delicate internal organs. It also helps in movements and locomotion. First we shall start with the collection of bones which make a body remain upright."

"The backbone or vertebral column keeps the body upright. It is an important feature of phylum Chordata of which humans are part of. The vertebral column consists of 33 vetebral bones which are divided into five regions. This is the Cervical or the neck region, containing 7 free vertebrae, the Thoracic or chest region, containing 12 free vertebrae, the Lumbar, containing 5 free vertebrae, the Sacral containing 5 fused vertebrae and the Coccygeal containing 4 fused vertebrae. The last bone of the coccygeal vertebral column called the coccyx is also called the tailbone. The tailbone is located on the dorsal side of the body while in line with it, lies the vermiform appendix on the ventral side. When the appendix gets elongated unnaturally, it causes the tailbone to bulge out, which causes severe pain. The expected remedial is removal of appendix. The first cervical vertebra is called atlas and the second cervical vertebra is called axis. Atlas helps in up and down nodding of head while axis helps in sideways nodding of head. The space between every free vertebra is taken by an intervertebral disc. The joints of the vertebral column are termed as cartilaginous joints. With this we conclude our basic information of the vertebral column. Now we shall move on to the rib cage which protects the lungs and heart."

And the class continued. While healing arts might not be as complicated as runes or arithmancy, it makes up for the sheer amount of information. They went through all the systems of the human body. Now it was time for magical energies inside a human body. Gurvi Deshai spoke, "Please press the button saying chakras." As the students did so, they found the human body lighted up in seven colours from the genitals to the head.