Doctors

[Kelpten]

If this topic already exists, please delete this.

Assuming there was no doctor that was a werewolf or knew about werewolves, how would a werewolf receive medical treatment? Would there be anything that could identify them as such, like a blood test or some other abnomaly? Or perhaps when under the influence of some drug they'd lose control and either exibit wolf behaviors or shift outright. Would risking exposure be worth it, or would you just have to forgo all contact with doctors for the good of werewolf kind?

[Berserker]

Doctor-patient confidentiality!

[Howlitzer]

well, if werewolves were rare enough and spread so thin that there was no real community, or not enough of one...yes, forgoing doctor's appointments, or being VERY careful who your doctor is, would be of the utmost concern I'd bet.

In such a case there's really only very few options...to name a couple:

1. There are werewolf doctors or ones that know about werewolves, otherwise werewolves would be widely known of, or dying out, or extinct...

2. Werewolves just don't get sick enough to need a doctor badly enough to expose themselves.

[Vuldari]

well, if werewolves were rare enough and spread so thin that there was no real community, or not enough of one...yes, forgoing doctor's appointments, or being VERY careful who your doctor is, would be of the utmost concern I'd bet.

In such a case there's really only very few options...to name a couple:

1. There are werewolf doctors or ones that know about werewolves, otherwise werewolves would be widely known of, or dying out, or extinct...

2. Werewolves just don't get sick enough to need a doctor badly enough to expose themselves.

3. Werewolves are so concerned about getting caught that they simply go WITHOUT medical treatment, treating themselves to the best of their ability, and occasionally dying of things that could have been treatable as a result, thinning out the worlds WW population just a little bit more.

[RedEye]

Hmmm... To inject a note of reality into a fantasy subject; I can think of one doctor who would be delighted to treat Werewolves, just to know that they existed.
He's right here on our own Forum, too.
Name's Gardner...
There is a possibility that I haven't seen discussed: Vetranarians are doctors, too. A Vet would be more likely to be called to treat a "large dog" than a regular M.D. anyhow.

[Trashdog]

That begets the question, "Who's your owner?"

Would the werewolf have a friend that could pose and take him in, or does he need to get himself picked up by Animal Control?

[Kelpten]

Ya, but even a vet might get suspicious of anomalies. But at least in a dog they won't be as closely investigated.

[Rosiewolf]

[quote="Trashdog"]That begets the question, "Who's your owner?"[quote]


I would have a friend take me in on a leash . But then again, you always have the problem of your license being updated all the time... and if people came over to your house, they would wonder where Spot is.
Though, if you were to say a werewolf is a dog... would that be an insult to a werewolf?

To be serious though, I don't think, as Howlitzer said, that werewolves would get sick to often. But if they did get a serious illness, I think that they wouldn't go to a doctor. It's his/her call if they want to or not.

[punxnotdead]

Personally, If I were a werewolf, I'd probably trust a doctor under life or death situations. But if you're in a human form, how are doctors supposed to know whether you're a werewolf or not?

[Rosiewolf]

Personally, If I were a werewolf, I'd probably trust a doctor under life or death situations. But if you're in a human form, how are doctors supposed to know whether you're a werewolf or not?

Well they won't know, just by looking at you in human form, but I suppose if they take a blood sample, and see something with the DNA, or however a werewolf's genetic makeup is different from humans, they might get suspicious and think that somethins is seriously wrong with you. But that's just my guess.

[RedEye]

In addition, some werewolves are "human" appearing only to a degree; posessing either odd fingers, unibrows, or other unusual structures, like gold or yellow irises. It's all in how the Werewolf is put together, how "human" they look.

[Aki]

Personally, If I were a werewolf, I'd probably trust a doctor under life or death situations. But if you're in a human form, how are doctors supposed to know whether you're a werewolf or not?

Well they won't know, just by looking at you in human form, but I suppose if they take a blood sample, and see something with the DNA, or however a werewolf's genetic makeup is different from humans, they might get suspicious and think that somethins is seriously wrong with you. But that's just my guess.

You kinda actually have to be looking at genes and DNA to notice anything wrong. Most stuff you go to the doctor for will, in all likelihood, not involve that. Doctors would only really notice in normal stuff if lycanthropy manifested itself as some foreign cells flitting about that shouldn't be there and the WBCs aren't destroying them for some reason. That would cause a doctor go "Wait.... what?"

[Figarou]

If this topic already exists, please delete this.

Assuming there was no doctor that was a werewolf or knew about werewolves, how would a werewolf receive medical treatment? Would there be anything that could identify them as such, like a blood test or some other abnomaly? Or perhaps when under the influence of some drug they'd lose control and either exibit wolf behaviors or shift outright. Would risking exposure be worth it, or would you just have to forgo all contact with doctors for the good of werewolf kind?

What's up, Doc!

[Kelpten]

ahhh, I can't see the picture

But ya, any small anomaly could give a werwolf away. You could just dismiss a few things, but if a doctor starts seeing it regularly, he might get suspitious.

[Terastas]

My understanding was that werewolves have enhanced regenerative capabilities, so they wouldn't need to see doctors as often as we do.

They would, however, need to prove that they've had routine checkups and the like, so while a werewolf might not need a doctor in the literal sense, they would have to find some way to beat the system that way.

It's been mentioned before that werewolves may want to try to train members or recruit new members into specific areas of expertise that may benefit the pack, and a doctor would be the best example of such. If there are werewolves out there, this is probably one of those questions that they are asking themselves as well. They couldn't actually know what tests or anomalies would detect lycanthropy until they subject themselves to it. Doing so comes with the risk of exposure, and exposure comes with the risks of widespread panic and/or death of the werewolf pack as a whole.

So unless the pack knew of a doctor that was either sympathetic to werewolves or was a werewolf, I think werewolves would just try and fudge on their medical history as best they can.

[RedEye]

If this topic already exists, please delete this.

Assuming there was no doctor that was a werewolf or knew about werewolves, how would a werewolf receive medical treatment? Would there be anything that could identify them as such, like a blood test or some other abnomaly? Or perhaps when under the influence of some drug they'd lose control and either exibit wolf behaviors or shift outright. Would risking exposure be worth it, or would you just have to forgo all contact with doctors for the good of werewolf kind?

What's up, Doc!

"Really, I thought you people couldn't get this. Never mind; I'll write you a prescription for penicillin. Just be more careful, next time."

[chubhound]

If this topic already exists, please delete this.

Assuming there was no doctor that was a werewolf or knew about werewolves, how would a werewolf receive medical treatment? Would there be anything that could identify them as such, like a blood test or some other abnomaly? Or perhaps when under the influence of some drug they'd lose control and either exibit wolf behaviors or shift outright. Would risking exposure be worth it, or would you just have to forgo all contact with doctors for the good of werewolf kind?

What's up, Doc!

"Really, I thought you people couldn't get this. Never mind; I'll write you a prescription for penicillin. Just be more careful, next time."

Oh....that's just wrong. But definately funny.

[Celestialwolf]

Wow, interesting question! I like what I've heard so far in response. Having read everything, I'd agree that weres generally don't need medical attention. When they do, or when they're forced to get a routine exam it would be hard to detect them for who they really are, but if possible they'd go to a vet.

But, the most likely option would be this:

It's been mentioned before that werewolves may want to try to train members or recruit new members into specific areas of expertise that may benefit the pack, and a doctor would be the best example of such.

Weres might go crazy and shift when using drugs (that and it takes so much to even have an effect), so they generally avoid it. Plus the natural high of sprinting through the forest is better anyway!

[Terastas]

True. My point was basically just that they couldn't know what affects them how until after they've tried it. And experimenting with any kind of drug is dangerous enough; throw lycanthropy into the formula and God knows what could happen.

That's probably why it'd be every Pack's dream to raise one of their members to become a doctor that they could let study the virus in private.

[RedEye]

"My son, the Werewolf Doctor"...the dream of every Jewish Werewolf Mom.

While the idea of studying the "Virus" or whatever is interesting, the pack would also need a few millionaire werewolves to fund the project. The expense isn't for the doctor, it's for the equipment he/she would need.

[Celestialwolf]

While the idea of studying the "Virus" or whatever is interesting, the pack would also need a few millionaire werewolves to fund the project.

Yeah, we just need to bite Bill Gates! Another plus would be Windows Werewolf edition.

[WerewolfKeeper3]

While the idea of studying the "Virus" or whatever is interesting, the pack would also need a few millionaire werewolves to fund the project.

Yeah, we just need to bite Bill Gates! Another plus would be Windows Werewolf edition.

With Instant Howl, and Spam Chomper?

(Instant Messenging and Spam blocker... that was worse than anything Figarou would ever say...)

Yeah i know...

[RedEye]

If Bill Gates turned into a Werewolf...

would anybody notice?

[WerewolfKeeper3]

If Bill Gates turned into a Werewolf...

would anybody notice?

Since we never see him during the night, how do we know he isn't one already?

[Terastas]

"My son, the Werewolf Doctor"...the dream of every Jewish Werewolf Mom.

While the idea of studying the "Virus" or whatever is interesting, the pack would also need a few millionaire werewolves to fund the project. The expense isn't for the doctor, it's for the equipment he/she would need.

Or he could try to work at a lab/company that already has all that million dollar equipment and see if it'd be possible to try anything after hours.

OK, granted, it would be too much of an undertaking for a werewolf pack to fund a thorough study of the virus, but theoretically, there's nothing to stop a werewolf from trying to look at it under a microscope or buying a bunch of feeder mice at a pet store to use as lab rats in his basement or whatever. A real honest-to-god laboratory would definitely be out of reach for a werewolf, but something like the one Will Smith had in his basement in I Am Legend might be doable.