No magical healing in hospitals?

[Never2muchpinkie 211]

I know it would make a hospital visit in the show, like read it and weep, pointless if the unicorn doctors could just make their horn glow and fix everything, but hospitals in equestria seem no different than human hospitals, in that they employ physical treatments like bandages and casts.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Never2muchpinkie

[Satsuki Kiryuin 1,155]

Magic probably can't heal someone. It's more like a tool for lifting things, transportation, etc., in my opinion.

[Scootalove 10,689]

I think magical hearing would be needed, if a patient's injuries are very severe. I don't think that magic could heal someone, unless there is a healing spell in some magic books.

[Blast Box 22]

It could be plausible that magic could work in a healing manner. I mean, if you look at some of the spells used in the show, it may not be a matter of magic can't used, but rather a matter of doctors who aren't unicorns, being taught how to heal without magic. Perhaps there are healing spells, but maybe there are just very few ponies that are taught the healing spells in the first place; We've seen that Zecora can whip up very quick-acting healing potions. (Think instantly fixing Applebloom's tooth,) so we know that there is more than just traditional medicine to be used.

 

It may come down to healing spells and able unicorns being more rare, compared to traditional healing means and other kinds of ponies that can use them.

[SharpWit 2,675]

It could be plausible that magic could work in a healing manner. I mean, if you look at some of the spells used in the show, it may not be a matter of magic can't used, but rather a matter of doctors who aren't unicorns, being taught how to heal without magic. Perhaps there are healing spells, but maybe there are just very few ponies that are taught the healing spells in the first place; We've seen that Zecora can whip up very quick-acting healing potions. (Think instantly fixing Applebloom's tooth,) so we know that there is more than just traditional medicine to be used.

 

It may come down to healing spells and able unicorns being more rare, compared to traditional healing means and other kinds of ponies that can use them.

I agree with Blast Box's last statement. But I believe magic was used on rainbow dash. Her broken wing, fine after 3 days. really? A broken wing is no different than a broken leg.. You would normally have something supporting it or you would stay off of it or both for a month or more. Healing takes time, and 3 days isn't much. I think magic was used to set her wing in place and mend most of the bone. Then give it a few days to finish up the process, so she could quickly make her bed vacant, for the next patient in need. After all, a hospitals goals are to see the patient through in a swift amount of time in order to help the next.

[caramba2654 602]

Maybe healing spells are just ridiculously hard to perform (just like nowadays Medicine exams), so only a few ponies can actually do it. And even so, it's not like magic is magical. I mean... That cancer pony. I guess no magic could cure the cancer out of him.

[JonPear 209]

You'd think teleportation would be used more for mail and deliveries also; this:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUYP6OGw1iQ

 

. . . could have been avoided

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

Well, there are a few things to consider. First, careers seem to follow cutie marks closely, so we are already limiting the number of ponies in medicine. After that we have to ask how many doctors are unicorns. Even with an even split between all races, that is a pretty small number. Third, it is probably safe to assume that magical healing is difficult. Telekinesis seems to be a constant, but the precision required in medicine seems like it would be a rare ability. Even with the ability to heal magically, there is a chance that there is a limit to that ability. Setting a broken bone is easy enough, and I can accept accelerated recovery, but I don't think it would be a primary method of healing.

 

I would like to leave Zecora and her potions out of the discussion. As seen in Bridle Gossip, the ponies of Ponyville regard her methods as superstitious nonsense, making it highly unlikely that medical professionals would use them.

[JonPear 209]

I would like to leave Zecora and her potions out of the discussion. As seen in Bridle Gossip, the ponies of Ponyville regard her methods as superstitious nonsense, making it highly unlikely that medical professionals would use them.

I thought it was only Twilight who initially regarded her methods as superstitious nonsense, whereas the others took it very seriously and were afraid of it at first, but then they all accepted it when they understood it better.

[Fhaolan 4,484]

Because if magic fixed everything, there would be no story. If magic is the all-powerful solution that can overcome all obstacles, what exactly is there to talk about in-show?

 

Applejack: Oh, my crops are failing! Twilight: Fixed.

Rarity: I'll never get these dresses done in time! Twilight: Fixed.

Rainbow Dash: I need to train harder to be in the Wonderbolts! Twilight: Fixed.

Fluttershy: All these animals are breeding too fast! Twilight: Fixed.

Pinkie Pie: We need to tune the Snorkfagle all the way up to plaid! Twilight: What?

 

As for teleporting used for mail delivery: When Twilight first teleported in the show, back in the third episode of Season 1 (The Ticket Master) she was shocked and surprised that she was able to do it. Unlike previous generations, teleporting unicorns is not normal, and is something that Celestia's prized student, one of the most powerful unicorns of her generation if not *the* most powerful unicorn, discovered on her own. In the prior episode, Nightmare Moon, an alicorn, did the teleporting. Yeah, the very next episode Twilight is popping all over the place casually, but as far as we know no other unicorn has mastered this ability.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Fhaolan

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

 

 

I thought it was only Twilight who initially regarded her methods as superstitious nonsense, whereas the others took it very seriously and were afraid of it at first, but then they all accepted it when they understood it better.

 

You make a good point. For the sake of discussion I would like to point out that Twilight, being of academic nature, would reflect the attitudes of other academic individuals, such as doctors. As for the others, that is the nature of superstition, they believed that Zecora was an evil enchantress, and possessed the corresponding powers. Together they represented a popular belief; Zecora is evil and no good will come of her concoctions. At the end, they discovered that she was not evil and that her recipes worked.

 

That may seem a bit off topic, but here is how it relates: The medical field seeks certainty. Doctors would not prescribe something unless they were reasonably certain it would work. I can see them experimenting and doing tests with Zecora's potions, but not immediately accepting them. If the timeline assumed from the Summer Sun Celebrations in seasons 1 and 4 can be relied upon, it is unlikely that potions would have fully entered the practice. It is more likely that doctors would experiment with optimal recipes and dosages, as well as reliability and possible side effects.

 

We also have to consider the ingredients. Not all of the necessary plants may be readily available, making a sufficient quantity of production impossible. Pony doctors may not produce medicines with the same mentality as modern Western society, but I doubt they would rely on a cure when there is a good chance that the cure may not be available when it is needed.

 

To bring this back to the original topic, I would like to raise the question of whether or not magic is a reliable means of healing. It is possible that magic's ability to cure disease and heal wounds is limited, leaving it as a support for conventional medicine rather than a primary resource.

[Littlepip357 17]

It would seem that magic can't be used in healing anything major quickly. I could see healing a small cut or scrape instantly with magic same with Zecora's potions. Most likely the doctors used some type of healing magic on Dash to fix her wing in the amount of time that it did. 

[Never2muchpinkie 211]

Well, it just seems to me that if, besides telikinesis, a unicorns magic is supposed to be help with their special talent, like Rarity's gem finding spell to help her beautify things. So it seems like it would stand to reason that a unicorn doctor would have some sort of magical ability to heal others. As mentioned above, I guess it may just be about the severity of the damage and the skill of the doctor in question.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

pointless if the pegasus doctors could just make their horn glow and fix everything

 

Wrong type.

 

As for the topic, maybe magic is used for healing, but it's either, A. Healing magic is really hard to do and could be risky sometimes or B. Ponyville Hospital just does not have any unicorns that can use magic to heal. Maybe other places like Canterlot have healing magic unicorns, because magic is used more there. It could also take time to heal body parts with magic.  

Edited December 3, 2013 by pinkiefan1287

[Bastion 414]

I have heard that there is healing magic in Equestria but yeah, this is just what I've heard, its never shown up in the show, heck I don't even think I've seen it happen in a fan video or fan story although with all the uses magic has already I would not be surprised if there were spells for this sort of thing but I've never seen a unicorn doctor in the show before so I guess the medical field is not something that unicorns are interested in...

[Malinter 3,064]

Pyshical injuries need time to heal. Magic here probably helps in being able to stitch injuries or pin bones in a manner that hooves or even hands couldn't to without contact and keep wounds from further infection and contamination. Quick and efficent treatment can cut down recovery time quite well.

 

And Rainbow Dash is the epitome of pegesi fitness, she probably heals faster than a normal pegesus.

 

With unicorns however I can imagine that they can be exposed or develop illness unique to them (like pegesi with feather-flu) that effect their magic or their horn so that probably is where the more medicinal magic would be seen and used. 

Edited December 3, 2013 by Malinter

[Untitled Goose Q 5,137]

I see no reason why there cannot be magical healing in hospitals. However, the number of unicorns that posses the skill would be very limited, somewhere like Ponyville is not likely to have many, if any. And even in those places where they are present, most injuries are probably allowed to heal normally (except life-threatening ones) as pain can teach a lesson.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Questioner Returned