Doctor

A doctor is a person who works to keep others healthy and well by treating their illnesses and injuries.

Role and Duties


Doctors are relatively essential members of any crew, whether it be pirate, Marine, or any crew in between. One who is skilled in medicine and health care is necessary in order for the crew to survive the dangers of the sea and its various islands. Doctors are usually required to heal wounds from battles, or prepare medicine for sick members.

Most places in the world tend to have at least one doctor as a result. Consequently, this can be exploited as a way to ensure control of a population, which tends to be dependent of a doctor's services for general survival (particularly in harsh climates and environments). This was the case of Drum Island during King Wapol's rule and the subsequent period where he was absent, for example.

Any crew who lacks or loses their doctor for whatever reason has a high chance of perishing on their voyage. As an example, due to the Rumbar Pirates' doctor being killed in battle, the crew had no chance of saving themselves from the poison they were afflicted with, which led to their destruction. This shows how crucial a doctor is in a crew.

It is said that any doctor who ate the Ope Ope no Mi will be able to perform miraculous operations to cure all disease that no ordinary doctor can. Indeed, a doctor who ate the fruit in the past saved many lives with the superhuman power, and the current owner of said power was able to do the same. That being said, the Ope Ope no Mi requires medical knowledge to use it to the fullest.



In terms of Luffy's crew, the issue of having a doctor was first brought up in the Arlong Park Arc, when the doctor of the town, Dr. Nako, said they really needed a doctor, after patching up Zoro's wounds. At the beginning of the Drum Island Arc the need for a doctor became serious as Nami was suffering from a fatal infection. After the Drum Island Arc, Tony Tony Chopper joined the crew as the ship's doctor and has fulfilled his duty since then, patching up wounds from battle, and using his knowledge of medicine to the crew's advantage.

Variations



 * Ship's Doctor (船医): A doctor who is stationed aboard a ship and offer his or her services to the same ship's crew members, if not being one of the crew himself. While both Marine and World Government officials consider a stationed doctor a necessity for sea travel, pirate doctors are more likely to accept any beings with sufficient medical skills to fill the position due to the dangerous nature of piracy. Known ship's doctors are Crocus, Tony Tony Chopper, Isshi-20, Muret, Doc Q, Hogback, Trafalgar Law, Aladine and Gerd.
 * Surgeon (外科医): Doctors who specialize in surgeries. Notable surgeons include Hogback and Trafalgar Law.
 * Quack Doctor (ヤブ医者): Any person who practices medicine in fraudulent and ignorant methods, which result in medical failure instead of recovery. Hiriluk is the only known quack, alongside the non-canon Whitejack.
 * Nurse (ナース): Nurses provide standard medical care to patients in both long-term recovery and emergencies, usually performed under the direction of a doctor. Notable nurses include Tristan of the Mink Tribe, Époni from the Germa Kingdom, and Whitebeard's nurses.

Medical Malpractices
Although doctors in general were meant to maintain life and health to its optimal state, there are certain doctors who do not follow such a trend, instead being rather picky with their patients, or bringing more harm than good to the patient.



Hiriluk was a quack doctor of Drum Kingdom. Although he meant well and wished the best for those in need of medical attention, his unpracticed skills as a doctor and generally rough methods led him to create dangerous experimental medications that would actually backfire on the patients, forcing him to flee afterwards. Regardless, his spirit as a genuinely caring doctor made the kingdom see him as a noble legacy to look up to.

Hogback is considered one of the most famous and legendary surgeons in the world, having won all forms of awards and statuses available to doctors due to his miraculous surgical skills and saving as many lives as there are stars in the sky. However, more in line with a mad scientist than a typical doctor, Hogback has lost regard for human lives, and instead would use his talents to turn corpses into enslaved zombies for his own purposes.

From World Government propaganda and fear-based misunderstandings, many doctors throughout the North Blue falsely believed that the Amber Lead Syndrome is contagious, and refused to treat a 12-years old Law, even demonizing him as a danger to the rest of their respective hospitals and attempted to contact the Government to exterminate him with prejudice. This shows the incompetence of many doctors throughout the world as they refuse to even look into the fact that the disease is noncontagious.

Trivia

 * Despite the essential role they played, pirate ships in the real world rarely had a doctor on board their ship as it was mostly commercial and military vessels that carried a doctor. Even when a doctor was at hand, the standards of medical practice were not as they are in the modern world. Most limbs or lives were lost simply because of the crude methods often used on a patient. Thus, sickness and disease were often common within pirate crews and even the basic standards of living were not always on par with crews on board lawful vessels.

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