I've typically RPed my healer characters (or characters with healing abilities) with a mixture of science (logical to the lore/world) and magic (if available).
For example: my necromancer in GW2 was a scientist and healer. Yes, she performed autopsies, took copious notes and experimented with both magical substances and physical in the pursuit of her craft. She was an IC alchemist and physician- in the very core of the craft. She cut, she sutured,... but she augmented her physical interventions with her restorative magic. Positing that only one familiar with the death of tissue and the removal of life can truly understand how to sustain it and return it.
Likewise, it made her a quite able interrogator too... but I digress.
She used both- magic was used as an augment to speed healing and recovery, and to do 'emergency patch up and triage' in the field until a more permanent and effective cure could be used.
She used her blood minion as her emergency direct healing tool (aka the victims blood formed the minion, she controlled it to enable healing, etc, then killed it, returning the essence back to the victim when she was done), potions and surgery as more focused, and the minion again to speed recovery/healing of incisions.
Tl;Dr...
I used a mix of both, with physical manipulation/'true' medicine as the root and magic as the supplement 'tool'.
As far as level of sophistication?
I'd say Garlean medicine would trump all other medicine simply due to their level of tech and so on. They very well MIGHT be able to use the aether to power microscopes and Cat scans/MRI's etc...
But the rest of us would likely not be that advanced. Not so far backward as the Four Humours of Man and bloodletting and so on (tho leeches and maggots ARE excellent tools for medicine...), somewhat more advanced. IMHO.
Poultices, herbal remedies, anatomy, minor surgeries... sure.
Open heart, organ replacement, etc... maybe Garlemald, but not any others.
That said, my Miqo will have a certain level of healing talent, and will utilize a more 'tribal' version of medicine, as is logical per her history.
For example: my necromancer in GW2 was a scientist and healer. Yes, she performed autopsies, took copious notes and experimented with both magical substances and physical in the pursuit of her craft. She was an IC alchemist and physician- in the very core of the craft. She cut, she sutured,... but she augmented her physical interventions with her restorative magic. Positing that only one familiar with the death of tissue and the removal of life can truly understand how to sustain it and return it.
Likewise, it made her a quite able interrogator too... but I digress.
She used both- magic was used as an augment to speed healing and recovery, and to do 'emergency patch up and triage' in the field until a more permanent and effective cure could be used.
She used her blood minion as her emergency direct healing tool (aka the victims blood formed the minion, she controlled it to enable healing, etc, then killed it, returning the essence back to the victim when she was done), potions and surgery as more focused, and the minion again to speed recovery/healing of incisions.
Tl;Dr...
I used a mix of both, with physical manipulation/'true' medicine as the root and magic as the supplement 'tool'.
As far as level of sophistication?
I'd say Garlean medicine would trump all other medicine simply due to their level of tech and so on. They very well MIGHT be able to use the aether to power microscopes and Cat scans/MRI's etc...
But the rest of us would likely not be that advanced. Not so far backward as the Four Humours of Man and bloodletting and so on (tho leeches and maggots ARE excellent tools for medicine...), somewhat more advanced. IMHO.
Poultices, herbal remedies, anatomy, minor surgeries... sure.
Open heart, organ replacement, etc... maybe Garlemald, but not any others.
That said, my Miqo will have a certain level of healing talent, and will utilize a more 'tribal' version of medicine, as is logical per her history.
