Thanks again!

Hmm. So they can actually do things without killing the patient most of the time. Disease theory is on the way, but it seems the Beetles have grocked some basics about public health to good effect (at least in the Collegium and maybe Helleron). I doubt they have hospitals as we know them — maybe at the equivalent of the 18th century, though I suspect the Wasps are off and running on this learning the equivalent to Napoleon's lessons.

Y'know if anything, Shadows of the Apt goes a long way towards highlighting that techologicial development doesn't require the same social development we did.

Medicine: Questions probably won't be answered, although there's some info in book 3. As a general overview, Apt medicine is reasonably rational and enlightened by our standards. There are anaesthetics (ropy) and antiseptics, the human anatomy is well understood (no religious restrictions on dissection). Surgery is relatively sophisticated. Lenses are advanced enough to study pond animicules, and a theory that still smaller animicules are agents of disease has been advanced, though is not fully accepted.

Inapt medicine involces herbs, potions, chants, horoscopes, ritual invocations, sympathetic magic and the like. Inapt patients respond better to Inapt medicine, and Apt patients to Apt remedies.

I should probably set this out in more detail, but that will hopefully keep you going for now

BTW, my copies of Empire In Black and Gold and Dragonfly Falling have (finally) arrived. Any chance that either would answer any questions about the state of medicine in the Lowlands?