19 Ymiden, 724
.
Kotton was riding the wave of the journey that made it so he could be the best direct care professional he could be. This was after having sat through an impromptu meeting that had ultimately explained last minute information regarding what it was to be a nurse and everything a medic needed to know in order to become one.
He had taken notes on how to study, what to study for, and how best to learn and memorize. He had also made sure to note what the various roles of a nurse were before making any amends to his remarks. He was ready to use everything he had gathered and learned to make the most out of what he wanted regarding his incline of the ladder containing the hierarchy of medicine. He had a lot of questions at the ready. They were listed like men on the docket to be thrown into war. But it wasn’t the accomplishment of winning the war that he sought. It was the accumulation of knowledge- bits of applicable facts easy enough to recall from a memory that would undoubtedly serve him well. But a memory that served him well only came from studying and memorization. Practice accounted for at least half of an individual's performance. He had learnt from that impromptu meeting that his nose would be better off being casualties of papercuts, dug way down deep into the recesses of papyrus than a resident stationed comfortably at a home that gathered no experience.
One of the pieces of information he had received during that meeting at the clinic was the acknowledgment and ultimate understanding and utilization of herbalism. Nurses acknowledged and implemented herbalist data and whatever forthcoming findings that came from it to help tend to patients when more potent or potentially extreme medicines weren't as necessary.
Kotton was able to configure this knowledge to the best of his capability, to come to terms with what was crucial via the manipulation of plants and herbs. I mean, he already knew that certain methods of modern medicine were a bit invasive. He also knew that there were always options in terms of treating patients. Most practitioners used the most potent, intensive and impactful treatments they knew to fight off whatever issue it was that had been diagnosed. But as an observer, a medic, and a (hopefully) soon to be nurse, Kotton spent time thinking deeper. In fact, he had been thinking so deep he found it best to experience the role herbalism had to play in everyday medical prognosis and diagnosis rather than just read or hear about it.
That being said, he made it a point to trek into town and visit the apothecary shoppe. It was only rational that such a shoppe would have most of the resources he needed to further his awareness as to the benefits of plants and their relation to medicine.
He hiked up his backpack which was stuffed with his journal, several pencils, and a flask filled with water and pain supplements (in case his wrist started to ache from the many notes he may take during his time at the store). He placed each foot in their respective shoe until they found themselves trolling the common ground toward the apothecary. It was easy enough ground to cover so Kotton was able to daydream about his adventure and the information he was about to learn as he walked.
Once there, he was quickly reminded of the time he had first encountered the store. That had been when he was sick and in need of a common remedy to help cure him of his cold. The place was small, but inviting just like how he remembered. The walls were lacquered with a tranquilizing beige and held no obstructing shelves apart from the very few at the front of the store that declared a desperate need to be purchased. There, upon one of the shelves at the back of the store, was a rather aubergine crystal that seemed to shine bright with euphemisms of being cut for the sake of pity. Kotton wouldn’t look at it, rather, he couldn’t. He already had too much on his plate to partake in another’s problems. He was only here for clarification, whatever the cost of it was.
“Can I help you, sir?” A store associate suddenly popped up from behind the main counter.
Since Kotton’s gaze wasn’t intently set on anything in specific, he was quick to pick up on the words he had been asked.
“Just looking,” he responded, weakening into what had been a simple observation.
There were so many shelves, so many displays and so many more venues to which Kotton could scrutinize and arbitrate and make points of. But there was something else, some sort of energy that kept him from effortlessly declaring judgment on anything, no matter the importance or fortitude.
“Are you sure?”
Apparently, that general question enabled him to gather all the energy he needed to fight what chose to oppose him, even if there was nothing opposing him other than the information that came with the definition of a leaf.
“I have mustard leaf water and bloodroot herb, but I must tell you, they are both examples of emetics.”
“Emetics?” Kotton asked, shooting his head from the display in front of him toward the cashier who stood meekly behind the front counter.
“Y-yea,” the store associate so much as stuttered. “You know- substances that make you upchuck or whatever- vomit. Mustard water is a great thing to use, so is salt water.”
“And the opposite?” The young man questioned with an unnatural suave that meant business.
“Diuretics. Things that make ya pee like crazy. Ya know, like coffee and tea and such?”
Kotton waltzed slowly up toward a handful of bags of coffee and grabbed one between two meaty hands. He observed the package, making sure to take careful note of its quantity, recommended dosage and expiration date if there was any listed.
“Diuretics,” the associate repeated before rounding the corner of the main counter and promptly positioning themselves next to Kotton and the end table of coffee. He seemed incredibly eager. Almost like he was trying to hold onto some kind of power of being more knowledgeable than Kotton. But Kotton didn’t know anymore than the associate might. Other than coffee, he had no additional example for what a diuretic was and wanted to explore the term further.
“So diuretics-” he started, only to be interrupted by the all-too eager associate.
“As I've said before, diuretics are substances that make it so you pee more than normal. Some common forms of diuretics are coffee and dandelion tea. There may be others, but I have yet to learn about those.”
Within his backpack was his journal, which the young man produced after having placed the bag of coffee back on its original shelf. He opened to his medical notes and began to inscribe the information with a dull pencil. He noted that dandelion tea was a common form of diuretic. Anecdotally, he made note of asking around the Clinic, specifically those more educated in the field of herbalism, about whether dandelion tea was often used to promote their patient's urine output and frequency. After he finished, he tucked his pencil into the pocket of his draws, but kept his journal ready for anything else worth documenting.
“Anything else?” the young man prompted.
“Yes, actually,” came the response. “Not sure if you know already, but loveage is a plant we use as a form of aphrodisiac. It’s commonly used to attract mates due to its pleasant and equally spicy smell. But it also has other benefits, such as being a diuretic, however, that's only the case if under the right conditions.”
Kotton wasn't about to ask what the "right conditions" were for lovage being a diuretic. He was more interested on how it was an aphrodisiac instead. He chose to probe the associate for the definition of what an aphrodisiac was. Not only did he want to learn what the definition was, he also wanted to see just how much this particular employee knew about the things that were being sold at the store they worked at.
"An aphrodisiac is something that... ya know..." he lifted his eyebrows and puffed out his lower lip.
Kotton had already caught on to its meaning but was feeling quite playful, if not a bit mean. He looked at the associate and cocked his head. "I don't know what you mean," he said as flatly as he could.
The associate's cheeks reddened slightly as he elaborated. "It's something that makes you wanna be more... sexual, ya know?"
Kotton smiled and nodded his head before jotting this information down in his journal.
“Well then,” the associate continued with semi-narrowed eyes, attempting to distant himself from the previous awkward situation. Kotton wondered why talk of sexuality was so taboo. From a medical professional's perspective, it was nothing more than another part of life that everyday people experienced. “There’s yarrow.”
Kotton licked his lips, readying himself to ask what it was Yarrow was and its properties, when he was shushed by the very explanation.
“Yarrow is a natural astringent used to stop bleeding.”
With the analytical mind he had come to acquire, Kotton was able to contextually use the herb Yarrow to treat hypothetical illnesses learnt in passing. The one man he and his attending practitioner had thought was a pathological liar? They most likely could have given him Yarrow instead of whatever calming agent that was decided upon. But wait, it hadn’t been just some calming agent, it was an expedited full-dose sedative that had been injected. He was more confident than ever in his decision to bring to light to wrong doing of the practitioner involved. So why did Kotton feel so hollow after reminiscing about this specific incident? Maybe it was because he had just come to know that there were other ways to help someone besides the usual intense, harsh and utterly unnecessary potent medicine given to patients. Maybe it was because he had a cruel way of thinking about the what ifs, specifically the "if he had only known about this sooner, then he could have prevented such a thing". Next time, he would not back down when he felt that something wasn't right. If there was an easier way to help someone, then he would bring it up and see that it was being used. He would stand strong in his beliefs even if knowledge of herbalism and botany and its holistic uses were new in his head. The one thought that had implanted in his mind and continued to stay was, ‘why use anything more than what nature ordered?’
Kotton had already filled his notebook full of facts he couldn’t have found anywhere else. Even if he had come across this information from the Clinic, his experience told him that things needed to be double-checked. He was more paranoid than ever that there were people who's purpose was to give out misinformation. This random store associate may not be a credible source for what was true or not, but Kotton was certain it was a source that didn't have the reach into what may or may not be corrupt.
He had taken notes on how to study, what to study for, and how best to learn and memorize. He had also made sure to note what the various roles of a nurse were before making any amends to his remarks. He was ready to use everything he had gathered and learned to make the most out of what he wanted regarding his incline of the ladder containing the hierarchy of medicine. He had a lot of questions at the ready. They were listed like men on the docket to be thrown into war. But it wasn’t the accomplishment of winning the war that he sought. It was the accumulation of knowledge- bits of applicable facts easy enough to recall from a memory that would undoubtedly serve him well. But a memory that served him well only came from studying and memorization. Practice accounted for at least half of an individual's performance. He had learnt from that impromptu meeting that his nose would be better off being casualties of papercuts, dug way down deep into the recesses of papyrus than a resident stationed comfortably at a home that gathered no experience.
One of the pieces of information he had received during that meeting at the clinic was the acknowledgment and ultimate understanding and utilization of herbalism. Nurses acknowledged and implemented herbalist data and whatever forthcoming findings that came from it to help tend to patients when more potent or potentially extreme medicines weren't as necessary.
Kotton was able to configure this knowledge to the best of his capability, to come to terms with what was crucial via the manipulation of plants and herbs. I mean, he already knew that certain methods of modern medicine were a bit invasive. He also knew that there were always options in terms of treating patients. Most practitioners used the most potent, intensive and impactful treatments they knew to fight off whatever issue it was that had been diagnosed. But as an observer, a medic, and a (hopefully) soon to be nurse, Kotton spent time thinking deeper. In fact, he had been thinking so deep he found it best to experience the role herbalism had to play in everyday medical prognosis and diagnosis rather than just read or hear about it.
That being said, he made it a point to trek into town and visit the apothecary shoppe. It was only rational that such a shoppe would have most of the resources he needed to further his awareness as to the benefits of plants and their relation to medicine.
He hiked up his backpack which was stuffed with his journal, several pencils, and a flask filled with water and pain supplements (in case his wrist started to ache from the many notes he may take during his time at the store). He placed each foot in their respective shoe until they found themselves trolling the common ground toward the apothecary. It was easy enough ground to cover so Kotton was able to daydream about his adventure and the information he was about to learn as he walked.
Once there, he was quickly reminded of the time he had first encountered the store. That had been when he was sick and in need of a common remedy to help cure him of his cold. The place was small, but inviting just like how he remembered. The walls were lacquered with a tranquilizing beige and held no obstructing shelves apart from the very few at the front of the store that declared a desperate need to be purchased. There, upon one of the shelves at the back of the store, was a rather aubergine crystal that seemed to shine bright with euphemisms of being cut for the sake of pity. Kotton wouldn’t look at it, rather, he couldn’t. He already had too much on his plate to partake in another’s problems. He was only here for clarification, whatever the cost of it was.
“Can I help you, sir?” A store associate suddenly popped up from behind the main counter.
Since Kotton’s gaze wasn’t intently set on anything in specific, he was quick to pick up on the words he had been asked.
“Just looking,” he responded, weakening into what had been a simple observation.
There were so many shelves, so many displays and so many more venues to which Kotton could scrutinize and arbitrate and make points of. But there was something else, some sort of energy that kept him from effortlessly declaring judgment on anything, no matter the importance or fortitude.
“Are you sure?”
Apparently, that general question enabled him to gather all the energy he needed to fight what chose to oppose him, even if there was nothing opposing him other than the information that came with the definition of a leaf.
“I have mustard leaf water and bloodroot herb, but I must tell you, they are both examples of emetics.”
“Emetics?” Kotton asked, shooting his head from the display in front of him toward the cashier who stood meekly behind the front counter.
“Y-yea,” the store associate so much as stuttered. “You know- substances that make you upchuck or whatever- vomit. Mustard water is a great thing to use, so is salt water.”
“And the opposite?” The young man questioned with an unnatural suave that meant business.
“Diuretics. Things that make ya pee like crazy. Ya know, like coffee and tea and such?”
Kotton waltzed slowly up toward a handful of bags of coffee and grabbed one between two meaty hands. He observed the package, making sure to take careful note of its quantity, recommended dosage and expiration date if there was any listed.
“Diuretics,” the associate repeated before rounding the corner of the main counter and promptly positioning themselves next to Kotton and the end table of coffee. He seemed incredibly eager. Almost like he was trying to hold onto some kind of power of being more knowledgeable than Kotton. But Kotton didn’t know anymore than the associate might. Other than coffee, he had no additional example for what a diuretic was and wanted to explore the term further.
“So diuretics-” he started, only to be interrupted by the all-too eager associate.
“As I've said before, diuretics are substances that make it so you pee more than normal. Some common forms of diuretics are coffee and dandelion tea. There may be others, but I have yet to learn about those.”
Within his backpack was his journal, which the young man produced after having placed the bag of coffee back on its original shelf. He opened to his medical notes and began to inscribe the information with a dull pencil. He noted that dandelion tea was a common form of diuretic. Anecdotally, he made note of asking around the Clinic, specifically those more educated in the field of herbalism, about whether dandelion tea was often used to promote their patient's urine output and frequency. After he finished, he tucked his pencil into the pocket of his draws, but kept his journal ready for anything else worth documenting.
“Anything else?” the young man prompted.
“Yes, actually,” came the response. “Not sure if you know already, but loveage is a plant we use as a form of aphrodisiac. It’s commonly used to attract mates due to its pleasant and equally spicy smell. But it also has other benefits, such as being a diuretic, however, that's only the case if under the right conditions.”
Kotton wasn't about to ask what the "right conditions" were for lovage being a diuretic. He was more interested on how it was an aphrodisiac instead. He chose to probe the associate for the definition of what an aphrodisiac was. Not only did he want to learn what the definition was, he also wanted to see just how much this particular employee knew about the things that were being sold at the store they worked at.
"An aphrodisiac is something that... ya know..." he lifted his eyebrows and puffed out his lower lip.
Kotton had already caught on to its meaning but was feeling quite playful, if not a bit mean. He looked at the associate and cocked his head. "I don't know what you mean," he said as flatly as he could.
The associate's cheeks reddened slightly as he elaborated. "It's something that makes you wanna be more... sexual, ya know?"
Kotton smiled and nodded his head before jotting this information down in his journal.
“Well then,” the associate continued with semi-narrowed eyes, attempting to distant himself from the previous awkward situation. Kotton wondered why talk of sexuality was so taboo. From a medical professional's perspective, it was nothing more than another part of life that everyday people experienced. “There’s yarrow.”
Kotton licked his lips, readying himself to ask what it was Yarrow was and its properties, when he was shushed by the very explanation.
“Yarrow is a natural astringent used to stop bleeding.”
With the analytical mind he had come to acquire, Kotton was able to contextually use the herb Yarrow to treat hypothetical illnesses learnt in passing. The one man he and his attending practitioner had thought was a pathological liar? They most likely could have given him Yarrow instead of whatever calming agent that was decided upon. But wait, it hadn’t been just some calming agent, it was an expedited full-dose sedative that had been injected. He was more confident than ever in his decision to bring to light to wrong doing of the practitioner involved. So why did Kotton feel so hollow after reminiscing about this specific incident? Maybe it was because he had just come to know that there were other ways to help someone besides the usual intense, harsh and utterly unnecessary potent medicine given to patients. Maybe it was because he had a cruel way of thinking about the what ifs, specifically the "if he had only known about this sooner, then he could have prevented such a thing". Next time, he would not back down when he felt that something wasn't right. If there was an easier way to help someone, then he would bring it up and see that it was being used. He would stand strong in his beliefs even if knowledge of herbalism and botany and its holistic uses were new in his head. The one thought that had implanted in his mind and continued to stay was, ‘why use anything more than what nature ordered?’
Kotton had already filled his notebook full of facts he couldn’t have found anywhere else. Even if he had come across this information from the Clinic, his experience told him that things needed to be double-checked. He was more paranoid than ever that there were people who's purpose was to give out misinformation. This random store associate may not be a credible source for what was true or not, but Kotton was certain it was a source that didn't have the reach into what may or may not be corrupt.