A New Dawn

Where I would meet my end in this life only to be reincarnated into a new existence, I think I would very much like to be a botanist in an apothecary during the height of Greek power. A very simple life I know, however it has quite an alure to me. The idea of creating my own tonics and potions or learning more about the human body and how natural remedies can enhance our lives or even heal ailments, is so wonderful.

Each day I would rise with the early morning to get a jump on my day. Have a simple breakfast and take note of what ingredients I would need throughout the day and week. Following a healthy breakfast and perhaps even some martial training, I would wander the countryside, local forests, and even the shores in search of ingredients. At first, I’m sure this would take up much of my day as I would need to find where I can find of the plant life and even wildlife that I would need for my mixtures. Eventually I would truly come to know my way around the entire area safely due to the excess exercise and martial training.

After I’ve done enough foraging for my day, I would stop to take a rest and eat lunch either at my own residence or at the local tavern. Many good friends can be found at such a tavern and those friends in turn can become lifelong clients should I keep up good relations. Even spending what coin I do make at the tavern can help the life of the town I live in, in a roundabout way that coin would end up back in my possession at some point.

Upon eating a healthy lunch, I would open my shop for business. A component of my day is managing my inventory and selling simple tonics and poultices for common ailments. Should more dire circumstances appear I would always be ready to take on a commission for specialty treatments. Generally, more serious diseases such as dysentery, the plague, scarlet fever, malaria, and several others require a more direct attention, creating the need for home visits and intensive care. However, on a typical day I would run my store front without incident selling cures and relief for minor injuries and sickness. Treatments should be available for broken bones, arthritis, allergies, period cramps, nausea, headaches, gout, minor scrapes and cuts, diarrhea, and other such minor treatable conditions.

Once Supper time approaches, I would close my store for the day and cook myself dinner at my place before relaxing for an hour or so. After dinner I would go back to my shop and work on crafting more elixirs for my clients and even work on studying new strains of disease and concocting a treatment for it. Making my potions and experimenting with the potency of cures would be a highlight of my day! Imagine cutting the leaves and using mortar and pestle to mix together all sorts of ingredients and then knowing that this gruel may save a child’s life or settle a vomiting fisherman. I’m not sure I would know any better joy than that. After spending the hours to create my living it would then be time for sleep and to start all over again in the morning.

Now that would be my ideal day or how a standard day running an apothecary would go. Should I be successful in my venture I would love to expand and own more land so that I can cultivate my own plants and use them for my tonics. Having my own green house of plants life and ingredients would be invaluable to me. Having saved the time from scouring the nearby lands for more plants and roots, I could spend more time with the shop open and even working on my mixtures to create the best working poultices I am able to produce. Should I become that successful I would love to hire an aid for my work to help with all my tasks, even having an apprentice to study at my feet would be an honor.

Now the warring states period of Greece were not always a peace era, given the name. Wars between Sparta and Athens, or Sparta and Thebes, or really Sparta and anyone who looks at them wrong would constantly make my job harder and keep me in business. Not only do I need knowledge of disease and ailments, but I would also need to know how to help war casualties. Should I keep my current knowledge from my past life, I may uniquely suited to this line of work. Stitching, cauterizing wounds, sucking chest wounds, tourniquets, breathing apparatuses, setting broken bones, even retrieving wounded, and administering lifesaving procedures are all a part of my resume. Living in turbulent times like these would be a challenge, yet, if my work can bring forth order out of the chaos or even make my neighbors lives that much better than I see no reason to pursue it.

Apart of an apothecary’s work is to study and research the human body. As such I do have a carnal thirst for more knowledge. Autopsying cadavers and finding the cause of diseases, or even understanding the depths of the symptoms are absolutely worth the risk involved in such morbid work. The more I learn about plants I use and the human body the more successful I will become.

The Greek gods are an essential part of life in this point in history. To work in a medical field without giving offerings to the god Asclepius would be sacrilege and I would be subject to his wrath, be it what it may. So, to satisfy my patron I would give an offering to him at every meal and offer thanks for giving me such an opportunity as this new life. It may not be the most peaceful at times or even the easiest, however, it would be mine. And it would allow me to experience many things I would have never dreamed of. Truly working as an apothecary would my ideal profession in a different life.