Wizarding Medical Facilities

• Type: Healthcare Institution, Hospital, Infirmary
• Location: Various, including London, England and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
• Owner/Residents: Varies; major facilities are often overseen by the Ministry of Magic or other institutions. Staff includes Healers and Medi-witches. Notable patients have included Harry Potter, Arthur Weasley, and Minerva McGonagall.
• Key Features: Secrecy from Muggles, specialized wards for magical ailments, use of Potions and healing Spells, staff with specialized magical knowledge.

Wizarding medical facilities are dedicated institutions for the treatment of illnesses and injuries caused by magical means, such as curses, creature attacks, or potion-related accidents. These ailments are often beyond the understanding and capabilities of Muggle medicine. The primary practitioners in these facilities are known as Healers, who undergo extensive training in various branches of healing Magic. The wizarding world supports a range of medical establishments, from the primary national Hospital, St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, to smaller, more localized infirmaries like the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These facilities maintain strict secrecy, often hidden behind mundane facades or protected by powerful concealment charms to prevent discovery by non-magical people. Treatment methods rely heavily on Potions, such as Skele-Gro for regrowing bones and Murtlap Essence for soothing magical cuts, as well as a variety of healing Spells. Diagnosis can be complex, as seen with the long-term spell damage inflicted on patients like Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom.

Medical facilities are crucial throughout the series, serving as places of recovery and refuge for characters injured in their fight against Lord Voldemort and his followers. The Hogwarts Hospital Wing, managed by Madam Pomfrey, is a frequent setting where Harry Potter and his friends recover from their numerous dangerous encounters. Key events that take place in or involve medical facilities include:

• Harry Potter's frequent stays in the Hospital Wing for injuries ranging from a fall from his broomstick to having all the bones in his arm vanished by Gilderoy Lockhart.
• The petrified students, including Hermione Granger, being treated in the Hospital Wing during the Chamber of Secrets crisis.
• Arthur Weasley's critical care at St Mungo's after being attacked by Voldemort's snake, Nagini, where his life was saved by a combination of stitches and magical healing.
• Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger's visit to St Mungo's, where they encounter a memory-charmed Gilderoy Lockhart and witness Neville Longbottom visiting his parents, who were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange.
• Minerva McGonagall being transferred to St Mungo's after taking four Stunning Spells to the chest from Dolores Umbridge's cronies.
• Katie Bell's treatment at St Mungo's after being cursed by a necklace intended for Albus Dumbledore.
• During the Battle of Hogwarts, the Great Hall is converted into a temporary casualty station and morgue, demonstrating the essential need for medical care during wartime.

The primary Hospital for the wizarding community in Great Britain, located in London and cleverly disguised as a closed-down department store called Purge & Dowse, Ltd. It was founded by the famous Healer Mungo Bonham in the 1600s. The hospital is organized into wards based on the nature of the ailment:

• Ground Floor (Artefact Accidents): Treats injuries from malfunctioning or cursed objects.
• First Floor (Creature-Induced Injuries): Handles bites, stings, burns, and other injuries from magical creatures.
• Second Floor (Magical Bugs): Deals with contagious magical illnesses.
• Third Floor (Potion and Plant Poisoning): Manages accidental ingestion and exposure to dangerous magical flora and concoctions.
• Fourth Floor (Spell Damage): Cares for patients with irreversible or long-term damage from curses and charms. This is where Gilderoy Lockhart and the Longbottoms reside.
• Fifth Floor (Visitor's Tearoom and Hospital Shop): A non-medical floor for visitors.

The school Infirmary at Hogwarts, run by the highly competent Medi-witch Madam Poppy Pomfrey. It is a long, airy room lined with beds where students and staff are treated for a wide array of magical and mundane injuries sustained on school grounds. Madam Pomfrey is known for her strict but effective care, using Potions like Skele-Gro and various healing charms to mend her patients. The Hospital Wing is capable of handling serious magical conditions, such as the petrification caused by the Basilisk.

• The name for St Mungo's is likely derived from Saint Mungo, the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow, who was also known as a performer of miracles, including healing. (Pottermore)
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the interior of St Mungo's is depicted with a more clinical, magical aesthetic, differing from the slightly dilapidated and chaotic appearance of a repurposed department store described in the novel. (film)