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"Harry Potter and the Multitudinous Maladies": a retrospective population-based observational study of morbidity and
Vincent D Gaertner1,2, Elia D Helwig3, Brett J Manley4
1University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Objectives:
To describe the prevalence of maladies and deaths among witches and wizards in the Harry Potter world, their causes, and associated therapies.
Design:
Retrospective population-based observational study (report analysis) undertaken 10 February - 19 March 2022.
Setting:
All locations described in the Harry Potter books, predominantly Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but also selected locations, including Privet Drive No 4, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, and The Burrow.
Participants:
All witches and wizards mentioned at least once in any of the seven Harry Potter books.
Main Outcome Measures:
Overall numbers of maladies and deaths. Secondary outcomes were changes in morbidity and mortality over time, causes of morbidity and mortality, and treatments.
Results:
A total of 603 wizards or witches named in the Potter books experienced 1541 maladies and injuries (1410 non-fatal) and 131 deaths. Overall morbidity incidence was 471 events per 1000 individuals, and mortality, after adjustment for Lord Voldemort's multi-mortality, was 20.6%. The most frequent causes of morbidity were traumatic injuries during duels or fights (553 cases, 39.2%), magical objects, potions, plants, or creatures (345, 24.5%), and non-combative trauma (221, 15.7%). Most deaths were related to wizarding duels (101 of 131, 77.1%). Treatments were rarely described; the most frequent were jinxes (274, 19.4%) and potions (136, 9.6%). Hospital stays were shorter than a week for almost all non-fatal maladies (1397 of 1410, 99.1%).
Conclusions:
Morbidity and, in particular, mortality were very high and predominantly caused by magical means. Further investigation into the safety at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is warranted. The few treatments used had high success rates; rapid recovery was the rule, and hospital stays generally brief. Efforts should be undertaken to identify the magical therapies and interventions used and to introduce these novel remedies into Muggle medicine.
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