The Hands of The One

The healer's house is the largest dwelling in Miridaswi. It is part the healer's residence and workshops, part rooms for people sick or injured enough to require the healer's constant attention. It is called "The Hands of the One" to signify the great works done by the Tactilist deity Miridaswians revere, especially in regard to healing, and to encourage peace of mind in those who are in care there.

Purpose / Function

While many illnesses can be safely and successfully treated at home, a case that requires continuous care must be transferred to the healer's residence. Knowing her condition is so serious can be a source of anxiety in the patient; to alleviate that anxiety, the founders of Miridaswi planned that the healer's house should (as much as is possible) call to mind the miraculous hands of the One. To achieve that end, the building is shaped like a pair of overlapping hands, and even treated as a pair of hands--the walls and floor of each occupied room are cleansed twice daily, in the same manner that Tactilists cleanse their hands before engaging them in work. All the healer's tools are also cleansed, within the patient's sight, so that she can be certain the One approves their use. The patient is ceremonially carried to the Hands on a sheet of strong cloth with loop handles fastened up and down the sides, while those carrying her chant a prayer:

He is the One who took the people in his hands;
He is the One who lifted them from the place of death;
He is the One by whose hands we live;
He is the One whose hands we honor always;
He is the One in whose hands we place you.

In this way, both the patient and her family may feel confident that she is--quite literally--in the best of hands.

Type

Hospital

Parent Location

Miridaswi

Size comparison between couple's dwelling and healer's dwelling.  The couple's dwelling is based on two hands cupped, and the healer's based on two hands overlapping.  The "palm" consists of the healer's quarters and workrooms.  The "fingers" are the patients' quarters, extending radially from the workroom.  The healer's social room takes three parts: a visiting chamber, an examining room, and the surgery.