The Player was a rather old man, extremely unusual on Gor, where the stabilization serums were developed centuries ago by the Caste of Physicians in Ko-ro-ba and Ar, and transmitted to the physicians of other cities at several of the Sardar Fairs. Age, on Gor, interestingly, was regarded, and still is, by the caste of Physicians as a disease, not an inevitable natural phenomenon. the fact that it seemed a universal disease did not dissuade the caste from considering how it might be combated. Accordingly the work of centuries was turned to this end. Many other diseases, which presumably flourished centuries ago on Gor, tended to be neglected, as less dangerous and less universal then that of aging. A result tended to be that those less suseptible lived on, propegating thier kind.

At any rate disease is now almost unknown amoung the gorean cities, with the exception of the dreaded Dar-Kosis disease or the holy disease, reasearch upon which is generally frowned upon by the caste of initiates who insist the disease is a visitation of the displeasure of the Preist-Kingss on its recipients.~

I also think theat the Gorean success in combating aging may be partly do to the severe limitations on the technology of the human beings on the planet. Preist-Kings have no wish that men become powerfull enough on Gor to challenge them for the supremacy of the planet. they beleive, perhaps correctly, that man is a shrewish animal which, if it had the power, would be likely to fear Preist-Kings and attempt to exterminate then.Be that as it may , the preist-Kings have limited man severly on this planetin many respects, notably in weaponry, communication and transportation. On the other hand, the brilliancewhich men might have turned into destructive channels was then diverted, almost of necessity, to other feilds, most notably medicine, though considerable achievments have been accomplished in the productuion of translation devices, illumination, and architecture.

book5 pg30

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