9.55 PHYSIOLOGY

Physiology is the study of the biological processes required for life.
Alchemists trained in Physiology will find themselves able to utilise this
knowledge in two primary ways:

First, Alchemists may manipulate the humours, or vital fluids, of others in
order to cause illnesses of varying degree, eventually gaining the power to
slay another via spontaneous organ failure. Humourism, as this art is called,
is based upon the tempering of another's body, aiming to increase his internal
fluid level. An unrestricted Humourist is a force to be feared, but their
effects may be countered by the ingestion of the ginger herb and antimony
mineral.

The second aspect of Physiology is the creation and control of homunculi. From
within a properly equipped laboratory, the trained Alchemist may take a small
sample of his own flesh, germinating it into a homunculus. Through the
physiological and ethereal bond between Alchemist and homunculus, the
diminutive creature may be controlled by its master, able to perform varied
tasks from assaulting an opponent to being the eyes, ears, and mouth of its
owner.