Editing Apothecary (section)

==Overview==
Since Space Marines have undergone genetic augmentations to survive nearly anything, an Apothecary's real battlefield roles involve three jobs: stabilization, mercy killing, and extraction. While Space Marines can endure damn near anything except the most serious injuries, Apothecaries frequently need to stabilize them long enough for their [[gene-seed]] to start up and heal them. If a Marine has been too badly injured to be saved or cannot be saved in their current situation, then the Apothecary applies "the Emperor's Peace," a mercy kill by driving a Reductor (a sharpened needle) into the Marine's skull to quickly end his pain (although some Apothecaries use [[Bolter#Bolt Pistol|bolt pistols]], for some reason). If a Marine has died, it is the Apothecary's duty to extract the progenoid glands from his dead brother to ensure that the Chapter will be able to train a new Space Marine in the fallen brother's place and ensure the Chapter's continued existence. Despite their support role, they often have to be highly skilled fighters in order to cut through the melee to their injured brethren. During the Heresy, a World Eaters apothecary was one of the best fighters in a Legion of chainaxe wielding psychopaths and still did all the medical stuff.

Off the battlefield, they're basically super doctors. Their duties range from implanting initiates with the [[gene-seed]] when appropriate, ensuring the purity of the Chapter's gene-seed (or at least make sure it doesn't get any worse), tending to recovering Marines, and working on any health-related issues the Chapter may task them with ranging from creating cures for diseases to genetic manipulation. Apothecaries are also required to inter Marines into Dreadnoughts along with an attending Techmarine, as attempting to get a Marine's brain to interface with the chassis has a nasty drawback of killing the recipient if not handled correctly.

That's not to suggest they don't actually know any medicine, by the way. The Black Library writers felt insecure, so they put a scene in "Purging of Kadillus" where an Apothecary does leg surgery in the middle of a firefight. A Dark Angels apothecary was able to save the unborn baby of a woman who had just been killed by orks (presumably via c-section). The RPGs also suggest that Apothecaries are versed in the specific use of poisons and toxins, preparing the Chapter's hellfire rounds. Plus Dawn of War II has Apothecary Gordian synthesizing a cure for Captain Thule after being poisoned by a Tyranid Warrior and also creating a bio-toxin potent enough to poison the entire Hive Fleet in Aurelia.

The traditional color of their armour across all chapters is white with the respective chapters iconography on one of their pauldrons, or the inverse with a white pauldron adorned with the sign of their office, a red helix resembling a DNA-string. They also usually wear white helmets, if they are wearing one.

Fun fact: back in the days of [[Rogue Trader (Sourcebook)|Rogue Trader]], they actually ''were'' called Medics for a while, but that quickly changed. Primus Medicae were particular highly ranked Apothecaries in the [[Space Marine Legions|Legions]].