Transfiguration
Transfiguration, being a very powerful and complex branch of magic, is bound at times to result in accidents requiring the attentions of a healer.

Transfiguration concentrates on the transformation of something into something else. Once a witch or wizard has mastered the transfiguration of inanimate objects, the logical next step is the transfiguration of animals, other people, and ultimately even themselves.

However, living things are unpredictable. They may not always behave in the expected manner, resulting in unfortunate consequences. If a transfiguration of a human being has gone awry, often it is prudent for the responsible party to seek the attentions of a qualified healer rather than to attempt to rectify the damage themselves, as that can be even more harmful.

A common category of transfiguration accidents is that of witches and wizards attempting to turn themselves or others into animals, and getting stuck part-way through. In such a case, you may be confronted by half a hippopotamus, or a wizard with wings and a beak, or some similar sight. In these cases, it is vital to obtain a very detailed account of what happened and where the person performing the spell thinks it went wrong. it should then be possible for you to reverse the spell step-by-step to keep it controlled, until the person is restored to their former shape. It is useful to have a photograph of the victim, especially if their face is affected, so that you can visualise exactly what you are aiming for.

The same principles operate for the witch or wizard transfigured into an inanimate object. In theory this is simpler to reverse, but often the victim and perpetrator have been involved in a domestic duel, and the spell has been cast in anger (a common sight in the Casualty department of St Mungo's is the witch clutching a chocolate teapot or an inflatable dartboard after a duel with her husband over whose turn it is to take the bin out), and may be less methodical than usual - after all, very few witches or wizards are willing to be transfigured into lampshades or footstools.

Switching spells may also cause havoc when they go wrong, sometimes necessitating a Healer's interventions to change a set of ten sausages back into fingers, or to remove someone's ears from a cactus and replace them on their head.

Among the more complex transfiguration problems a healer will face are the patients who have been wholly or partially Vanished. Then, the healer must reverse the damage by the use of subtle and sophisticated conjuring spells, which are complicated and time-consuming.

In certain cases, transfigured patients cannot be wholly restored, or indeed even partially restored, to their original form. In these cases, long-term hospital care is needed, as seen in the Closed Ward at St Mungo's, where a patient named Agnes resides to this day, having been the victim of a badly-placed spell aimed to transfigure her into a dog.

Transfiguration is not just a source of accidents, it can also be used to heal other types of injuries. Many uses of transfiguration for this are interchangeable with certain charms, but transfigurative methods tend to be more powerful and longer-lasting. These methods can be used, for example, to close wounds and heal bones by transfiguring the blood and tissue around the damage into new skin or bone.

Charms, jinxes and hexes
As we have seen in the books, charms can be an effective way of injuring someone, and can also be useful in treatments. We'll look at some jinxes and beneficial charms here.

Jinxes and hexes
These charms are designed to inflict minor injuries and impediments, and yet are seen in people who have been the victims of major duels as well as minor pranks, since they are extremely effective at weakening a witch or wizard's defences.

Hexes that cause discomfort
Tickling charm: while this charm may sound harmless, the effects of being violently tickled for hours on end can leave a witch or wizard in need of medical attention for breathlessness, aches and tiredness.

The conjunctivitus curse causes the victim's eyes to become red, painful and itchy, and requires treatment with a soothing potion to bathe the eyes in until symptoms disappear.

A stinging hex can be used to produce a stinging welt on a person's skin. This, while uncomfortable, is not usually dangerous, and if necessary can be treated with a wound healing potion or charm.

The twitchy ears hex is a minor jinx, causing twitching of the victim's ears. This can be distressing, but will wear off in an hour or two, and the patient should be told to go home and rest.

Hexes that impede movement
Tarantallegra and the Jelly-Legs jinx are both equally harmless-sounding, but the resultant unsteadiness produced may lead to the witch or wizard being injured as a result of falling over or crashing into solid objects, and must be ended as soon as possible.

The knee-reversing hex results in the victim's knees revering direction, so that their legs bend backwards instead of forwards. While it is possible to walk in this manner, it takes a long while to get used to, and it is generally better if a healer can intervene and return the knees to their normal orientation. The incantation used for this is 'genu normalus'.

The leg-locker curse (locomotor mortis) and full body bind are both used to prevent normal movement. While a patient affected by the leg-locker curse can still move by hopping, the victim of the full bidy bind cannot move at all and is effectively paralysed, even appearing petrified (hence the body bind incantation, 'petrificus totalus').

Hexes that impede thought or communication
The babbling curse is also highly distressing to the affected witch or wizard, rendering them unable to speak coherently.

The confundus charm alters a person's perception, making them inclined to believe or accept things which are not true.

Memory charms can be used to modify part of a person's memory, or to remove it entirely. The charms can be removed, but it is extremely dangerous, and can result in permanent damage to the person's mind, and so must be attempted by the healer only if he or she is very experienced, or under expert supervision.

Hexes that alter the form of the body
Densaugeo is a hex to make someone's teeth grow immensely in length, which is obviously distressing and painful. It can be treated with a shrinking spell.

The Furnunculus curse causes the victim's body to break out in large boils, requiring the use of the boil-curing potion discussed in lesson 3 to reverse the effects.

Unforgivable curses
While these are indeed charms, they will be discussed in the lesson on healing victims of the Dark Arts.

Healing charms
These include counter-jinxes and spells to facilitate treatment of an injured patient.

The cheering charm is probably the most well-known of these charms. It is used to lift a person's spirits, and is useful in cases of depression or low moods. It must be repeated every few hours as needed, but caution must be used to avoid your patient becoming dependent upon them.

As a counter-charm for the stunning charm, the incantation 'enervate' is useful for bringing your patient back to consciousness. It is a simple charm, but must be used with caution, as the desired effect is to wake the patint over the space of a few seconds, not to shock them immediately awake.

The bubble-head charm can be used to ensure that your patient gets a supply of clean air if they have been exposed to toxic gases (garrotting gas, etc) or fumes from dangerous potions or magical fires. This charm is most often used at the site of an accident by EHTs (Emergency Healing Technicians).

Finite incantatem is an excellent all-round charm for cancelling many harmful jinxes, especially those that result in abnormal movement, or other continued active effects. it tends not to be useful in cases of hexes that produce an injury to the body such as the conjunctivitus curse or furnunculus hex, since once these hexes are cast, it is the injury that must be removed.

The mobilicorpus charm is another useful spell for EHTs, since it allows the movement of a patient from a dangerous area. It may also be used by Healers transferring a patient from bed to bed, since it allows movement without disturbing the patient by manual lifting.

The homorphus charm can be used in cases of lycanthropy where the werewolf in question has not had access to Wolfsbane potion and has transformed. The charm forces the werewolf to return to their human form, in which they can be more easily subdued.