Being sick in a book

The best way to remove characters from a novel is to have them die.

This can be achieved in several ways.

1. They can be murdered, which is necessary in a murder mystery.
2. They can die in a war, which is necessary for almost any book.
3. They can be killed in an avalanche, flood, earthquake, asteroid attack. That's pretty handy in an opus.
4. They can die of a disease, which usually happens as a means of creating sadness, angst or a sense of indefinite helplessness. I tried to save him but he was too far gone.

What we seldom see in books is attempts to save the infirmed. Oh, the good doctor orders up some tea or chicken soup, rest and "keep him warm and comfortable. The rest of it is in God's hands."

The crap about God intervening or having a role is useful because a recovery, regardless of how predictable, can be attributed to prayer or a divine miracle. Divine miracles, when actually in use, can make a difference in the outcome of the whole book.

What's missing are remedies that transcend chicken soup and herbal tea. Those deal with the bowels, the kidneys, the liver and continence overall. Do some research on this. You will learn that patent medicine killed more people than it cured.

Carter's Little Liver Pills are still around. You just need to watch more television.

And become a complete idiot by doing so.

Still, if you want realism in your books, going to the bathroom regularly can keep your characters alive. Although, asteroids might be a slightly more complex problem. The remedies are still being sold on the internet and on offbeat cable TV programs, mostly by borderline actors or sideshow celebs.

The doctors are mostly scoundrels who've managed to retain their licenses by convincing the AMA that they aren't doing any harm.

The difference now is that one traveled by horse and wagon in the olden days. This is not a character to be overlooked. At times, the treatment is more interesting than the outcome.

And it only costs $1.