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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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==Overview==
The Apothecary's role is to serve as a field medic and bio-researcher. Along with being highly trained in medicine, they are among the elite warriors in the chapter.{{Cite ThisFn|1}}
Apothecaries are greatly honoured within the Chapter, as they are responsible for maintaining the purity of its gene-seed. If its gene-seed were to become mutated, it could well bring the Chapter's extinction or its fall to [[Chaos]]. The Apothecaries are charged with maintaining the health and genetic purity of the Space Marines. Their skills and equipment, when combined with the added organs and resilience of a Space Marine, allow an Apothecary to perform battle surgery with a good chance of success.{{Cite ThisFn|1}}
Not all wounded Marines can be saved; some are beyond even the Apothecary's skills. In this case, it is the Apothecary's responsibility to administer "the [[Emperor's Peace]]" (euthanasia) to those warriors who deserve it. The Apothecary's medi-pack (known as a [[Narthecium]]) includes a special humane killer for this task, called a [[Carnifex (Tool)|Carnifex]] — a solid spring-loaded piston of metal. This is applied to the sufferer's temple, its powerful spring hurling the piston through the Marine's brain and killing him instantly.{{Fn|3}}
