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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
cleaning up the mess left for me
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}}
It is also the Apothecary's duty to harvest from the bodies' of fallen Marines the two implanted [[Progenoid]] glands, allowing for the gene-seed material to be cultivated and re-implanted in a [[Neophyte]]. Marines rarely go into battle without an Apothecary being available, as every Marine is a valuable resource and to lose any of their gene-seed would be a blow to the Chapter.{{Cite Marker EndFn|2}}
Each [[Space Marine Company|Company]] in a Chapter has an attached Apothecary that accompanies them into battle. Additional Apothecaries staff the [[Apothecarion]], although they rarely take to the field, instead acting as bio-researchers and occupying themselves in taking part in the training of Neophytes and potential new Apothecaries.{{Fn|2}}
The insignia of the Apothecaries is the ''prime helix'', rendered in bright red.{{Fn|16}} The symbol represents the sacred code of the Chapter's gene-seed.{{Fn|2}} The helix symbol is often adorned with additional iconography such as wings and skulls.{{Fn|16}} This double helix is also known as a [[Wikipedia:Caduceus|caduceus]] symbol.{{Fn|38}}
The Apothecaries of most Chapters wear white power armour, with the left shoulder plate retaining the Chapter colors along with the Chapter symbol. The right shoulder armour displays the prime helix. Some less traditional Chapters use different schemes.{{Cite Marker EndFn|2}}
It it known that many Apothecaries personalise their colours, like having only the helix on their helmet's brow and their right shoulder plate in white{{Fn|28}}, only their [[Narthecium]], helmet, right right shoulder plate and knee in white{{Fn|30}}, only their Narthecium, the bracer it's on, helmet, left shoulder plate trim, right right shoulder plate and knee in white{{Fn|30}}, only their narthecium, the bracer it's on, right shoulder plate trim in white, with the right shoulder plate in red with a white helix on it{{Fn|31}}, their armour bone coloured instead of white{{Fn|32}}, both their pauldrons in Chapter's colours,{{Fn|33a}} only their helmet in their Chapter's colours,{{Fn|33c}} and some Apothecaries keep fully to their Chapter's standard colours.{{Fn|29}}{{Fn|33b}}
