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I rather liked Phlox as a character but what bothered my from Episode 1 was that he was the ship doctor. I can understand to have an alien onboard in virtually any other area of operations. Engineer, Navigator, Science Officer, Communications Officer etc. just being in an advisory position, everything, but no matter how competent he might have been I just couldn't imagine that they would send the most advanced scientific explorer of humanity into space without a human doctor. That at an age - mind you - were half the planet is probably still prejudiced against aliens and even if you are more tolerant it still is a step from having no problem whatsoever working with an alien life forms to subject yourself to their medical care.

But even if we are to assume that he studied human physiology for the last couple years and is qualified in that field it still leaves the psychological asspect out of the equation. Having no counselor onboard the doctor is probably also to a degree responsible or at least concerned for the psychological wellbeing of the crew, even moreso during stressful situations. Now I imagine that if I am a lowly crewmember in need of dealing with the latest shit coming from the bridge or the engine room or just the fact that I am chasing around the expanse on a suicide mission I probalby would not pick Phlox as my go to with my problems type doctor.

Well one could say this of most Trek ships.

How credible is it that any Doctor can care for more than one species? In TNG there were seventeen people on the Enterprise who weren't even from Federation worlds, lord knows how many different species in total; was Crusher an expert in the biology of every single one of them? It takes an incredible time and effort to train a doctor right now, imagine asking one of them to learn ten different species!

But they DO do it... Crusher did, Bones did, Bashir did... so is it really all that improbable that Phlox did too?

Well, less probable. Crusher, Bones, and Bashir all had the advantages of: staffs, some of whom could have been trained in exobiology; advanced computer technology and extensive databases on the species in question; and the Federation, which provides a mechanism to get any information on the resident species. Phlox, OTOH, was the only medical practitioner for a crew comprising 100% non-Denobulans.

Crusher and the others were the CMO, not the only MO. The only staff Phlox had was a few volunteers on occasion. May have been a nurse, but I can't remember them.

They may have HAD a staff, but they almost never used them. The only case I know of is when McCoy put Spock in Dr M'Benga's care, and that was only because McCoy was needed for the landing party. But we certainly never saw Crusher say "Well I don't know Bugomite anatomy all that well, get Dr Bugface in here for a consult."

In fact the only time this was brought up was the first time Kes went to Voyager's EMH and he complained that he didn't know anything about her species so couldn't treat her. Wehn asked if her condition was serious he said something like "She's the healthiest member of her species I've ever seen."

He also practice some kind of nontraditional medicine with all those alien animals and that.
I can believe there is some or lots of reserch on how alien medical procedures, drugs, antibiotics, etc would work on humans but alien nontraditional medicine is a little to far at this point of history IMO.

GrahamKennedy wrote:Wehn asked if her condition was serious he said something like "She's the healthiest member of her species I've ever seen."

That was a good one for the doctor.

The fact of the Federation, and all the information it has - plus all the information-gathering mechanisms available to it - would have been a big factor as well. Further; Crusher, McCoy, and Bashir were all from a milieu of inclusion and diversity - Phlox was from a paradigm in which his study of humanity was very likely a unique interest, if not an oddity, and was almost certainly not the norm.

GrahamKennedy wrote:Well one could say this of most Trek ships.

How credible is it that any Doctor can care for more than one species? In TNG there were seventeen people on the Enterprise who weren't even from Federation worlds, lord knows how many different species in total; was Crusher an expert in the biology of every single one of them? It takes an incredible time and effort to train a doctor right now, imagine asking one of them to learn ten different species!

But they DO do it... Crusher did, Bones did, Bashir did... so is it really all that improbable that Phlox did too?

It did not bother my during TOS, TNG or VOY simply because they basically only needed two tools for treating every injury, a medical tricorder and a hypospray. Now I know that I am exaggerating things a bit here but it was at least strongly implied that it is at least possible for one doctor to treat different species simply because he/she doesn't have the need to attend to details like doctors have to nowadays. Once a computer starts making calculations for you, you may put your pen aside and concentrate on other things. Once a medical tricorder makes an accurate diagnoses for at least documentet diseases and even helps you analyzing and examining new ones you have suddenly so much spare time for other species.

Now during ENT an effort was made to make the sickbay appear far more 21st century style. Now I can't remember that they had operations during ENT but I think it was at least strongly implied that contrary to TOS, TNG etc. you still have actually get into the guts of the patient if you operate instead of pushing a few buttons while wearing a fancy hat. And for that I wouldn't trust an alien doctor simply because I - maybe quite unjustified - would question his/her competence or at least being not quite sure about his/her motivations. Who says Denubolonians regard life as highly as we do? Who says they don't put patients down with severe diseases like a dog because it's more merciful and simply lack the compassion for another human being?

Short version, in that time and age, not knowing very much about denubulonians or pretty much any other species in the quadrant I just wouldn't set sail without a human doctor onboard.

The Doctors weren't that unfallable. McCoy couldn't save Chancellor Gorkon in TUC due to his unfamiliarity with Klingon anatomy (though I'm not convinced a Klingon doctor could have saved him), and Worf was mistakenly declared dead after the operation to cure his paralysis.

With all the technology available, would treating so many species be that different from say, being a Vetenarian? Granted, current vetenarians treat Earth animals that have many common attributes, but most of the humanoid species we see serving on Starships are from M class planets or similiar.

Atekimogus wrote:It did not bother my during TOS, TNG or VOY simply because they basically only needed two tools for treating every injury, a medical tricorder and a hypospray. Now I know that I am exaggerating things a bit here but it was at least strongly implied that it is at least possible for one doctor to treat different species simply because he/she doesn't have the need to attend to details like doctors have to nowadays.

Now now, they also had a doodad with a glowing light over the end that you wave over the affected area. That cures just about everything.

Okay, I hesitated to say this but there is one precedent for this kind of thing, which is veterinary medicine. A vet might find himself treating a parrot, a cow, and everything inbetween. I would imagine that required a very wide knowledge of many different species.

But I would also guess (and I am just guessing) that the average vet's knowledge is wider but shallower; that is, a Human doctor knows way more about treating Humans than a vet does about any given animal they may have to treat.

With regards to Phlox specifically, we really don't know how long he had been working on Earth. If he'd been there a week, then I'd agree that it's a Doctor Zoidberg type situation. But he could equally have been there for say five years, which to me seems plenty of time for an already highly skilled doctor to learn all about Humans.

GrahamKennedy wrote:With regards to Phlox specifically, we really don't know how long he had been working on Earth. If he'd been there a week, then I'd agree that it's a Doctor Zoidberg type situation. But he could equally have been there for say five years, which to me seems plenty of time for an already highly skilled doctor to learn all about Humans.

Indeed.

I had a look at my article on Phlox and here's what we know of his competence :

"'He had degrees in dentistry, hematology, botanical pharmacology and psychiatry as well as six degrees in interspecies veterinary medicine."

The guy has TEN degrees, people. In Human terms he's pretty much one of the all time genius types.

Ah, so they went for the Super Genius, Social Moron cliche' with him...good to know the classics will never ever go out of style.

Intelligence doesn't magically bestow knowledge of - or experience with - the medical intricacies of an unfamiliar species.

Mikey wrote:Intelligence doesn't magically bestow knowledge of - or experience with - the medical intricacies of an unfamiliar species.

That's why they call it a "practice" eh?