Medicine in Star Trek
Encyclopedia
Medicine in Star Trek refers to the medical technologies, procedures and conditions as seen in the Star Trek
fictional universe
.
, Dr. McCoy (played by DeForest Kelley
) shows disdain for his 20th century counterparts and compares their procedures to the Dark Ages and the Spanish Inquisition
.
In the series Star Trek: The Next Generation
, the character Geordi La Forge
(played by LeVar Burton
) wears a piece of technology called a VISOR that allows him to "see" despite being blind
from birth by directly sending the information into his brain
. The device also gave him the ability to see in the electromagnetic
and infrared
spectrums. The VISOR was used as a plot device throughout multiple episodes, including one where the VISOR is used to brainwash La Forge and one where emanations from the VISOR caused the character Worf
to shift between parallel universe
s.. Finally, in the movie Star Trek Generations, a group of Klingon
s used the VISOR to transmit the shield frequencies of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D to their ship, which allowed them to fatally cripple the Enterprise-D before they were destroyed. When La Forge is next seen, in the movie Star Trek: First Contact
, he no longer wears his VISOR in lieu of the more innocuous-looking ocular implants.
The underlying mechanics of the VISOR (the transmission of images directly into the brain to overcome blindness) has been developed in the real world, albeit not as precisely as seen in Star Trek
. In 2005, a team of medical researchers at Stanford University
used a combination of microchip implants behind mice retinas and goggles equipped with LED readouts and a small camera to partially restore sight enough so that the mice could distinguish sets of black and white patterns. In 2006, a woman who lost her sight in a car accident had a similar procedure performed on her in Portugal
which gave her the ability to see object outlines and differences in light.
The hypospray has been featured in every Star Trek series as a tool used to give injections of medications. It has been shown in the series to be able to deliver injections through clothing, and does not carry any risk of cross-contamination as opposed to modern hypodermic needles. The concept of the hypospray was developed when producers on the original Star Trek series discovered that NBC
's broadcast standards and practices prohibited the use of hypodermic syringes to inject medications; the needleless hypospray sidestepped this issue.
The hypospray does have a modern counterpart called a jet injector
, invented four years before the first Star Trek series debuted. It uses compressed air to inject the medication through the skin. However, unlike the hypospray, it carries the risk of cross-contamination, which has led to the jet injector falling into disuse.
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approved a device which uses ultrasonic waves to open pores on the skin, allowing the injection liquid to enter the bloodstream without the use of needles.
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
.
Medical technology
Since the Star Trek fictional universe takes place roughly two or three centuries in our future, medical technology is portrayed as having grown to be far more sophisticated and advanced than current technology. When confronted with medical technology from older time periods, the character often react apprehensively or skeptically to the relatively outdated modern procedues. For example, when visiting a hospital in the 1980s in Star Trek IV: The Voyage HomeStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The...
, Dr. McCoy (played by DeForest Kelley
DeForest Kelley
Jackson DeForest Kelley was an American actor known for his iconic roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television and film series Star Trek.-Early life:...
) shows disdain for his 20th century counterparts and compares their procedures to the Dark Ages and the Spanish Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
.
VISOR
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, the character Geordi La Forge
Geordi La Forge
Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is a regular character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its feature films, played by LeVar Burton...
(played by LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr. , professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director, producer and author who first came to prominence portraying Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley...
) wears a piece of technology called a VISOR that allows him to "see" despite being blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
from birth by directly sending the information into his brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
. The device also gave him the ability to see in the electromagnetic
Electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
and infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
spectrums. The VISOR was used as a plot device throughout multiple episodes, including one where the VISOR is used to brainwash La Forge and one where emanations from the VISOR caused the character Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
to shift between parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
s.. Finally, in the movie Star Trek Generations, a group of Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
s used the VISOR to transmit the shield frequencies of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D to their ship, which allowed them to fatally cripple the Enterprise-D before they were destroyed. When La Forge is next seen, in the movie Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s...
, he no longer wears his VISOR in lieu of the more innocuous-looking ocular implants.
The underlying mechanics of the VISOR (the transmission of images directly into the brain to overcome blindness) has been developed in the real world, albeit not as precisely as seen in Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
. In 2005, a team of medical researchers at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
used a combination of microchip implants behind mice retinas and goggles equipped with LED readouts and a small camera to partially restore sight enough so that the mice could distinguish sets of black and white patterns. In 2006, a woman who lost her sight in a car accident had a similar procedure performed on her in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
which gave her the ability to see object outlines and differences in light.
Hypospray
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's broadcast standards and practices prohibited the use of hypodermic syringes to inject medications; the needleless hypospray sidestepped this issue.
The hypospray does have a modern counterpart called a jet injector
Jet injector
A jet injector is a type of medical injecting syringe that uses a high-pressure narrow jet of the injection liquid instead of a hypodermic needle to penetrate the epidermis...
, invented four years before the first Star Trek series debuted. It uses compressed air to inject the medication through the skin. However, unlike the hypospray, it carries the risk of cross-contamination, which has led to the jet injector falling into disuse.
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
approved a device which uses ultrasonic waves to open pores on the skin, allowing the injection liquid to enter the bloodstream without the use of needles.