Sector General
Encyclopedia
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
books and various short stories by the Northern Irish
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
author James White
James White (author)
James White was a Northern Irish author of science fiction novellas, short stories and novels. He was born in Belfast and returned there after spending his early years in Canada. After a few years in the clothing industry, he worked at Short Brothers Ltd. from 1965 until taking early retirement in...
. The series derives its name from the setting of the majority of the books, the Sector 12 General Hospital, a huge hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
located in deep space, designed to treat a wide variety of life forms with a wide range of ailments and life-support requirements, and to house an equally-diverse staff. The Hospital was founded to promote peace after humanity's first interstellar war, and in the fourth book the authorities conclude that its emergency services are the most effective way to make peaceful contact
First contact (science fiction)
First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient race's first encounter with another one....
with new species.
In order to treat patients of other species, doctors must download into their brains "Educator tapes" containing the necessary medical knowledge, and these tapes also transmit the personalities of their donors. As a result doctors have to struggle with the tastes imported from their donors, ranging from a dislike of their own species' normal food to sexual attraction for members of the donor's species. Other running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
s include the acerbic tongue of the Chief Psychologist and one very senior non-human doctor's love of gossip, especially about the sexual behavior of other species.
The series is noted for its diverse and believable non-humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
alien life forms
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
, and for its pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
philosophy. White chose the hospital setting as a way to generate dramatic tension without violence, and because in his youth he wanted to be a doctor but had to go to work. Some commentators have praised the whole series, while others have thought there was a decline after the sixth book. One reviewer described the last book as "in a very positive way, a throwback to an earlier era in science fiction".
Background
Sector General is a gigantic multi-species hospitalHospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
founded as a peace-promoting project by two heroes from opposite sides of humanity's only full interstellar war. The hospital accommodates patients and staff from dozens of species, with different environmental requirements, behaviors and ailments, but many of the stories feature types of patient that the builders did not anticipate. Initially most of the stories center round the career of Doctor Conway, who rises from junior surgeon to the top level, Senior Diagnostician. In the fourth book the Galactic Federation decides that the emergency service which the hospital offers to victims of space accidents and planetary catastrophes is its most effective means of making peaceful contact
First contact (science fiction)
First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient race's first encounter with another one....
with new spacefaring species, which allows the series to expand its range of plots, characters and locations.
White said that The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
induced him to write about the sort of world he would like to live in, and that he disliked war and militarists. As a youth he wanted to become a doctor, but had to go out to work. Hence he relied on epidemics and natural disasters to provide the conflicts that stories need to make them interesting. He credited his wife, who was an intensive care nurse at the height of The Troubles, for advice on medical details and for pointing out how padre
Padre
Padre may refer to:* Partnership for Acid Drainage Remediation in Europe PADRE* An IDE for the Perl programming language, see Padre * A Military Chaplain* A member of the San Diego Padres baseball team...
s often did more good than doctors for disturbed patients, which inspired The Genocidal Healer
The Genocidal Healer
The Genocidal Healer is a 1991 science fiction novel by author James White and is part of his Sector General series. Like late books in the series, it stars an alien. However the protagonist of the early Sector General stories, Dr...
.
Challenges of inter-species medicine
Sector General was founded to promote inter-species harmony, and therefore all medical staff must be prepared to treat beings with very different physiologies and behavior patterns, and sometimes with environmental requirements that would be lethal to staff without suitable protection. The hospital uses a four-letter system to assign patients to wards that provide suitable environments, a classification technique used earlier by E. E. "Doc" SmithE. E. Smith
Edward Elmer Smith, Ph.D., also, E. E. Smith, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Doc Smith, "Skylark" Smith, and Ted was a food engineer and early science fiction author who wrote the Lensman series and the Skylark series, among others...
's Children of the Lens
Children of the Lens
The Children of the Lens are characters in the fictional Lensman universe created by E. E. "Doc" Smith.One male and two pairs of twin females, they are the children of Kimball Kinnison and Clarissa Kinnison, both of whom are second-stage lensmen...
. White's Star Healer
Star Healer
Star Healer is a 1985 science fiction book by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.- Plot :Conway is replaced on the ambulance ship Rhabwar by Diagnostician Prilicla. Conway visits healer Khone on the planet Goglesk, and witnesses first-hand their destructive racial...
introduces the classification "FOKT", which is regarded as an in-joke
In-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
on the name of the Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
science fiction club Friends of Kilgore Trout
Kilgore Trout
Kilgore Trout is a fictional character created by author Kurt Vonnegut. He was originally created as a fictionalized version of author Theodore Sturgeon , although Trout's consistent presence in Vonnegut's works has also led critics to view him as the author's own alter ego...
.
When necessary physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s, surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
s and pathologists download information about patients' species into their minds from "Educator tapes", recordings of the memories of great practitioners in the appropriate species. However, in addition to medical knowledge, the educator tapes also capture the personalities of the medical experts who recorded them. Thus having an educator tape active threatens the recipient with multiple personality disorder. The new personality is from a vastly different species, often with very different behavior codes and sexual preferences, and, to make matters worse, the donors were often very dominant personalities. The mildest symptom of such conflicts is a running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
in which users of these tapes are often seen in the Sector General's cafeteria, eating a bland-looking sandwich with closed eyes. On the other hand the risk of finding members of other species sexually attractive is a serious concern.
Junior doctors usually have these acquired memories erased as soon as possible. However as a doctor rises up through the hospital hierarchy, and if its mind proves to be sufficiently stable, it may find itself the permanent recipient of one or more tapes. Diagnosticians, the medical elite of Sector General, can have as many as ten different tapes active at one time, as they may have to supervise treatment of many species at the same time.
In the case of species with two permanent sexes, including but not limited to Earth-humans, the stories state that females are psychologically incapable of allowing their psyches to be violated to the extent required by the educator tapes. However in one of the later books a very assertive non-human female character accidentally acquires several sets of memories which cannot be erased, and adjusts to this with relative ease.
Regular characters
Although many of the characters are "Earth-human" – "human" is ambiguous because all species refers to themselves as "human" in their own languages – the stories feature medical staff from a wide range of species. In each story characters belonging to species different from that of the protagonist are treated as neuterNeuter
Neuter is a Latin adjective meaning "neither", and can refer to:* Neutering, the sterilization of an animal* The neuter grammatical gender-See also:*Trap-Neuter-Return , an alternative to euthanasia for managing feral cat and dog populations...
and referred to as "it". Some species are touchy about any reference to sexual roles and behavior, some have more than two sexes and some change sex once or more during their lifetimes.
The following appear in nearly all the stories:
Dr. Conway
- A male Earth-human who starts as a junior intern and, over the course of the series, works his way up to Chief Surgeon and eventually Diagnostician in Charge of Surgery. Conway generally prefers extraterrestrial company to that of his own species, and has a habit of thinking aloud. His passions are healing and Murchison.
Murchison
- A curvaceous female Earth-human first seen as a senior nurse in the Pathology department. She eventually becomes a doctor and a Pathologist herself, and also Conway's wife.
Dr. Prilicla
- A large but fragile winged insect-like being from the very low-gravity planet Cinruss. In addition to being highly skilled in the more delicate types of surgery, Prilicla is an empath and therefore can sense the emotions of most other lifeforms including many non-intelligent animals. Its tact and the desire of colleagues to avoid distressing it by displaying negative emotions generally makes others willing to follow its advice – a pattern that one reviewer described as "a pleasant Machiavellian streak." Despite its natural timidity and the distress that other beings' anger, fear and pain cause it, Prilicla uses its empathic ability in prolonged searches for survivors of space combat and accidents.
Major O'Mara
- The Earth-human head of the hospital's Psychology department, his job is to ensure that the hospital's diverse species work together as harmoniously, efficiently and safely as circumstances allow, and particularly to save the staff from being driven insane by over-use of Educator tapes. Since he is a very acute observer of behavior and often uses sarcasm "to shrink heads, not swell them", he is sometimes called a "latter-day TorquemadaTomás de TorquemadaTomás de Torquemada, O.P. was a fifteenth century Spanish Dominican friar, first Inquisitor General of Spain, and confessor to Isabella I of Castile. He was described by the Spanish chronicler Sebastián de Olmedo as "The hammer of heretics, the light of Spain, the saviour of his country, the...
".
Charge Nurse Naydrad
- A member of the Kelgian species, Naydrad looks like a giant caterpillar. Since the involuntary movements of Kelgians' fur completely show their emotions, the species is incapable of both lying and tact. Naydrad is a specialist in rescuing victims of space accidents.
Thornnastor
- A native of the high-gravity planet Traltha, Thornnastor has a body like a six-legged elephant, and its own keen senses are supplemented by a symbiont that provides acute vision over up to 360 degreeDegree (angle)A degree , usually denoted by ° , is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1⁄360 of a full rotation; one degree is equivalent to π/180 radians...
s. Thornnastor is the Diagnostician in Charge of Pathology, and it carries ten Educator tapes. Its fascination with gossip, especially about the scandalous activities of a multi-sexed, methaneMethaneMethane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
-breathing, cryogenic species, is a running gagRunning gagA running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
in the series.
Critical appraisal
The Sector General series defined the sub-genre of multi-species medical stories,although L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
's Ole Doc Methuselah
Ole Doc Methuselah
Ole Doc Methuselah is a collection of science fiction short stories by American writer L. Ron Hubbard, published in 1970.-Contents:The stories follow the adventures of "Old Doc Methuselah" in a future where interstellar travel is completely routine; humanity has spread through several galaxies,...
stories and Murray Leinster
Murray Leinster
Murray Leinster was a nom de plume of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an award-winning American writer of science fiction and alternate history...
's Med Service stories, neither of which were highly regarded, had explored some similar themes. Sector General was "the first explicitly pacifist space opera
Space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
" series, while much of contemporary space opera from the USA was notably military. Mike Resnick
Mike Resnick
Michael Diamond Resnick , better known by his published name Mike Resnick, is an American science fiction author. He was executive editor of Jim Baen's Universe.-Biography:...
described the series' characters as "the most memorable crew of aliens ever created". Michael Ashley
Mike Ashley (writer)
Michael Ashley is a British bibliographer, author and editor of science fiction, mystery, and fantasy.He edits the long-running Mammoth Book series of short story anthologies, each arranged around a particular theme in mystery, fantasy, or science fiction...
commented that the setting of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
is reminiscent of Sector General. The Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
television series was also set in space station with atmospheres for different species.
Many commentators attribute the series' popularity to the altruism of its doctors and the emphasis on seeking to build peaceful relations between different species. John Clute
John Clute
John Frederick Clute is a Canadian born author and critic who has lived in Britain since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part of science fiction's history."...
wrote that "in the depiction of goodness may lie the real genius of James White." White's hatred of war and xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
is a constant theme of the series, notably in: Star Surgeon
Star Surgeon
Star Surgeon is a 1963 science-fiction book by author James White, and it is part of the Sector General series.-Synopsis:Dr. Conway must deal with an unconscious patient, classification ELPH, who may be a cannibal or a demigod, or both. It came from the "other galaxy", and the species is well...
, where the Monitor Corps fights a savage battle in defence of the hospital space station, to prevent the conflict from escalating into a full interstellar war that can only end in genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
; and in The Genocidal Healer
The Genocidal Healer
The Genocidal Healer is a 1991 science fiction novel by author James White and is part of his Sector General series. Like late books in the series, it stars an alien. However the protagonist of the early Sector General stories, Dr...
, where an alien race's sexual urges are almost eliminated by a plague and can only be stimulated by hand-to-hand combat.
The early stories focus almost entirely on medical problems, mainly from Conway's viewpoint. In Dave Langford's opinion the xenobiological novelties were becoming less credible by the end of Star Healer
Star Healer
Star Healer is a 1985 science fiction book by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.- Plot :Conway is replaced on the ambulance ship Rhabwar by Diagnostician Prilicla. Conway visits healer Khone on the planet Goglesk, and witnesses first-hand their destructive racial...
, and using a variety of alien viewpoint characters gave the later books "considerable new pep". These also deal with deeper issues, notably in The Genocidal Healer
The Genocidal Healer
The Genocidal Healer is a 1991 science fiction novel by author James White and is part of his Sector General series. Like late books in the series, it stars an alien. However the protagonist of the early Sector General stories, Dr...
, and better than most science fiction according to Resnick.
Opinions differ about the quality of the series as a whole. For example Gary Westfahl wrote that "the Sector General stories remained consistently fresh and involving, and they grew in prominence as the series progressed." On the other hand Todd White wrote that the series declined after Star Healer
Star Healer
Star Healer is a 1985 science fiction book by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.- Plot :Conway is replaced on the ambulance ship Rhabwar by Diagnostician Prilicla. Conway visits healer Khone on the planet Goglesk, and witnesses first-hand their destructive racial...
(1985), hitting a low point with the Galactic Gourmet
The Galactic Gourmet
The Galactic Gourmet is a 1996 science fiction book by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.Todd Richmond wrote that the Sector General series declined after Star Healer , hitting a low point with The Galactic Gourmet, and that the later books tended to stretch a short...
(1996), and that the later books tended to stretch a short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
's worth of content to the length of a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
. However he thought that Mind Changer
Mind Changer
Mind Changer is a 1998 science fiction book by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.Publishers Weekly described Mind Changer as "White's finest performance, replete with wit, originality, medical expertise and sheer decency" and commented that the series shows no signs of...
(1998) represented an improvement.
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
described Mind Changer as "White's finest performance, replete with wit, originality, medical expertise and sheer decency" and commented that the series shows no signs of aging, and Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
described the book as an "enjoyable, witty resumé" of Chief Psychologist O'Mara's career.
Clinton Lawrence described the last Sector General book, Double Contact
Double Contact
Double Contact is a 1999 science fiction book by author James White and is the last in the Sector General series.Clinton Lawrence described Double Contact as "in a very positive way, a throwback to an earlier era in science fiction" since it is optimistic and depicts several advanced species...
(1999), as "in a very positive way, a throwback to an earlier era in science fiction" since it is optimistic and depicts several advanced species working harmoniously. The struggle to build trust and produce a successful first contact
First contact (science fiction)
First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient race's first encounter with another one....
is, he thought, as exciting and suspenseful as one could wish for. However he noted that the level of characterization was the minimum required to support the plot.
Stories in the series
The Sector General series began as short storiesShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
published in New Worlds
New Worlds (magazine)
New Worlds was a British science fiction magazine which was first published professionally in 1946. For 25 years it was widely considered the leading science fiction magazine in Britain, publishing 201 issues up to 1971...
from 1957 onwards. Originally White intended to end the series with Star Healer
Star Healer
Star Healer is a 1985 science fiction book by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.- Plot :Conway is replaced on the ambulance ship Rhabwar by Diagnostician Prilicla. Conway visits healer Khone on the planet Goglesk, and witnesses first-hand their destructive racial...
(1985), by which time the central characters had reached the top levels in their careers, but Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
persuaded him to continue. He extended the stories' range by introducing new central characters beginning with Code Blue - Emergency
Code Blue - Emergency
Code Blue – Emergency is a 1987 science fiction novel written by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.White said in an interview that originally he intended to end the series with Star Healer , by which time the central characters had reached the top levels in their careers...
(1987), and The Genocidal Healer
The Genocidal Healer
The Genocidal Healer is a 1991 science fiction novel by author James White and is part of his Sector General series. Like late books in the series, it stars an alien. However the protagonist of the early Sector General stories, Dr...
(1992) focused on psychological and theological issues of guilt and forgiveness rather than strictly medical ones.
The books in the series are:
- Hospital StationHospital StationHospital Station is a 1962 science fiction book by author James White and is the first volume in the Sector General series. The book collects together a series of five short stories previously published in New Worlds magazine between 1957 and 1960....
(1962: stories published in New Worlds 1957 – 1960) - Star SurgeonStar SurgeonStar Surgeon is a 1963 science-fiction book by author James White, and it is part of the Sector General series.-Synopsis:Dr. Conway must deal with an unconscious patient, classification ELPH, who may be a cannibal or a demigod, or both. It came from the "other galaxy", and the species is well...
(1963) - Major OperationMajor OperationMajor Operation is a 1971 science fiction book by author James White and is the third volume in the Sector General series. The book collects together a series of five short stories, all of which were originally published in New Worlds magazine....
(1971: stories published in New Worlds 1968 – 1971) - Ambulance ShipAmbulance ShipAmbulance Ship is a 1979 science fiction novel by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.- Stories :*"Contagion" - An ancient sleeper ship is found whose last occupants died only months before...
(1979) - Sector General (1983)
- Star HealerStar HealerStar Healer is a 1985 science fiction book by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.- Plot :Conway is replaced on the ambulance ship Rhabwar by Diagnostician Prilicla. Conway visits healer Khone on the planet Goglesk, and witnesses first-hand their destructive racial...
(1985) - Code Blue - EmergencyCode Blue - EmergencyCode Blue – Emergency is a 1987 science fiction novel written by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.White said in an interview that originally he intended to end the series with Star Healer , by which time the central characters had reached the top levels in their careers...
(1987) - The Genocidal HealerThe Genocidal HealerThe Genocidal Healer is a 1991 science fiction novel by author James White and is part of his Sector General series. Like late books in the series, it stars an alien. However the protagonist of the early Sector General stories, Dr...
(1992) - The Galactic GourmetThe Galactic GourmetThe Galactic Gourmet is a 1996 science fiction book by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.Todd Richmond wrote that the Sector General series declined after Star Healer , hitting a low point with The Galactic Gourmet, and that the later books tended to stretch a short...
(1996) - Final DiagnosisFinal DiagnosisFinal Diagnosis is a 1997 science fiction novel by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.-Plot:A man suffering from multiple mysterious illnesses and allergic reactions is labelled a hypochondriac. Finally he is sent to Sector General as a last resort. He befriends his fellow...
(1997) - Mind ChangerMind ChangerMind Changer is a 1998 science fiction book by author James White and is part of the Sector General series.Publishers Weekly described Mind Changer as "White's finest performance, replete with wit, originality, medical expertise and sheer decency" and commented that the series shows no signs of...
(1998) - Double ContactDouble ContactDouble Contact is a 1999 science fiction book by author James White and is the last in the Sector General series.Clinton Lawrence described Double Contact as "in a very positive way, a throwback to an earlier era in science fiction" since it is optimistic and depicts several advanced species...
(1999)
These were also published as omnibus editions:
- Beginning Operations (2001) contains Hospital Station, Star Surgeon and Major Operation.
- Alien Emergencies (2002) contains Ambulance Ship, Sector General and Star Healer.
- General Practice (2003) contains Code Blue - Emergency and The Genocidal Healer.
- Tales of Sector General (1999) contains The Galactic Gourmet, Final Diagnosis, and Mind Changer.
Notes:
- White's short story Sector General is in the book Hospital Station.
- In addition to these books, several related short stories (Countercharm, Tableau, Occupation: Warrior, and Custom Fitting) appear in other collections by White.
- The short story Occupation: Warrior, published in 1959, provides the backstory of the Monitor Corps' Commander Dermod, who appears in some of the books. However the editor of Science Fiction AdventuresScience Fiction Adventures (British magazine)Science Fiction Adventures was a British digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1958 to 1963 by Nova Publications as a companion to New Worlds and Science Fantasy. It was edited by John Carnell...
removed all reference to Sector General from Occupation: Warrior because he thought it was too grim to be treated as part of the series. - Alan E. NourseAlan E. NourseAlan Edward Nourse was an American science fiction author and physician. He wrote both juvenile and adult science fiction, as well as nonfiction works about medicine and science. His SF works generally focused on medicine and/or psionics.-Biography:Alan Nourse was born August 11, 1928 to...
also wrote a science fiction novel called Star Surgeon.