FORGOTTEN BOOK: STAR SURGEON

Star Surgeon by Alan E. Nourse  (1959)

One interesting sub-group of science fiction is medical science fiction, from the early days of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to the plethora of today's medical technofiction.  Stories from the days of the 40s, 50s, and 60s -- L. Ron Hubbard's Old DocMethuselah, Murray Leinster's Med Service, James White's Hospital Station, and even Piers Anthony's dentist-to the stars Doctor Dillingham -- remain popular to this day.

Alan E. Nourse, who was a medical doctor by training, spent much of his science fiction career writing medical SF, including his brief Hospital Earth series.  When humanity finally invented a faster-than-light star drive and began to explore the galaxy, they encountered many thousands of alien races that formed the Galactic confederation of Worlds.  Earth was admitted to the Confederation on a probationary basis, eventually -- it was hoped -- to be given full status.  Because each of these races had their own unique talents in aggregate, it was decided that humanity would concentrate on its latent ability for medicine.  Thus Earth became Hospital Earth and humans became doctors to the many worlds of the Confederation, sending ship of medical professionals into space to respond to whatever medical emergencies might arise, usually to the planets who had signed a highly valued medical contract with Hospital Earth.  These space doctors consisted of small trams of probationary medics, hoping tearn the coveted "Star" that would indicate a full-fledged doctor after their one-year mission., of course, would help any race, contract or not, but it was hoped that a planet would agree to sign a contract once medical service was successfully given.

The hierarchy of Hospital Earth was rigid and divided as to medical specialties.  At the top were the Black Doctors of Pathology, who were also the administrative arm of the organization.  Among other groups were the White Doctors of Radiology, The Red Doctors of Surgery, The Green Doctors of Medicine, and the Blue Doctors of Diagnosis.  Each persons ranking in the hierarchy as based on the number of Stars they earned, from One to Four.  Because humanity was on a probationary basis with the Confederation, Hospital earth felt it was incumbent to allow only humans in their membership.  Until...

Dal Timgar was a native to the planet Garv (the full name of the planet was too long and too unpronouncible to be of any use to humans).  He was short, covered with fur, and four-fingered, and since childhood has wanted to be a doctor, despite the fact that his family and his entire planet were highly successful merchants.  Somehow he was accepted for medical training on Hospital Earth -- it was generally felt that once he flamed out and failed that no other non-human would bother to attempt to become a doctor.  Despite extreme prejudice and antagonism from his fellow students, the faculty, and the administration, he managed to graduate.  Now he must on on a year-long flight as a Red Doctor with two fellow probationers to provide medical services on demand to a variety of planets and alien races.  Should Dal make even the slightest mistake, his enemies would not hesitate to kick him out.  His companions on the flight were Blue Doctor Jack Alvarez, who resented Dal for daring to take a position that should rightfully (and only) belong to a human, and Green Doctor Frank "Tiger" Martin, who was Dal's only friend during training.

So off we go into the galaxy, meeting strange races and stranger illnesses, most of which were easy to handle for the trio.  On one planet, an injury required a complicated surgery that Dal was unsure that he could perform so he asked for a Hospital Earth team to come to the planet to take over, nearly risking the patient's life; the surgery turned out to be fairly simple and Dal's hesitancy was a black mark against him and almost had him relieved of duty.

Then came a strange request from a little known and out-of-the way planet, 31 Brucker, whose people are being destroyed by a mysterious, unidentifiable plague.  Among the strange aspects of this case, 31 Brucker had been casually surveyed 80 years earlier and had been found to contain no intelligent races.  the inhabitants of 31 Brucker are now highly intelligent and evolved with an advanced technological science, although the population appear to avoid any technological advances whenever possible.  the simian-like people themselves where shy and withdraw appeared to accept the horrible fate that the plague has in store for them.  Two-thirds of the planet's population was already dying or dead, the remainder soon to join them.  Despite their best efforts, Dal, Tiger, and Jack could not find a cure for the plague; the virus causing it having completely baffled them.  Then Dal had a strange idea...what if their patients were not the inhabitants of 31 Brucker, but instead was the plague itself?

An intellectual puzzle wrapped in a protest against racism and prejudice, Star Surgeon is a competent story of people (of all races and types) facing near-impossible odds.  It reads well, although I wish  more time was spent going into the many alien races and their individual illnesses, even tough I realize that that would have slowed the book's pacing considerable.  All in all, a stellar --dare I say "Star"? -- achievement.

Alan E. Nourse (1928-1992) earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955, helping to pay for his medical education by writing science fiction stories.  He wrote a bestselling nonfiction book, Intern, under the pseudonym "Dr. X," a pen name he also used, a name he also used for a few medical articles; he had a regular medical column in Good Housekeeping, which earned him the nickname "Family Doctor."  He published science fiction books for both juveniles and adults, often focusing on medicine and/or psionics.  Nourse also wrote a number of nonfiction books, many of them geared to a juvenile audience, including the So You Want to Be... series, The Teen Guide to Safe Sex, "Impact Books on various medical issues (viruses, hormones, herpes, AIDS, etc.), and books on astronomy (Venus and Mercury, the giant planet, the asteroid belts, etc.).  He also wrote The Body for Time-Life Books.  Critic John Clute has remarked on Nourse's "sharp and shapely virtues as a storyteller," concluding that "A sense of fundamental decency permeates Nourse's fiction; and, though sometimes too easily achieved, the victories of decency over bigotry cannot, either for the market upon which Nourse concentrated or the adult market in general, can be seriously faulted."

I find Nourse's fiction to be extremely addictive.

I also feel it is incumbent on me to mention one other thing.  Evidently the author's last name is pronounced "Nurse," which leads me to imagine hospitals loudspeakers to blare out, "Paging Doctor Nurse. Paging Doctor Nurse" to the confusion of all around.

Star Surgeon is available to be read on the internet:   http://durendal.org/anss/