Like some wizard, Dr. "Bones" McCoy needed only to wave his tricorder sensor like a talisman over Star Trek crew members to detect any ailment -- and to cure many of them. These futuristic sickbay tools presented a captivating vision of what medicine might one day achieve, inspiring legions of fans who later became some of the world's most inventive scientists.
Rather than undergo exploratory surgery, many patients now rest on tables similar to the Enterprise's sickbay bed while an automated scanner delivers diagnostic images of the body's interior. Blade-free "surgery" is possible with equipment like the CyberKnife, developed at Stanford University. Devices like McCoy's needle-free "hypospray" injections are now commonplace vaccination tools.
And what of the tricorder? Once again, the future is now.
This week, a look at holding a diagnostic lab in your hands.
TTFN, Fred.
Quote of the week: "Laws change depending on who's making them, but justice is justice." - Odo, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, “A Man Alone”
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