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"He injected himself with the vaccine. He was unconscious when I found him."
"Look at his face."
"The blemishes are fading. They're fading. Who will understand the medical mind?"

Medicine, also known as medical science or the medical arts, was the science and practice of treating damage and ailments that affected the mind or body of a humanoid. It also dealt in the prevention and diagnosis of said damage and ailments.

Germs were among the most resilient organisms known to medical science. (ENT: "Breaking the Ice")

In the late 20th century, the fad known as cryonics froze people at the time of death with the hope that some time in the future, when presumably medical science had a cure for whatever killed them, they would be thawed back to life, healed, and sent on about their business. (TNG: "The Neutral Zone")

In the 24th century, the Federation had a policy of not restricting access to its medical supplies. William T. Riker informed Governor Vagh of this policy when informed that Kriosian rebels had been found to be in possession of Federation medical supplies in 2367. (TNG: "The Mind's Eye")

In ultimately unused dialogue from the final draft script of ENT: "Dead Stop", Doctor Phlox stated, "There's no such thing in medicine as 'absolute certainty'…'"

Viewpoints on medicine[]

Though medical science had made significant scientific and technological progress by the 23rd and 24th centuries, some physicians still valued a personal approach. Doctor Leonard McCoy, for instance, preferred to examine Robert Crater's tonsils visually rather than rely solely on his medical tricorder. (TOS: "The Man Trap") Nevertheless, when a patient's life was at stake, McCoy did appreciate a less invasive form of intervention, preferring to use 23rd century medical technology to repair Pavel Chekov's middle meningeal artery over allowing 20th century surgeons to open up his skull and perform surgery. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

Doctor Katherine Pulaski also believed that old-fashioned methods were valuable, particularly in cases where modern methods were unavailable. She recommended usage of a splint for a patient suffering from a fracture in 2365 when the knitter was inoperable, much to the dismay of another doctor, who felt it was not practicing medicine. (TNG: "Contagion")

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