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Here’s a fun fact: “Doctor” was an academic degree. It was originally meant for theology, but expanded as the scope of academia expanded and natural philosophy became the sciences. We still call the degree “Doctor of Philosophy” as a result of that. Being a doctor of something meant that you were qualified to conduct research and teach at the university level. It eventually meant that you have made a contribution to your field - your dissertation - and the expectation was that you had and would continue to publish research papers in scientific journals.
The idea of a “medical doctor” was a new addition. MDs don’t do research, didn’t do a dissertation, and in general are not equipped to teach and advance the academic understanding of their field.
So I agree. Scientists should get the blue shirts, physicians and surgeons should just wear scrubs.
My favorite joke in Brooklyn Nine Nine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5QoYZuMILo
For folks who haven’t seen the show, the Captain is normally stoic to a near-fault. RIP André Braugher.
One of the best scenes from the best episode of the best show.
Oh damn! Oh damn! Oh damn!
Doctor comes from latin (from the verb docere - to teach) and basically means teacher, or someone with enough knowledge in a field to teach. The term is still used as an academic title, but in different way in different countries. For example, while in english speaking countries ot is used for someone who completed their PhD (phylosophæ doctorate), so someone with enough knowledge to do research and teach to an academic level, in Italy the title “dottore” is given to any who got a degree, even a Bachelor’s, so a physician is a doctor in medicine because they graduated in medicine.
In Germany a doctor in medicine has to write a dissertation subject to a specific topic that deepens scientific understanding. Having a few articles in science magazines is also usual.
In Germany there are also two words, “Doktor” (the academic title) and “Arzt” (a medical professional). If your “Arzt” hasn’t published a dissertation, you technically shouldn’t be calling them “Doctor”, but “Herr“/“Frau” <surname>. Very few people care about this distinction, though.
Where did you get that idea? In Germany the average medical student(!) writes a dissertation that’s at most comparable to a masters thesis in other natural sciences… And all of that within a time frame of 6 months. Many don’t even bother with that any more.
Of course, there are also medical students that go into research and really deepen scientific understanding. But that’s by far the exception.
I have quite a few friends that studied medicine and are now working as “Facharzt” in hospitals. All said they needed to have 4 published articles as author’s or co author’s plus a dissertation just to start the journey of becoming specialized doctors. Their degree was after they defended their dissertations.
Thats really interesting - thanks!
Dumb question: what qualifications are needed to do medical research?
That’s not a dumb question at all.
There are MDs who do substantive research in medicine and surgery. However, basic science questions and a lot of the applied research are done by MD/PhDs. The dual degrees are a signal that the person holding them is not giving MMR vaccinations to kids or fixing broken arms, but who are committed to doing active research. It’s not an absolute requirement - I’ve worked with brilliant MDs at the VA and UC facilities who are gifted researchers. I’m painting with a very broad brush there.
Appreciate the info!
I agree 100%. Another design flaw is engineering and security having the same color.
Those actually match somehow, I mean:
“Quick, we need to hold back the invaders in sector r5!”
“Invaders in sector r5? A quick release of the airlock oughta fix that! Also, Jimmy, could you go fetch me the BIG welder?”
Or as the Engineer from TF2 said:
Hey look, buddy. I’m an engineer, that means I solve problems. Not problems like “What is beauty?”, ‘cause that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems! For instance, how am I gonna stop some big mean Mother-Hubbard from tearin’ me a structurally superfluous new behind? The answer? Use a gun. And if that don’t work, use more gun. Like this heavy caliber, tripod-mounted, little ol’ number designed by me, built by me, and you’d best hope… not pointed at you.
Security has to have a thorough understanding of ships systems and computers to do their job. They’re half guard, half engineer.
I could see security being forced to do the manual labor that the engineers need done but don’t have the stamina to do efficiently. There should be more of that kind of cooperation between their teams. What the hell is security even doing 90% of the time when there’s no threat? Regular patrols and checks wouldn’t take even half of their man hours.
Be me
Sitting at my station in the shuttle bay waiting for someone to need a shuttle
Two people on the deck below me activate their replicators at the same time
My console explodes, tearing off an arm and burning half my uniform off, and skin too.
Stagger out the door looking for help.
See someone in the new medical uniforms, so glad they changed that so I don’t accidentally ask a botanist for help.
It’s a betazoid psychiatrist
Die and get fired out of the ship in a torpedo.
I’ve never been a big Trek fan, preferring to align with Star Wars in the false choice between them.
However this past weekend, I bought a Raspberry Pi box, and an 8tb hard drive, and the first thing I pirated was the entire first season of TNG.
I propose we call this “doing a Lemmy”
Ummm just a fair warning, the first season of TNG was pretty badly written. It gets better with the later seasons.
I am quite enjoying it so far, to be honest. The completist in me would slog through the first season even if I didn’t enjoy it though.
Keep in mind, though I’ve been immersed in sci-fi all my life and I’ve definitely seen Star Trek shows before (and all the pre-Abrams movies), but my expectations to this show are largely set by pop culture.
Relative to those expectations, I was really surprised not far into the first episode by how thought-provoking it is. The character of Q was about t as far from (my expectation of) a Star Trek ‘villain’ as I could have imagined.
I love season 1, personally. It does get objectively better, but s1 and 2 have some fun episodes.
Idk if anyone has told you but the first season is by far the worst. I often recommend that people skip it honestly. So if you watched it and we’re still into it just get ready because it gets so much better
The entire first season??!!
I hope you enjoy it! Maybe by the time you finish TNG, you’ll have switched “sides”!
“Sorry, I’m a doctor of English Literature.”
See, Disco had it right. Doctors wore white, compared to the navy blue uniforms of all the other divisions, including Sciences. Presumably during the war someone decided that your medic being conspicuously covered in blood gave a bad impression, that was downgraded to nurses (SNW Chapel) and the doctors wore blue (although the slightly lighter shade than science divison). Then later, nurses got blue as well (TOS Chapel). Or was Chapel a full MD by then? Not sure about that.
In SNW Chapel is a civilian working on a starship because she’s just that good or something, by TOS she’s joined Starfleet.
What are you all talking about? Clearly Medical is blue and science is green.
Are you all colorblind?
(/j)
One has a medical degree, the other a Ph.D. Both are called doctor.
Reno wasn’t even a scientist, and still managed to keep all those people alive on that asteroid. Running to a Starfleet officer is never a bad idea
Just whatever you do, do NOT run towards someone wearing red-shirt, in fact run AWAY, run away FAST, run away NOW!:-P
What was the reason newer series switched to white uniforms for medical?
It’s a welcome change but also SNW is before TOS?
M’Benga still wears blue. Chapel wears white, but she’s also a civilian contractor in SNW and hasn’t joined Starfleet yet, so how her uniform color interacts with everyone else is unclear.
I guess it existed in the DIS era, starts to get phased out by the SNW era (we see Nurse Chapel wearing white but not Dr. M’Benga), and then is phased fully out by the time TOS rolls around.
At least until the LD uniforms come, and they partially reintroduce it in the form of white boots.
…unless you’re a horta.
