MEDICAL LOGS

EX POST FACTO
Season 1 : Episode 8

 

DOCTOR'S LOG:

The Doctor and Kes discuss possible names for the Doctor. The Doctor has asked Janeway to give him a name since he did not believe that a hologram could name itself. Although the Doctor believes he has no independent decision-making capabilities, Kes believes otherwise and suggests that he choose a name from his database. His program has the names of Starfleet doctors, their patients, and medical personnel in both historic and literary context. One name which he considers is Galen, who was an ancient Greek physician and writer from Earth who postulated that human arteries carried blood, not air as had been previously thought. The discussion is interrupted by the arrival of Kim as a medical case.

MEDICAL REPORT:

Kim returns from a mission to the Banean home world requiring treatment for dehydration and exhaustion after having been interrogated by the Baneans for two days straight. Paris has been detained by the Baneans and, convicted of murder, has been sentenced to relive the crime from the victim's perspective every 14 hours, facilitated by the implant in his brain by a Banean doctor of the victim's final memory engrams. When Janeway and Tuvok visit Paris, he goes through one of the cycles and loses consciousness, whereupon Janeway attains official consent to remove him to Voyager for examination by the ship's doctor. The Doctor reports that the neurological implant is causing serious brain damage to Paris, due to the differences in human physiology from Banean. The Doctor says that it is medicine clearly beyond anything ever encountered before and what bothers him the most is the neural pathway damage it seems to be causing, which appears to be progressive, and does not know how long it might be before this punishment causes him serious brain damage.

the unconscious Paris in Sickbay

Tuvok requests a copy of the Doctor's neurological analysis, although the Doctor warns that it is extremely technical, and to the layman it would be virtually indecipherable. Later, against the Doctor's disapproval but under his observation, Tuvok performs a mind-meld on Paris which reveals the true killer and motive.

Sickbay. Doctor to Tuvok: "Let me tell you something, Lieutenant. Believe it or not, I know more about mind-melds than you do. I know what every Vulcan doctor has said in every study of mind-melds and I still cannot tell you what will happen if you do this. If these cycles cause damage to a human brain there's no telling what the risk might be to a Vulcan." Tuvok: "I've examined your neurological reports, Doctor, and I believe the risk is acceptable."

After Tuvok experiences the memories implanted in Paris by the Baneans, the mind-meld ends. Tuvok almost collapses but is supported by the Doctor and Janeway. The Doctor injects him. Doctor: "The cycle's ended. No neural damage that I can detect." Tuvok reveals that he knows now who the real murderer is.

EMH SPECIFICATION:

The Doctor is programmed with over 5 million possible treatments with contingency and adaptive programs (first noted in this episode and mentioned again in  [#133 Virtuoso]).

DOCTOR'S QUOTE:

To Kes: "I'm programmed with over 5 million possible treatments, with contingency programs and adaptive programs, but it's all programs upon programs upon programs."