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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.
I agree 100%. Another design flaw is engineering and security having the same color.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
