Paediatric Department, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta.
Early Hum Dev. 2020 May;144:105023. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2020.105023. Epub 2020 Mar 19.
Science fiction (SF) is ubiquitous and it has also been utilised for the purposes of teaching since it has replaced legend, myth and fable. This is especially the case for Star Trek (ST) which has become an integral part of popular culture, even for those who do not follow SF. In this Best Practice Guideline (BPG) we will engage topics that ordinary readers of EHD might not normally come across, but may well find interesting. We will review the individual doctors in ST from the viewpoint of a medical doctor, and will demonstrate the ways in which the medic in the various series (which spans decades, since 1966) reflects the zeitgeist. A second BPG will provide an assortment of ST cautionary tales which range from nanotechnology, to The Holocaust, to artificial intelligence. SF is famously "extravagant fiction today, cold fact tomorrow" and takes us "where no man has gone before". The imaginings of SF authors (some of whom are scientists and doctors) should be taken seriously for potential detrimental effects/events that may befall the medical profession or the human race, and that might be avoided with the foresight provided by SF.
科幻小说（SF）无处不在，自从它取代了传说、神话和寓言以来，它也被用于教学目的。《星际迷航》（ST）就是一个很好的例子，它已经成为流行文化的一部分，即使是那些不关注科幻小说的人也知道它。在本最佳实践指南（BPG）中，我们将探讨普通 EHD 读者可能不会遇到但可能会感兴趣的主题。我们将从医学博士的角度审视 ST 中的各个医生，并展示跨越几十年（从 1966 年开始）的不同系列中的医务人员如何反映时代精神。第二个 BPG 将提供一系列 ST 的警示故事，涵盖了从纳米技术到大屠杀再到人工智能等各种主题。科幻小说是著名的“今天的奢侈小说，明天的冷酷事实”，它带我们“去前人未曾涉足的地方”。科幻小说作者的想象（其中一些是科学家和医生）应该被认真对待，因为可能会对医学界或人类造成潜在的不利影响/事件，而这些影响/事件可能会被科幻小说提供的远见所避免。
