Warp Five 7: Welcome to the Menagerie

Inside Phlox’s Sickbay. Dr. Crusher used fancy Starfleet technology to solve medical puzzles. Dr. Bashir used those things too—along with his genetical enhanced mind. Practicing medicine in the 24th century seemed to be mostly about teching the biotech. But for those of us who grew up with TOS, Dr. McCoy’s ability to come up with unique solutions, or eyeball the mixture of an elixir, gave us the feeling that medicine was also going where no one had gone before. With Enterprise the idea of frontier medicine returned as Dr. Phlox solved problems the old-fashioned way: with nature. In this episode of Warp Five, hosts Christopher Jones and Kate Walsh take a look inside Phlox’s sickbay. The joint is a literal menagerie—only the animals here aren’t merely for show. These critters are put to work to cure all sorts of ailments that afflict the crew as they explore alien worlds for the very first time. Plus, we learn why broth is one of the most important things on the ship.