The Monitor Corps cruiser Sheldon flicked into normal space some five hundred miles from Sector General Hospital, the wreck which was its reason for coming held gently against the hull within the field of its hyperdrive generators.
As the story opens, Dr. Conway is promoted to Senior Physician. But O'Mara makes it sound more like a reversion in professional grade: "What do you expect, praise? My job is to shrink heads, not swell 'em. And now I suppose I'll have to give you a minute to adjust to your new glory . . ." Conway's swollen/shrunken head soon goes into staggered mode. The aforementioned wreck contains an alien 'out-patient' who needs urgent medical attention. Which even Physician Conway finds to be easier said than done.
In magazines
| Title | Published as | Language | Editor | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New Worlds 95, June 1960 | English | John Carnell | June 1960 | |
|
Galassia 34, 15 October 1963 | Il caro parente; Il paziente inaspettato | Italian | Roberta Rambelli | 15 October 1963 |
|
Galaktika folyóirat, May 1987 | Látogató nagyban (part 2 of 2); Ambuláns beteg | Hungarian | Sziládi János | May 1987 |
In James White's books
| Title | Type | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hospital Station | Fix-up novel | 1962 |
|
Beginning Operations | Omnibus | 2001 |
NEW WORLDS No 95, June 1960 Hospital Station
ISFDB title record (CC BY 4.0).