How would McCoy regard the EMH if they met?

[at Quark's]

I just ran across this humorous litte exchange in TOS's The Ultimate Computer:

SPOCK: The most unfortunate lack in current computer programming is that there is nothing available to immediately replace the starship surgeon.
MCCOY: Very funny. If it could, they wouldn't have to replace me. I'd resign because everybody else aboard would be nothing but circuits and memory banks. You know the type, Spock.

Now, it's not inconceivable McCoy actually did meet an early version of the EMH, as he was still around during the time of the first TNG episode, only 7 years before we meet 'our' EMH.

So, how would McCoy have reacted to the EMH? Both as it came 'out of the box', and as the EMH became after 7 years of Voyager ?

 

[jaime]

Great question. I have no real answer. But it does make think of the old Bring Back Kirk YouTube vid, with its emergency bones hologram.

 

[Kilana2]

In some aspects they are very similar. They would have a big quarrel over some minor issues. McCoy would even switch the EMH off. Then a medical crisis would arise and McCoy would be forced to reactivate the Doctor. Together they would become heroes. It would be even more fun to see Lewis Zimmerman enter the scene.
McCoy would disagree with the EMH trying to become the Emergency Command Hologram though: 'I'm a medical doctor, not a damned starship captain!!!!!'

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I think McCoy would definitely hate the EMH in both concept and execution. A doctor without a bedside manner, no human instincts, and only an encyclopedic knowledge of medicine? Sounds like McCoy's worst nightmare.

Didn't one or two VOY episodes imply that McCoy was one of the doctors who went into the EMH's programming, though?

 

[Kilana2]

I think McCoy would definitely hate the EMH in both concept and execution. A doctor without a bedside manner, no human instincts, and only an encyclopedic knowledge of medicine? Sounds like McCoy's worst nightmare.

Didn't one or two VOY episodes imply that McCoy was one of the doctors who went into the EMH's programming, though?

This is what I asked myself.

Zimmerman, the EMH, McCoy and the Prometheus EMH, joined by Barclay and Spock. There isn't any more hilarious scenario I could imagine...... On the other hand... such a scenario could be bad for Zimmerman's state of health. Enough doctors present to prevent him from suffering a deadly cardiac arrest, though.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Negatively. McCoy is all about the human touch and human feeling. If he doesn't trust transporters he's certainly not going to trust the computer to do surgery on him.

 

[Paul Weaver]

McCoy's a pretty terrible suregeon - at least in the prime timeline

 

[Lynx]

I think McCoy would definitely hate the EMH in both concept and execution. A doctor without a bedside manner, no human instincts, and only an encyclopedic knowledge of medicine? Sounds like McCoy's worst nightmare.

Didn't one or two VOY episodes imply that McCoy was one of the doctors who went into the EMH's programming, though?

I agree here. McCoy would be very sceptical to the idea of a computer program as the ship's doctor.
And The Doctor would see McCoy as a primitive narrow-minded person from the past.
But seeing them both in a situation where they jut had to cooperate would be interesting.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

McCoy's a pretty terrible suregeon - at least in the prime timeline

Not sure how you drew that conclusion.

 

[KennyB]

I don't think McCoy would even speak to it......maybe AT it or about it in front of him like it was a screwdriver or sofa.

 

[Tenacity]

McCoy's a pretty terrible suregeon

Please, the man could cure a rainy day.

 

[jaime]

This is what I asked myself.

Zimmerman, the EMH, McCoy and the Prometheus EMH, joined by Barclay and Spock. There isn't any more hilarious scenario I could imagine...... On the other hand... such a scenario could be bad for Zimmerman's state of health. Enough doctors present to prevent him from suffering a deadly cardiac arrest, though.

Neelix.

 

[jaime]

I don't think McCoy would even speak to it......maybe AT it or about it in front of him like it was a screwdriver or sofa.

McCoy is more open minded than that as far as AÍ beings

 

[Timo]

...Since when has McCoy had a bedside manner? (Other than a terrible one, that is?)

His most common patient is Kirk, whom he just pesters and pesters, and negates to mention there's a Red Alert on while he's at it. His other patients he treats as enemies (well, Khan had at coming - such an amateur way to hold the scalpel on his throat!) or meat (Nancy "Heyy, I'm dying here! Doctor? Anybody?" Hetford) or nonspeaking extras (again for a reason, admittedly). Has he ever even tried to be encouraging or soothing? Or even honest?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Paradise City]

They would bicker - sharply. McCoy would ultimately hack it though. It's the EMH that would probably get into a huff.

 

[The Old Mixer]

...Since when has McCoy had a bedside manner? (Other than a terrible one, that is?)
[...]
Has he ever even tried to be encouraging or soothing? Or even honest?

Fisher in "The Enemy Within" springs immediately to mind.

 

[flandry84]

Mc Coy is an arse scratching hick.
Had he baited any other crewman the way he did Spock,he would be thrown out of the service.

 

[urbandefault]

"I bet sickbay looks like a damn computer center."

 

[Romulan_spy]

I just ran across this humorous litte exchange in TOS's The Ultimate Computer:



Now, it's not inconceivable McCoy actually did meet an early version of the EMH, as he was still around during the time of the first TNG episode, only 7 years before we meet 'our' EMH.

So, how would McCoy have reacted to the EMH? Both as it came 'out of the box', and as the EMH became after 7 years of Voyager ?

I think McCoy would have been very condescending and dismissive of the EMH. He would see it as just a computer, and not a "real doctor" and certainly not something that could ever truly replace a human doctor. He would probably argue that a human doctor is superior because it can actually empathize, touch, care for the patient whereas the EMH is only simulating those behaviors. He would probably also argue that the experience and gut instinct of a human doctor is better than the cold logic of a computer program like the EMH.

 

[Voth commando1]

I think he would feel at least a little threatened by it especially after seeing what it could do.