“The large flap of tegument is folded over the stub limb,” Conway was saying,
“and is attached by staples that dissolve when the healing process is complete.
Because of the elevated internal pressure of this life-form and the extreme
resistance of the tegument to puncturing by needle, normal suturing is useless
and it is advisable, in fact, to err on the generous side where the staples are
concerned.”
There had been unsavory rumors of cases like this on Sommaradva, traumatic
amputation of limbs during a major industrial or transportation accident, after
which the casualty had survived, or insisted on surviving. The wounds had been
discreetly tidied up, usually by young, nonresponsible and as yet unqualified
warrior-surgeons or even, if nobody else was available, by an amenable
servile-healer. But even when the warriors concerned had sustained the wounds as
a result of an act of bravery, the matter was hushed up and forgotten as quickly
as possible.
The casualties went into voluntary exile. They would never dream of revealing
their disabilities or deformities to the public gaze, nor would they have been
allowed to do so. On Sommaradva they had too much respect for their bodies. And
for people to parade around with me-chanical devices replacing their limbs was
abhorrent and unthinkable.
“Thank you, Seventy-three, that was well done,” the Earth-human said, glancing
once again at its white card. “Trainee Sixty-one, would you like to show us what
you can do?”
Abhorrent and repulsive though it was, Cha Thrat could not take her eyes from
the operating cradle while the new FROB demonstrated its surgical prowess. The
depth and positioning of every incision and instrument was burned into her
memory as if she were watching some horrid but fascinating perversion. Sixty-one
was followed by two other advanced trainees, and patient FROB-Eleven Thirty-two
was left with only two of its six limbs remaining in place.
“There is still a fair degree of mobility in one of the forelimbs,” Conway said,
“and, considering the advanced age and reduced mental adaptability, I feel that
it should be left intact for psychological as well as physiological reasons. It
may well be that the increased blood and available nutrient supply due to the
absence of the other limbs will partially improve the muscle condition and
circulation in this one. As you can see, the other forelimb has degenerated
virtually to the point of necrosis and must be removed.
“Trainee Cha Thrat,” it added, “will perform the amputation.”
Suddenly they Were all looking at her, and for a moment Cha Thrat had the
ridiculous feeling that she was in the center of a three-dimensional picture,
frozen in this nightmare for all eternity. But the real nightmare lay a few
minutes in the future, when she would be forced into a major professional
decision.
Her partner from the ward vibrated its speaking mem-brane quietly. “This is a
great professional compliment, Nurse.”
Before she could reply, the Diagnostician was speaking again, to everyone.
It said, “Cha Thrat is a native of a newly discovered world, Sommaradva, where
it was a qualified surgeon. It has prior experience of other-species surgery on
an Earth-human DBDG, a life-form that it had encountered for the first time only
a few hours earlier. In spite of this, the work was skillfully done, Senior
Physician Edanelt tells me, and undoubtedly saved the entity’s limb and probably
its life. And now it can further increase its other-species surgical experience
with a much less difficult procedure on an FROB.”
Encouragingly it ended, “Come forward, Cha Thrat. Don’t be afraid. If anything
should go wrong, I will be here to help.”
There was a great, cold fear inside her mixed with the helpless anger of having
to face the ultimate challenge without adequate spiritual preparation. But the
Diagnostician’s concluding words, suggesting that her natural fear might somehow
keep her from doing the work, filled her with righteous anger. It was a hospital
ruler and, no matter how misguided and irresponsibile its orders to her had
seemed, they would be obeyed—that was the law. And no Sommaradvan of the warrior
class would show fear before anyone, and that included a group of other-species
strangers. But still she hesitated.
Impatiently the Earth-human said, “Are you capable of performing this