659: The Normal Doctor

Felix was a normal doctor.

Nothing more, nothing less. And this, of course, was a problem. It had been decided in the Great Munich decision of 2135 that all normal doctors, being defined as those doctors who practiced medicine in person and without the aid of an electronic intermediary, should be phased out of existence. The reasoning behind this decision was sound and logical. Biological doctors, as human beings themselves, were prone to introduce their patients to germs and bacteria. How horrible to introduce patients to these dangerous substances when they found themselves in the medically dangerous situations which required a trip to the doctor!

Of course, it wouldn’t do to ban all doctors immediately. They would be liable to complain. And it wouldn’t do to shut down the medical schools either, they were getting tons of money from the government, and had proved themselves to be a very reliable income source.

So it was decided that all new doctors entering the field of medicine would be banned from having personal contact with patients. All such work would be done by computerized robots. The doctors, of course, would be kept on call for consultation should the robots ever need help. It simply wouldn’t do to waste a government subsidized degree!

It was all very smart, and for the most part it worked brilliantly.

The problem, of course, was Felix.

Felix had been a young doctor when the Munich decision was put in place. Most young doctors let the robots take over immediately, but not Felix. He stubbornly insisted on maintaining dangerous personal contact with his patients. It was absurd! And what’s more, there was no sign that he would quit any time soon.

The powers that be decided something must be done. Felix, obviously, would have to go. A robotic hitman was instructed to strangle him in his bed, but to make it look like a suicide.

The date was set for October 19th.

On October 20th the sun rose on a world freed from the filthy vestiges of 20th century medicine. Gone was the mustached surgeon doddering around the village with his little black bag. From now, on all surgeons would be plastic surgeons.

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