Final Diagnosis

Patient Hewlitt has been admitted to Sector General with an unexplained general allergy to all medication, but apart from that he seems to be in peak physical and mental condition. Once and for all, is he a hypochondriac with an overactive imagination or is there something more unsettling at work here?

The medical puzzle was very intriguing and I really liked Patient Hewlett himself, so I hope we see him again in the regrettably few books left in the series. And the habit of the medical personnel addressing and talking about all patients as Patient Name or Registration Number as culturally appropriate and having 'it' as a pronoun for 'sentient but not of my species' were nice touches.

Hewlitt is a healthy young man without a care in the world... except when he's not. Used to hearing his ailments have "a psychological element" he manages to get sent to Sector General to once and for all nail down what is wrong with him. Can a multi species hospital help a xenophobic hypochondriac?
I didn't like Hewlitt at first but as I got to know him and learned his history, he grew on me. The quandary of a hypochondriac at Sector General is an interesting one to explore and I think the story was well told.

I really enjoyed this book but it was well padded with sections of previous novels. The bits were well integrated and seemingly necessary to the story. Now I am hoping somehow Lonvellin survived.
Conway gets mentioned but is not very visible. Hewitt is an interesting character and I loved the cat Fudge.

This is a fairly late entry in the Sector General series of stories from James White. Sector General is a massive spacestation that functions as a multispecies hospital, capable of treating all the species making up the population of the Federation.

When Patient Hewlitt is admitted to Sector General's observation ward, it's the start of a series of problems and embarrassments for the staff of the hospital as they try and work out why he would have serious reactions to normally innocuous medicines. As the investigations continued we are treated to a tour of the various wards making up the hospital and into the past of Sector Genral.

Part of the Sector General series of James White's novels. I would recommend this to someone who does not ordinarily like sci fi. The premise is a space ship that is a huge floating hospital for all species to be treated. The characters are some of the most innovative I have read. James White grew up in Belfast during the "Troubles" and was adamantly non-violent and upbeat in all his writing. His characters are fully alive and so real, you wonder why they haven't called or written in awhile.

Not my favorite book in the series... but a quick and enjoyable read. It is advisable to read "Star Surgeon" (book #2 in the series) before this one as many references to events in that book are made. These references are generally accompanied by a short explanation for Hewlett so it isn't absolutely necessary to have read the prior book but I think that the reader would enjoy this book more having done so.

Not my favorite book in the series... but a quick and enjoyable read. It is advisable to read "Star Surgeon" (book #2 in the series) before this one as many references to events in that book are made. These references are generally accompanied by a short explanation for Hewlett so it isn't absolutely necessary to have read the prior book but I think that the reader would enjoy this book more having done so.