"James White - SG 06 - Star Healer" - читать интересную книгу автора (White James)

areas are unnecessary. Because of the difficulty other species have in telling
Hudlars apart, patient ID and case history are impressed magnetically on the
metal band attached to the left forelimb. The HudlarsтАЩ six limbs can serve as
either manipulatory or locomotor appendages.
тАЬWhile gravity and atmospheric pressure have been duplicated here,тАЭ Conway
went on, тАЬthe exact constituents of their atmosphere have not been reproduced.
Their home worldтАЩs air is a thick, semiliquid soup laden with tiny, airborne
food particles which are absorbed and excreted by specialized areas of the skin.
We find it more convenient to spray them periodically with a nutrient paint, as
two of the armored medical attendants are doing now.
тАЬWith the facts now in your possession,тАЭ he said, turning to regard them,
тАЬwould anyone like to classify this life-form?тАЭ
For a moment there was no verbal response. The Orligian DBDGs moved
restively, but the expressions on their humanoid features were concealed by
facial hair. The silvery fur of the caterpillarlike Kelgian DBLFs was in
constant motion, but the emotions which the movements expressed were readable
only by a fellow member of the species or by a being carrying a Kelgian tape in
its mind. As for the elephantine Tralthan FGLIs and the diminutive Dewatti
EGCLs, their features were too decentralized to be visible in their entirety,
while the hard, angular mandibles and deeply recessed eyes of the Melfan ELNTs
were completely expressionless.
One of the four Melfan trainees first broke the silence, Its translator
hummed briefly, тАЬThey belong to physiological classification
PRO B.тАЭ
It was difficult to tell Melfans apart at the best of times, since all
adult ELNTs possessed similar body mass and the only visible differences were
the subtle variations in marking on the upper carapace. To make identification
even more difficult, two of the four Melfan trainees seemed to be identical
twins. One of these had spoken.
тАЬCorrect,тАЭ Conway said approvingly. тАЬYour name, Doctor?тАЭ
тАЬDanalta, Senior Physician.тАЭ
Polite, too, Conway thought. тАЬVery well, Danalta. But you were slow in
making the identification even though your colleagues were even slower. All of
you must learn to quickly and accurately classifyтАФтАЭ
тАЬWith respect, Senior Physician,тАЭ the Melfan broke in, тАЬI did not wish to
offer gratuitous display of my medical knowledge, woefully limited as it is at
present, until my colleagues had a chance to respond. I have studied all that
was available to me regarding your physiological classification system. But I
come from a backward world where the level of technology is low and
intercultural communication has been limited, particularly where medical data on
this hospital was concerned.
тАЬBesides,тАЭ it concluded, тАЬthe Hudlar life-form is distinctive, unique, and
could only be FROB.тАЭ
Conway would not have described Melf as a backward world and neither would
any other member of the Galactic Federation, so this Danalta must have come from
one of the colonies recently seeded by Melf. To qualify for Sector General with
a background like that required determination as well as professional
competence. It did not matter that the Melfan was turning out to be an odd
combination of polite, self-effacing smart aleckтАФthe operative word was тАЬsmart,тАЭ
and the best assistants an overworked Senior could have were those who strived