Laser scalpel

A laser scalpel in use in 2367

The scalpel used on a Borg drone

The laser scalpel was a specialized medical instrument used for creating incisions in various tissues. It used a finely-tuned laser beam to make cuts. This device was available in different wavelengths for varied cutting strength and depth. The laser scalpel was the term used from the 2260s, until the 2370s, when it was replaced by the exoscalpel. (TNG: "Ethics")

In 2367, a laser scalpel was used by Doctor Beverly Crusher to remove the Trill symbiont Odan from the body of his current host and transplant it into the body of Commander Riker. (TNG: "The Host")

In 2370, Quark used a laser scalpel to open a Delgorian locking mechanism on a container that was holding Odo. (DS9: "Invasive Procedures")

Also in 2370, Doctor Julian Bashir used a laser scalpel to fend off Odo when the changeling attacked him in Bashir's infirmary during a fugue state induced by volcanic gases. (DS9: "The Alternate")

The laser scalpel was one of several devices incorporated into the servo-armatures of Borg medical repair drones. (VOY: "Dark Frontier")

Captain Janeway used a laser scalpel to extract a Borg cortical node. Later she used one to force a group of alien salvagers to stand down their weapons. (VOY: "Imperfection")

This device was also seen in TNG: "Frame of Mind", but performing a different function (healing a wound). It is possible that the tool could perform both functions, but this was never mentioned.

In the script of DS9: "The Darkness and the Light", the medical device used by Silaran Prin is described as being a laser scalpel. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library)

In Star Trek: Voyager - Inside the New Adventure, Alan Sims demonstrates a Starfleet laser scalpel, referring to it as a "Starfleet medical laser cutter".

External links

• Laser scalpel at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Laser scalpel at Wikipedia