Medical tricorder

Dr. Beverly Crusher uses a medical tricorder in 2369.

The medical tricorder was a specialized version of the standard Starfleet tricorder. It was equipped with sensors and analysis software tailored for medical diagnostic purposes. They were usually the first tool a Starfleet doctor utilized when assessing a patient's condition. Medical tricorders could function aboard ship in sickbay as well as on away missions. (TOS: "The Man Trap")

Medical tricorders used throughout the years have been essentially similar in design to that of the standard tricorder, with the same available features and interface. The major difference is the addition of a deployable hand scanner. While some standard tricorders also have removable scanners, the medical tricorder's is much more advanced and can provide detailed scans of an entire individual, or give focus to a single area. (TOS: "The Man Trap," TNG: "When the Bough Breaks")

It is not necessary to use the scanner for the tricorder to function. The scanner can be separated from the tricorder, either to feed data to another source (TNG: "Up the Long Ladder") or not be attached to the tricorder at all. (DS9: "Babel")

While the suite of sensors installed on medical tricorders is advanced, it is generally no substitute for the advanced and specialized equipment in a sickbay facility. Although very accurate on the living, it is taught in the first year of Starfleet Medical School that medical tricorders are not as accurate on the dead. (TNG: "Genesis," "All Good Things...", DS9: "The Passenger")

Medical tricorder versions

• Starfleet tricorder