rick

(as in cv rick), i believe vonda n. mcintyre is my favorite science fiction writer. what a coincidence you wrote about the lack of sci fi books being read AND me finding this just by chance

Classic Tale of Extraterrestrial Medicine from Vonda N. McIntyre -- Free Online

A doctor on an alien planet has only three tools in her medical kit, and they are all living snakes. Using a kind of biotechnology in her own body, she's able to synthesize tailor-made drugs from the snakes' venom after exposing them to people who are ill. Leading a nomadic life, she moves from town to town on an alien world, trying to help out people who are often as afraid of her as they are anxious for her services. Some of you may recognize this as the plot of Vonda N. McIntyre's dreamy, beautiful short story "Of Mist, Grass, and Sand," now available for free on the author's website.............