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"Sawbones" was an informal term for a doctor originating on Earth in the 19th century, referring to a surgeon's common need to cut through the bones of a patient.

Though considered archaic by the 23rd century, the term was still occasionally used, as when Dr. Ezekiel Fisher accused his colleague Jabilo M'Benga of abandoning him on Starbase 47 "to be a sawbones on a starship." (VAN novel: Harbinger)

The term also survived in the language of Sigma Iotia II, due to the influence of a 20th century Terran book on their culture. Iotian Makk Vinx once called Dr. Sarjenka "sawbones". (TOS episode: "A Piece of the Action", CoE eBook: Turn the Page)

This is the real-world origin of Leonard McCoy's nickname "Bones" in Star Trek: The Original Series, though it was never made explicit on-screen, and a wholly different origin is presented in Star Trek (2009).

From The Vault

Fallout 3 character Sawbones Biography race: Mr. Gutsy robot affiliation: Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel role: Doctor location: Citadel Gameplay appearances: Fallout 3 quests: Worst. Doctor. Ever Statistics Technical actor: base id: 0002131F ref id: 00021320

Sawbones is a Mr. Gutsy working as a doctor in The Citadel. He can be found in the B-Ring and offers the same services that all the other wasteland doctors offer.

His terminal, which requires 100 Science to hack, contains a poem of his composition. It also appears that Paladin Glade has hacked his terminal before, and wants Sawbones to change his password.

Unmarked quest: Worst. Doctor. Ever

When you first interact with him, you can ask to be healed, in which he malfunctions and ends up hurting your player character.

Notes

If you've finished Finding the Garden of Eden but haven't spoken to Elder Lyons, Sawbones will not treat you, or even converse with you, but will prompt you to seek him out to start the next quest.

If your intelligence/science level is high enough, a special [Intelligence/Science] option will come up, forcing Sawbones to patch you up properly.

Behind the scenes

• "Sawbones" is a historical slang term for a surgeon, dating back to the early 19th century.
• Sawbones is a reference to the Emergency Medical Hologram from Star Trek Voyager. When first encountered, it greets the Lone Wanderer with "Please state the nature of the medical emergency," the line delivered EMH Mk I upon activation. It also has the poor bedside manner that is a hallmark of the EMH Mk I.