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I read this short story in a science fiction anthology/collection some time before 2004. It involved what I remember to be a female "space veterinarian" needing to enter into the body of a large (worm-like?) alien organism that I believe was sick. I remember vivid descriptions of the interior of the creature - its organs and fluids as the protagonist moved from "room" to "room", even encountering smaller life forms akin to our gut flora living inside this creature.

Have searched for years to identify this story with no luck. It is not "Boojum" by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, which was released in 2012, although it has a similar feel at times.

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"Country Doctor" by William Morrison is an excellent match for this except that the doctor is male. The story was often encountered in the widely available anthology edited by Asimov, "Where Do We Go From Here?"

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  • Organic Marble nailed it - "Country Doctor"! I knew I had read it in an Asimov anthology, but after over a decade of searching with no luck, I'd begun to think I'd gone mad. You've really made my day!
    – Dee
    Nov 8, 2016 at 9:43
  • @Dee Assuming you are the same Dee who posted the question, you can merge your two accounts by following the instructions here, and then mark Organic Marble's answer as correct using the checkmark on the left (which will only become visible when you're logged into your original account).
    – Rand al'Thor ♦
    Nov 8, 2016 at 12:32

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