 Sector General is a series of twelve science fiction novels and various short stories by the Northern Irish author James White . The series derives its name from the setting of the majority of the books , the Sector 12 General Hospital , a huge hospital space station located in deep space , designed to treat a wide variety of life forms with a wide range of ailments and life @-@ support requirements , and to house an equally diverse staff . The Hospital was founded to promote peace after humanity 's first interstellar war , and in the fourth book the authorities conclude that its emergency services are the most effective way to make peaceful contact with new species . 
