Imagine a gel that could be injected into ones bloodstream, making the skin practically transparent, allowing doctors to see the blood cells. Is this plausible or is it magitech or clarketech?
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1$\begingroup$ It seems like a bad idea. The blood cells are moving fast in there. You need a microscope to see them and you need them to hold still to see them with a microscope. $\endgroup$– WillkCommented Sep 7, 2017 at 0:08
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1$\begingroup$ It may be better to elaborate on the circumstance in which this happens. First question is why? Second did the doctors use anything to see the blood cells besides this such as a microscope? It would seem to be possible to at least veins closer to the surface if the substance could be nanobots that target and destroy pigments. Could this be the case? $\endgroup$– BraydonCommented Sep 7, 2017 at 0:50
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$\begingroup$ melanin is responsible for race, maybe you can reduce and clear them from our body. DNA only affects production however i suspect you can introduce retrovirus hidden in the gel to modify certain genes to produce melanin which is translucent or even transparent. $\endgroup$– user6760Commented Sep 7, 2017 at 1:37
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1$\begingroup$ It looks like you already have quite a few questions with similar problems such as this one and this one. You should really think about registering. $\endgroup$– SecespitusCommented Sep 7, 2017 at 7:16
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$\begingroup$ I agree with the comments above - blood cells are pretty tiny, so you'd need some kind of microscope to get much done. Clear skin could potentially help with things like fractures, internal bleeding, etc. However, injuries that would be visible without magnification are normally big enough to be detected without invisible skin. Might be a useful alternative to taking X-rays (if in a difficult-to-scan area/when pregnant/out in the field), but I'm not sure why else you'd want it. $\endgroup$– user_629957Commented Sep 7, 2017 at 15:03
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2 Answers
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You're on the right track, but this isn't far enough.
Looking inside the body is the body is what doctors have wanted forever. But they want to know specific things. Are cells abnormal in this place? (can't see with the naked eye even if you could look inside) Is chemical composition in the liver as expected? (need a chemical analysis)
You can't learn much with the naked eye especially since the skin isn't the only thing between you and the places you're interested in. BUT a doctor does know precisely what he or she is looking for so a focused search is ok.
You need a microscopic and molecular survey of the location you are diagnosing. Or a penetrating molecular microscope. alternatively a hand-held medical scanner. A magical familiar would do the trick. All deep visibility solutions, but in different worlds. Pick one appropriate for your world. Don't be afraid to make it imperfect. Medicine will never be perfect.
tl;dr Visibility only takes you so far. Medicine delves deeper. Go deeper.
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Physics
We're talking about some substance that, when ingested or injected, will change the optical properties of skin to be transparent, or mostly so. Optical properties depend on the physical structure of an object, so what we're really talking about it some substance that will change the structure of an object to allow light to pass through.
This would involve vast changes to the makeup of the skin. Doing this without fundamentally altering the chemical properties of the skin/organs would be nigh on impossible.
A related optical concern: Exposure to UV radiation. Our skin is designed to deal with UV quite well. Our internal organs aren't. Exposure to sunlight could cause internal burns.
Chemistry
Can a sample be made transparent? Yes. Definitely.
Can it be done without killing the sample? That's much iffier.
Human bodies, and most multi-celled organisms are quite sensitive to chemical change, so vastly altering properties like this is tricky, and that's putting it lightly.
Summary
Is this in the realm of possibility? Yes. Destroying melanin in the body for example leaves just mostly white skin, which will help. From there fat is yellowish and muscle is red, and they need to be dealt with, preferably without killing the subject.
However, it would be a technological marvel if achieved. It'd be much more plausible to inject a nano-virus that just uploads data to a central computer, which reconstructs the body.
