A Private Little War

So, the whole slapping Spock in the face thing. First, it's to get him to consciousness. Yet his eyes are open, he recognises Nurse Chapel, he asks her to do it, listens to her say no, then insists she do it. Doesn't that mean that he is already conscious? I mean, he's awake, aware, responsive... what more is there to being conscious?

And on that subject, M'Benga simply leaves the instruction to "do whatever he says". Yet when he comes in he shows that he knew in advance exactly what Spock would ask for and why. Isn't it rather poor practice not to have warned Christine in advance what would be expected? Surely it's just basic common sense that the nursing staff should be as prepared as possible for the situation, and it would have saved Chapel from considerable stress.

And if this is a Vulcan thing, then why did nobody ever have to slap Sarek awake in Journey to Babel? Why has nobody ever had to slap Tuvok or T'Pol awake during the many times we've seen them in sickbay?

The crew state that flintlocks would be the first type of firearms people would develop. Actually judging from Earth history that would more likely be the matchlock. The flintlock came along centuries later.