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Truth vs. Fiction: Measuring 'The Knick'

— How does John Thackery -- from Cinemax's "The Knick" -- measure up to the surgeon his character is based on, William S. Halsted?

Ƶ MedicalToday

How does John Thackery, MD -- from Cinemax's "The Knick" -- measure up to the surgeon his character is based on, William S. Halsted, MD?

William S. Halsted

  • Practiced at six different New York hospitals (but not the Knickerbocker) before accepting William Henry Welch's invitation to become the first chief of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1886
  • Was painfully shy
  • In 1884, was first to describe injection of cocaine into the trunk of a sensory nerve to block pain transmission
  • Strong advocate for aseptic techniques who introduced the use of rubber gloves in 1890
  • Perfected techniques for intestinal suture
  • Taught his surgical principles to an elite group of protégés who established surgical residency programs at medical schools across the U.S.

John Thackery

  • Practices at Knickerbocker Hospital (which in reality was the Manhattan Dispensary before it was renamed the Knickerbocker in 1913)
  • Is self-aggrandizing and rakish
  • Anesthetizes a patient using a cocaine epidural
  • Performs surgery with his sleeves rolled up like a plumber, maskless and gloveless
  • Faults his colleague Gallinger for failing to resect a patient's bowel; his sutures break and the patient develops septicemia
  • Takes on the mantle of chief of surgery and mentor to the young surgical staff