Knick

Original title: The Knick Production country and year: USA, 2014–? Genre: Drama Cast: Clive Owen, Andre Holland, Ewe Hewson Description: A typical medical drama, but set in early 20th-century New York. An era when antibiotics did not yet exist. Cocaine, however, was available—and the main character, surgeon John Thackery (Owen), is addicted to it. His most talented assistant is Dr. Algernom Edwards (Holland)—a young Black doctor, at a time when racial issues were still the order of the day. Thackery also has a nurse named Lucy at his disposal, who quickly becomes his lover, and it falls to her to carry out the difficult task of procuring cocaine... The creators were clearly inspired by the series House M.D., replacing the reality of battling the rarest diseases and most unusual cases with the reality of a time when medicine is still very backward, and a brilliant doctor emerges, leading a young, talented team. So we get to discover the secrets of medicine that are commonplace today. In a flashback from the seventh episode, Thackery meets Dr. Halsted—considered the father of American surgery—and his collaboration with William Osler is mentioned. Episode 6 tells the story of typhoid Mary Mallon. It is clearly evident, then, that the show’s creators are striving to capture as many fascinating details as possible from the history of medicine in the U.S. and discreetly weave them into the fictional plot. Whatever one may say, “The Knick” is the most original and refreshing medical drama on this subject to emerge in recent years. I remember watching the adventures of Dr. House with bated breath as a first-year medical student. Today’s students have an interesting counterpart—one that might also encourage them to explore the history of medicine more closely.