Gallery: Doctors Really Used Those Amazing Devices and Treatments on The Knick
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax01Nose-Reconstruction
This treatment for the damage done by syphilis was common during the early 1900s. (Expand the gallery to fullscreen for the best experience.)
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax02Ophthalmoscope
__Ophthalmoscope__ The ophthalmoscope Thackery uses to examine ex-lover Abigail Alford's nose is actually part of Burns' collection. "It looked great and it was accurate," says Burns, shown here instructing Owen on how to use the device.
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax03Blood-Pump
__Blood Pump__ One of the coolest gadgets on *The Knick* is the hand-cranked blood pump the doctors use in surgery. Although something similar was probably in use at the time, Burns isn't sure where the show's creators came up with that exact device. "That was one thing that did not \[come from our collection\]," he says.
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax04Baby-Treatment
__Gallinger's Daughter's Meningitis Treatment__ Earlier this season, Dr. Everett Gallinger's daughter got meningitis. Since the condition causes an inflammation of the membranes around the brain, the treatment back then involved trying to soothe that inflammation. "This was a standard treatment," Burns says. "They ran cold water for cooling the head."
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax05X-Ray-Machine
__X-Ray Machine__ A big part of the show this season has been the newly-invented X-ray. It was a wonder at the time, but the radiation was also more dangerous than people realized. "A couple dozen early American radiologists died, but several hundred lost their hands or fingers, or parts of their arms," Burns says.
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax06X-Ray
__X-Rays__ Many of the X-ray films on *The Knick* are actual vintage images. The one being held by Clive Owen here is actually from 1900.
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax07Instrument-Tray
__Surgical Instrument Trays__ Aside from the old-timey nature of the surgical theater and some of the tables and trays in it, the instruments here don't look that different from those you might see on any other medical drama. These were bought from the collections of retired doctors. "Those are originals," Burns says.
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax08Lister-Atomizer
__Lister Atomizer__ One of the big advances in medicine came when doctors began working out ways to sterilize the surgical arena. This atomizer (named after its inventor Lord Joseph Lister) would have been filled with carbolic acid to be sprayed into the operating field to keep it sterile.
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax09Microscope
__The Microscope__ Of the things on *The Knick* that look quite a bit like their modern-day counterparts, the microscopes Thackery uses are some of the most evident. They may be more ornate and less mechanically-enhanced than the ones scientists use today, but the basic form factor is the same.
