List of references (Medic)

Due to the comedic style of Team Fortress 2 and Valve's humor, the game includes references, usually in a humorous fashion. There are many sources, including games, movies, and music; even jokes that have developed within the game and its community have been included. Below are references specific to the Medic class, which, unsurprisingly, mainly feature references to aspects of the medical profession.

Achievements

Autoclave Assist in burning 5 enemies with a single ÜberCharge on a Pyro.

When medical equipment needs to be sterilized, a machine called an autoclave subjects them to high pressure steam, effectively killing any bacteria or unhygienic substances.

Autopsy Report Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you taunting above their ragdoll.

An autopsy, more correctly a post-mortem examination, is the examination of a corpse (a dead person) in order to ascertain how they died and analyze the cause.

Bedside Manner Be healing a teammate as he achieves an achievement of his own.

Bedside manner is the manner in which a doctor explains a diagnosis to his/her patient. A good bedside manner is typically one that reassures and comforts the patient while remaining honest about the diagnosis.

Big Pharma Assist a Heavy in killing 10 enemies, where neither of you die.

The phrase "Big Pharma" is often used to refer to large pharmaceutical companies or the pharmaceutical industry as a whole. The image of a tractor is a pun regarding the word "pharma," as "pharm" sounds phonetically similar to "farm."

Blast Assist Assist in exploding 5 enemies with a single ÜberCharge on a Soldier.

A blastocyst is a very early part of mammalian development. A fertilized egg turns into a blastocyst, which later develops into the embryo and placenta.

Blunt Trauma Assist in punching 2 enemies with a single ÜberCharge on a Heavy.

A blunt trauma is an injury that does not penetrate into the body.

Chief of Staff Accumulate 1 million total heal points.

The Chief of Staff is the head doctor in a hospital or medical practice.

Consultation Assist a fellow Medic in killing 3 enemies in a single life.

A consultation is a formal meeting with a doctor for discussion or advice regarding a medical problem or procedure.

Doctor Assisted Homicide Assist in killing 20 nemeses.

A doctor-assisted suicide describes a doctor providing a terminally ill patient with the drugs or equipment necessary to end their own life.

Does It Hurt When I Do This? Kill 50 Scouts with your syringe gun.

The phrase "Does it hurt when I do this?" is commonly said when doctors are testing a patient, used to ascertain if bones are broken or dislocated.

Double Blind Trial Deploy an ÜberCharge within 8 seconds of a nearby enemy Medic deploying his.

A double blind trial is a way to test medicine in which neither the patient nor practitioner knows who gets the placebo.

Family Practice ÜberCharge 5 of your Steam Community Friends.

A family practice is a medical specialty that deals with common problems found in people of all ages and sexes, based on the knowledge of the individual and the community they work with and emphasizing health promotion.

First Do No Harm Play a full round without killing any enemies, and score the highest on a team of 6 or more players.

The phrase "Primum non nocere," or "First, do no harm," expresses one of the principal precepts all medical students are taught in medical school and is a fundamental principle for the emergency medical services. It reminds the physician and other health care providers that they consider the possible harm that any intervention might do. This is most often mentioned when debating use of an intervention with an obvious chance of harm but a less certain chance of benefit. Since at least 1860, the phrase has been for physicians a hallowed expression of hope, intention, humility, and recognition that human acts with good intentions may have unwanted consequences.

FYI I am A Medic Use your bonesaw to kill a spy who has been calling for 'Medic!'.

The name and image refers to a popular Youtube video "FYI I am a Spy", in which a Spy uses a spray tag reading "FYI I am a Spy" to distract an enemy Medic and backstab him.

Grand Rounds Heal 200 teammates after they've called for 'Medic!'.

Grand rounds are a process where interns are taught by interviewing patients.

Group Health Work with 2 other Medics to deploy 3 simultaneous ÜberCharges.

"Group health insurance" is a type of health insurance plan provided to group members, usually corporate employees, at a discounted price.

House Call Join a game that one of your friends is in and then deploy an ÜberCharge on him.

A house call is when a doctor treats patients at the patient's home.

Hypocritical Oath Kill an enemy Spy that you have been healing.

The Hippocratic Oath is an oath traditionally taken by physicians pertaining to the ethical practice of medicine. It is widely believed that the oath was written by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, in 4th century BC Greece, or by one of his students.

To say someone is "hypocritical" is to say they are behaving in a way that suggests they have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case.

Infernal Medicine Extinguish 100 burning teammates.

Internal medicine deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.

Intern Accumulate 7000 heal points in a single life.

A medical internship is a sort of apprenticeship for doctors, where doctors/nurses work in a medical institution to get on the job training and experience. A person undergoing an internship is often referred to as an 'intern'.

Medical Breakthrough Assist in destroying 5 enemy Engineer buildings with a single ÜberCharge on a Demoman.

A "medical breakthrough" is a significant (often sudden) advance or achievement that removes a barrier to progress in the field.

Medical Intervention Save a falling teammate from dying on impact.

In medicine, an intervention by a doctor or team of doctors is often employed to cure or prevent a problem with a person, such as performing surgery early on someone developing a tumor.

Midwife Crisis Heal an Engineer as he repairs his sentry gun while it's under enemy fire.

A midlife crisis is a psychological problem where an individual feels as if they wasted half of their life. A midwife, however, is someone who assists in childbirth.

Peer Review Kill 10 Medics with your bone saw.

A peer review is a process where new drugs are vetted by other doctors. In a broader sense, it is a part of the scientific process in which the results of an experiment conducted by one scientist are reviewed and analyzed by other scientists, usually by performing the same experiment and comparing the results.

Placebo Effect Kill 2 enemies in a single life, while having your ÜberCharge ready, but undeployed.

The Placebo Effect is the tendency of any medication or treatment, even an inert or ineffective one, to exhibit results simply because the recipient believes that it will work.

Play Doctor In a team with no Medics, be the first person to switch to Medic after a teammate calls for 'Medic!', and then heal 500 health.

Play Doctor is a game played by children where they pretend to be doctors.

Preventive Medicine Block the enemy from capturing a control point with an ÜberCharged teammate.

Preventive Medicine is a field of medicine that seeks to treat conditions before they appear.

Quadruple Bypass Heal a teammate who's taking fire from 4 enemies at once.

Coronary artery by-pass surgery is a surgical procedure that relieves a severe form of chest pain that can lead to coronary artery disease, in which coronary arteries (which are quite important) have to be "bypassed" (grafting other veins and arteries to the correct blood vessels to do the coronary artery/ies' work). A quadruple bypass is where no less than four coronary arteries are bypassed, which is a very difficult and dangerous procedure. The image of a hamburger is a reference to the Heart Attack Grill.

Sawbones Hit enemies with your bonesaw 5 times in a row without dying or missing.

A "sawbones" is an archaic term for a surgeon, likely invented about the time of the Crimean war. Not surprisingly, the term developed from the fact that a surgeon saws through bones. The Medic is notorious for his liberal use of bone sawing in 'surgery' and his habit of carrying the implement for doing so around with him, and thus this reference is especially relevant.

Second Opinion ÜberCharge 2 teammates at once.

In medicine, it is common for doctors or patients to request a second doctor to provide their input. A second opinion is a means of doing so.

Specialist Accumulate 10000 heal points in a single life.

A medical specialty is where a medical practitioner concentrates on a specific area on top of a general medical knowledge, such as Orthology (bones) or Urology (urine). Specialists who work exclusively in their specific field are generally paid more and are more highly regarded than general practitioners.

Surgical Prep Have an ÜberCharge ready before the Setup phase ends.

Surgical prep is a process where surgeons prepare for an upcoming operation.

Trauma Queen Deploy 3 ÜberCharges in less than 5 minutes, and assist in 5 kills during that time.

The name is a play on the term "drama queen," someone who exaggerates often.

A trauma in medicine is a physical wound to the body caused by an external source.

Triage Deploy an ÜberCharge on a teammate less than a second before they're hit by a critical explosive.

A triage is where patients under medical care are sorted in order of how much treatment they require.

Ubi concordia, ibi victoria Assist in killing 3 enemies on an enemy control point, in a single life.

This translates from Latin to "Where there is unity, there is victory", a phrase attributed to Publius Syrus. Doctors refer to it where specialists work together in order to further the progress of medicine.

The image of a dove also has special significance to Medic, as he keeps many as pets; more specifically, doves.

You'll Feel a Little Prick Assist in killing 3 enemies with a single ÜberCharge on a Scout.

"You'll feel a little prick" is a phrase commonly used to inform patients of up-coming syringe piercings, used in medical diagnosis and cures for a variety of reasons. The term "prick," however, can also mean a cocky or asinine person, something the Scout can be easily described as.

Weapons

Blutsauger

According to German folklore, the blutsauger was a boneless, vampire-like creature that converted its victims by tricking them into eating soil from the blutsauger's grave.

Heal Grenade

The design of the scrapped Heal Grenade appears to be a reference to the Holy Hand Grenade from the 1975 comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Kritzkrieg

The Kritzkrieg's name is a reference to the term Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war"), a popular name for an offensive operational-level military doctrine which involves an initial bombardment followed by the employment of motorized mobile forces attacking with speed and surprise to prevent an enemy from implementing a coherent defense. The most notable occurrence (and likely reference) happened from August 29 - September 1, in which the Nazis used their Panzer tank division in a Blitzkrieg expedition to completely take over Poland. The Kritzkrieg's +25% Über build bonus is a reference to the remarkable speed at which the Nazis were able to conquer Poland.

Quick-Fix

In medicine, a quick fix is a simple treatment that solves a problem quickly, but not necessarily thoroughly.

Solemn Vow

The bust is of Hippocrates, who is regarded as the founder of medicine.

Vita-Saw

The Vita-Saw closely resembles the ADAM Harvester from BioShock.

Cosmetic items

Archimedes Before Archimedes came into the Medic's care, he made his living through wedding dovery. A lucrative trade, but he always felt something was missing. He looks back on the day that the Medic stole that catering van during the prime minister's wedding as the best day of his life. He's been burrowing into the chests of unwitting patients ever since.

The item description also states that Archimedes "[has] been burrowing into the chests of unwitting patients ever since". This references events in Meet the Medic.

Archimedes is named after the ancient Greek scientist and polymath Archimedes of Syracuse, most known for his contributions to various fields of scholarship.

Berlin Brain Bowl

Bunnyhopper's Ballistics Vest

Surgical Survivalist

These items are based on the Medic's design from Team Fortress Classic.

Chronoscarf

This item is based on the scarf worn by the iconic Fourth Doctor from the television series Doctor Who. The item's name itself makes reference to the character of the Doctor's ability to travel through time.

Coldfront Carapace

Coldfront Commander

These items are based on the armor worn by Snowtroopers in the Star Wars franchise.

Derangement Garment

Madmann's Muzzle

These items are based on Hannibal Lecter's outfit in the movie The Silence of The Lambs.

Dr. Whoa

This item is a reference in both name and design to the Eleventh Doctor from the television series Doctor Who, who wears a similar bow tie.

Einstein

This hairstyle is based on that of Albert Einstein, the famous theoretical physicist.

Eliminating The Impossible

This is a reference to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes - specifically, a famous quote by the character: "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

Free Mann's Fashion

Hazardous Environment Vest

These items are based on Gordon Freeman and the Hazardous Environment Suit from the Half-Life series of video games.

Geisha Boy Frog leaps into pond Lotus blossoms fall to earth Medic has girl's hair

The haiku in the description is a parody of one by Matsuo Bashō, the most famous poet of Japan's Edo period:

an ancient pond
a frog jumps in
the splash of water

The hat is named after the 1958 film The Geisha Boy.

Gentleman's Ushanka

This hat, alongside the Officer's Ushanka, are references to the 1982 romantic drama film An Officer and a Gentleman.

Nine-Pipe Problem In the time it takes you to read this description, I've already ubered a heavy, captured your base, solved a crime, and smoked three pipes.

This is a reference to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Specifically, it alludes to the phrase "three pipe problem" introduced in the short story The Red-Headed League, and refers to the amount of tobacco needed to ponder over and deduce the solution to a particular puzzle.

Private Eye

In film and television, Sherlock Holmes is often depicted as wearing a similar deer-stalking hat, though he never did in any of the original novels.

"Private eye" is a term for a private investigator.

Surgeon's Stahlhelm Technically, field medics are protected as noncombatants under the Geneva Convention. The next time you get shot be sure to tell your killer. It's a conversation starter!

The hat's description makes reference to the Geneva Convention, in which field medics' rights are specifically conveyed.

Team Captain Our lawyers say 'YES! YES!'

The appearance and description of this hat is a reference to the Street Fighter series main villain M. Bison. "YES! YES!" refers to the Street Fighter cartoon which is also a widely spread Internet meme.

Virus Doctor Whether you're a 17th century plague doctor, a professional wrestler, or a waiter at a plague-themed family restaurant, this hat lets you look the part while delivering last rites, a Tombstone Piledriver and/or plate after plate of bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers.

The item's description includes a reference to The Undertaker, a retired professional wrestler who wore a plague doctor hat before a match and became famous for his use of the Tombstone Piledriver.

Ze Goggles Nothing

The name and description for Ze Goggles is a reference to a popular line from the episode "Radioactive Man" (Season 7, episode 2) of The Simpsons, where the character Rainier Wolfcastle shouts during a botched action sequence, "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!"

The design of the goggles are based on the Ecto-Goggles from Ghostbusters. Medic dresses and looks like the absent-minded doctor Egon Spengler from the movie.

Taunts

Kritzkrieg

The Medic's Oktoberfest taunt refers to a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany from late September to early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event.

Responses

Objective-related Responses

"Papers, Please."

"Your papers, please.", often shortened to "Papers, please"., is an expression or trope associated with functionaries of authoritarian states, especially those of Nazi Germany.

Other Responses

"Sturm und drang!"

Sturm und Drang (the conventional translation is "Storm and Stress"; a more literal translation, however, might be storm and urge, storm and longing, storm and drive or storm and impulse) is the name of a movement in German literature and music taking place from the late 1760s through the early 1780s in which individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion, were given free expression in response to the confines of rationalism imposed by the Enlightenment and associated aesthetic movements.

"Oktoberfest!" - "Cheers" voice command or Oktoberfest taunt

The Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany from late September to early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event.

"Turn your head and cough." - "Battle Cry" voice command while aiming at an enemy, melee weapon equipped

Turning your head and coughing is part of the procedure of testing for a hernia.

"I am ze Übermensch!" - "Cheers" voice command or while on defense

The Übermensch (or "superman") is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche posited the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself in his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra. This fits with the Medic's sadism and his ethical procedures and methods (or lack thereof), as Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch orbits around moral values and the progress of humanity and their interactions.

However, it is also a possibilty that the line is simply a reference to the comic book hero Superman.

"Horrido!" - at round start

"Horrido" is a traditional German hunting and war cry.

"Can you feel ze Schadenfreude?" - after killing more than 3 enemies in 20 seconds with a primary weapon

Schadenfreude is enjoyment taken from the misfortune of someone else. The word referring to this emotion has been borrowed from German by the English language and is sometimes also used as a loanword by other languages.

"Teeeeeeam!" - at the start of Sudden Death

This is a reference to Colonel Klink's oft heard exclamation of "Schuuuulllllttttz!" from Hogan's Heroes.

"Danke schön, na na, Danke schön." - "Positive" voice command

This is the refrain to the hit 1963 song of the same name popularized by Wayne Newton.

It is interesting to note that the German pronunciation of "schön" is sh-URN while the Medic and Wayne Newton pronounce it in its Yiddish form, "sh-AIN" (rhymes with pain).

"I am melting!" "- on fire

This is a reference to a line from The Wizard of Oz during the scene where the Wicked Witch of the West melts into the ground after being defeated.

"Uh hello! Magic book? Do you still have Demoman's eye? I'll trade you a heart for it!" - during the Spectral Halloween Special when Merasmus brings out the Bombinomicon

This line refers to the scene in Meet the Medic in which the Medic replaces the Heavy's heart with one he has stored in the refrigerator.