Sherman Potter is a fan of singer Tex Ritter. Tex's son John Ritter made a guest appearance earlier, playing a wounded GI who takes Major Burns hostage in the shower.
In this episode, during both sessions in the O.R., the tables on which the patients are being operated are all set at a different angle (perpendicular) to where they are in all other episodes. Instead of four tables in a row next to each other, there are two set up head to toe, with one being parallel to them.
There is an interesting detail in this episode: When Dr. Newsome leaves the O.R., he reaches up to remove his surgical mask. Despite the fact his hands are covered in blood, there is no blood transferred to his surgical cap when he touches it. A short time later, it is shown that this is the beginning of his mental collapse where he laments, "I can't get the blood off of my hands, it just won't come off." When seen in this light, the fact the blood literally did not "leave his hands" is a concrete realization of his mental trauma.
In the previous episode, "Bottle Fatigue", Winchester goes nuts when he learns his sister Honoria is going to marry an Italian. In this episode, Winchester spends as much time as he can listening to opera singer Enrique Caruso, who is Italian.
The title is from "Physician, heal thyself" a proverb found in Luke 4:23.