Inspirations

I draw inspirations from a number of sources.  In no particular order...

For the sheer scope, inspiration, and philosophy
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan and Steven Soter
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey hosted by Neil De Grasse Tyson, written by Ann Druyan
Anathem by Neal Stephenson

For the Structure
Scrubs
House MD
Sherlock

For the "historical doctor" feel
Dr. Mütter's Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine
by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin
The Name of the Wind / Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Quicksilver (Book 1 of the Baroque Cycle... haven't made it through to the rest quite yet!) by Neal Stephenson
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

For the nostalgic love of medicine

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vergese

Lives of a Cell: Notes by a Biology Watcher by Lewis Thomas

For jaded fatigue of medicine
House of God by Samuel Shem

For the precocious hero/nerd wish-fulfillment

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky
Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
the Fable of the Dragon Tyrant by Nick Bostrom

Certainly if anything strikes a chord with anything you've read that I haven't cited, let me know so I can check it out!