House's book, Joseph Bell - A Manual Of The Operations Of Surgery, is real. Additionally, Dr. Joseph Bell was the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, to whom this show often references.
As he talks to Kutner and Taub regarding the mysterious present that House has received, Wilson mentions a fake love interest of House's by the name of "Irene Adler." She was the only woman to outwit Sherlock Holmes and the only female to pique his interest. This is one of the many House-Holmes references.
House says, "Depending on where this school falls on the Heathers scale..." referring to the 1989 black comedy Heathers (1988) which shows a clique of high school girls, three out of four who are named Heather, who rule the school. The movie chronicles the attempts of the fourth girl to break free of the group, but her attempts end in murder.
As he talks to Wilson, House refers to the Kevin Spacey character Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects (1995), which was produced and directed by "House" executive producer Bryan Singer.
This episode marks the fourth time House wears a lab coat.