This is the 300th episode of the Stargate franchise.
During the discussion about taking McKay to the shrine, Ronon interjects saying, "I owe him this!" He is possibly referring back to Tao of Rodney (2006), in which Rodney used his powers to heal the scars on Ronon's back
It's possible that the writers took their inspiration from "Flowers for Algernon", a 1959 science fiction short story (later expanded to a 1966 novel) by American writer Daniel Keyes. Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his intelligence. The story is told as a series of progress reports written by Charlie Gordon, the first human subject for the surgery, and it touches on ethical and moral themes, such as the treatment of the mentally disabled. Charlie goes from someone with a low IQ to a genius and back again with the changes, and his journey is reflected in his journals.