The Greatest Sleuth of All Time – Sherlock Holmes (Part 1)

 

It was a fine autumn morning in the beautiful vicinity of Southsea, where a doctor sat behind his table in a humble medical practice, eagerly waiting for any patients who might come his way in search of medical solutions to their ailments. For days past, hardly anyone had come, leaving his entire practice desolate save for the doctor himself and his assistants. Nonetheless, that autumn morning proved to be different from the mornings before. As he sat in the quietness of his consultation room staring at the scenic view outside, his mind flicked with an instant thought. Without further ado, the doctor picked up a pen and piece of paper, started penning down every detail that poured out from his mind, and in an instant filled the empty piece of paper with the beginnings of a marvelous story – a story that changed his life and the course of world history from that moment onwards……

And indeed, that very same story was later published in the 1887 issue of the magazine Beeton’s Christmas Annual under the renowned title A Study in Scarlet. Such were the humble beginnings of one of the greatest sleuth of all time – Sherlock Holmes.

In every part of the world today, the character known as Sherlock Holmes, commonly depicted with a deerstalker (a checkered cap with brims in the front and back and a pair of ear flaps on each side) together with a cape, has become synonymous with the cool use of deductive reasoning and intelligent application of logic in solving the most perplexing of mysteries and hunting down the most crafty of lawbreakers. From countless motion pictures to various literary spin-offs to even Japanese animations and video games, the reputable sleuth has been a major influence in the global literature and entertainment industry since his inception in 1887. In fact, many principles of deduction and investigation as applied by Sherlock Holmes have even left their stamps in the academic fields of forensic science and medicine.

 A Study in Scarlet, the first ever Sherlock Holmes story, published in the 1887 issue of Beeton's Christmas Annual

Despite his widespread fame and influence, Sherlock Holmes is nonetheless a fictional character produced from the creative imaginations and ideas of the renowned and prolific writer Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (1859 – 1930). Conan Doyle, born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1859, graduated in medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 1881, after which he served as a ship physician in voyages to West Africa and the Arctic.

 Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930), renowned Scottish physician and writer

Upon returning to England, he began setting up a medical practice in Plymouth in 1882 with a former medical classmate. Nevertheless, problems cropped up in between the both of them and as a result, Conan Doyle left and subsequently established his own practice in Southsea, Portsmouth in June 1882. For Conan Doyle, financial problems were his constant companions; he actually had to write fiction to earn some extra income during his student days. Moreover, he started his independent practice in Southsea with just a mere £10 in his pocket.

Conan Doyle’s stint of medical practice in Southsea proved to be rather unsuccessful; hardly any patients ever came to see him. As a result, his financial burdens did not improve much, and he had to resort to writing fiction once again in order to sustain a living. The lack of patients at his practice gave him ample free time to sit down quietly and write fictional works that eventually became his major source of income.

 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his younger days served as a ship physician in voyages to West Africa and the Arctic

It was not until one fine day when Conan Doyle came up with an idea of writing a detective story using a character modelled after his former university lecturer Dr Joseph Bell (1837 – 1911). Dr Bell was a famous lecturer at the medical school of the University of Edinburgh who was very popular amongst his students for his remarkable abilities in making diagnoses and deductions from close observation. Dr Bell often proved his abilities to his students by picking up strangers, making close observations and accurately deducing their occupations and recent activities. Dr Bell’s remarkable skills of deductive reasoning subsequently became a major inspiration for the creation of Sherlock Holmes.

 Sherlock Holmes explaining to his faithful assistant Dr Watson his deductions from a pipe left behind by a client in The Adventure of the Yellow Face

At a time when crime and mystery literature was not yet well-developed, Conan Doyle made a major breakthrough with his creation of Sherlock Holmes. Though detective stories were already existent at that time since Edgar Allan Poe’s creation of the first ever detective story more than 40 years before, none of them were able to achieve widespread popularity among the masses. The appearance of the first ever Sherlock Holmes story in the 1887 issue of Beeton’s Christmas Annual, a novel entitled A Study in Scarlet, set the standard for crime and mystery fiction and started off the Holmesian fandom that has been growing up to now. This first Sherlock Holmes story earned Conan Doyle £25 (about $125 based on the current exchange rate), which then encouraged him to write his second Sherlock Holmes novel, entitled The Sign of Four, which was published in 1890 in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. Since then, he started writing several short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes, which were published in the monthly Strand Magazine.

Sherlock Holmes became an immediate success, in which his popularity rocketed sky-high in just a short period of time. Each month, people would diligently and patiently queue up at newsstands to purchase a copy of the Strand Magazine for a new episode of Sherlock Holmes. The ever-increasing popularity of the great detective brought tremendous monetary rewards for Conan Doyle, until he was finally able to overcome his financial difficulties.

 The Strand Magazine, featuring one of Sherlock Holmes' short stories, The Adventure of the Norwood Builder

As time passed, however, Conan Doyle could no longer tolerate the tight deadlines that he had to meet to submit a new Sherlock Holmes short story for each issue of the magazine. He frequently complained that writing detective stories required the concoction of extremely elaborate plots demanding the mental work of novels. He also personally regarded his Sherlock Holmes stories as low-grade achievements and was himself more interested to write historical novels such as The White Company, which he regarded as his finest work. To him, writing detective stories to satisfy public demand was a burden that shifted his attention away from his finer passions.

Finally, in December 1893, Conan Doyle made a firm resolution to end this “burden” once and for all. In the short story The Final Problem, Conan Doyle deliberately had Holmes and his archenemy, Professor Moriarty, plunge to their deaths down the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, thus killing off the sensational detective who had captivated the hearts of numerous fans. Conan Doyle was resolute in his decision to kill Holmes – “even if I buried my bank account with him,” as he wrote in his autobiography. He justified his decision by writing in his autobiography, “I have been much blamed for doing that gentleman to death, but I hold that it was not murder, but justifiable homicide in self-defense, since, if I had not killed him, he would certainly have killed me.”

 Holmes and his archenemy Professor Moriarty falling to their deaths in the Reichenbach Falls in the short story The Final Problem

His decision to kill off Holmes did not go down well with the masses. A huge public outcry ensued, and Conan Doyle received countless letters from visibly upset readers criticizing his abrupt and shocking decision to “end” the great detective’s life. Many people mourned Holmes’ “death” by wearing black mourning bands to work, and there was purportedly even one letter addressed to Conan Doyle that began with the words, “You brute!”

Despite huge pressure from the public, Conan Doyle remained unyielding in his decision. He committed his time to producing more serious works, particularly historical-themed novels. Nevertheless, despite pouring his heart and soul into writing the historical-themed works that he was more passionate about, none of them were able to capture the attention and garner the favour of the public like how Sherlock Holmes did. None of his non-Holmes literary works were able to match the popularity that the amazing sleuth commanded from his extensive audience.

Conan Doyle never relented from his firm decision until eight years later, when an idea struck him for a novel that involved detective work. He clearly outlined the entire storyline, and all that was left was to put in a character for the story. At that point, he decided that it would be better to use Holmes rather than create a new detective character. Consequently, The Hound of the Baskervilles was published in 1901, whereby the story was set prior to Holmes’ death at the Reichenbach Falls. The novel succeeded in garnering immediate attention and remains one of the finest masterpieces of crime and mystery literature up to this very day.

 The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of the greatest Sherlock Holmes masterpieces of all time

Although The Hound of the Baskervilles was able to satisfy public hunger for Holmes stories temporarily, demands for more adventures of the great detective soon escalated to unquenchable levels. In the end, Conan Doyle conceded and brought the great detective back to life in his next short story, entitled The Adventure of the Empty House. In it, it was explained that Holmes did not actually fall to his death at the Reichenbach Falls; only his archenemy, Professor Moriarty did.
 

 Holmes being "politely" confronted by his archenemy Professor Moriarty

After “reviving” Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle continued writing one more Holmes novel and many more Holmes short stories. He continued writing Holmes stories until 1927, three years prior to his death. Throughout his lifetime, Conan Doyle produced four novels and 56 short stories featuring the intelligent and seemingly undefeatable detective. Since Conan Doyle’s death in 1930, all of his Sherlock Holmes stories have been translated into more than 50 languages, and the great detective has been featured in countless works of other authors and scriptwriters.

(Continued in next part)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle shaking hands with his close associate and renowned magician, Harry Houdini (1874 - 1926)

The Greatest Sleuth of All Time – Sherlock Holmes (Part 2)

(Continued from previous part)

Having said so much about Holmes’ creator, let us now focus our attention on the sensational man of logic and reasoning himself. Sherlock Holmes, undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the field of crime and investigation, does not have much details of his past life revealed in all of his stories. Even his birthday and age are shrouded in mystery, with estimations placing his birth year in either 1854 or 1861, based on information from several of his stories, namely His Last Bow, A Study in Scarlet and The Adventure of the Gloria Scott.

 Holmes reading a blackmail letter delivered to a friend and client in The Adventure of the Gloria Scott

Not much is known about Holmes’ family and ancestry, save the fact that his ancestors were country squires, his grand-uncle was supposedly the prominent French artist Émile Jean-Horace Vernet (1789 – 1863), and his elder brother was Mycroft Holmes. Mycroft is seven years older, and sharper than Sherlock when it comes to observation and deduction. Sherlock himself states in his stories that Mycroft could easily surpass him in solving mysteries and problems, but Mycroft’s lack of drive and energy as compared to Sherlock was a major setback. Mycroft prefers to pass his time in a laidback fashion in the Diogenes Club, which Sherlock describes as “a club for the most un-clubbable men in London.” Occupation wise, Mycroft is a civil servant who holds a very unique and unusual position as a “walking database” for all aspects of government policy, as described in the short story The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans:

“Occasionally he is the British government…the most indispensable man in the country…The conclusions of every department are passed to him, and he is the central exchange, the clearinghouse, which makes out the balance. All other men are specialists, but his specialism is omniscience.”

Sherlock Holmes can be accurately described as more of being a loner with eccentric habits, thus resulting in him having very few friends and close associates. With the exception of his brother Mycroft, Holmes’ closest associate and friend throughout his lifetime is none other than his faithful “sidekick,” Dr John H. Watson. The two met either in 1881 or 1882, after Dr Watson’s return to England following the Second Afghan War. At that time, Holmes was experiencing financial constraints, and had to share his rooms at 221B, Baker Street, with Dr Watson. Dr Watson continues staying with Holmes until sometime before his marriage in 1887, and again after his wife’s death. 

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson meeting Mycroft Holmes over a case in The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter

Indeed, Dr Watson’s initial impression of Holmes upon their first meeting was not exactly positive. In addition to initially perceiving Holmes as an arrogant being with extremely unusual eccentricities, Dr Watson attempted to assess Holmes’ abilities, and came up with the following list in the novel A Study in Scarlet:

1.      Knowledge of Literature – nil

2.      Knowledge of Philosophy – nil

3.      Knowledge of Astronomy – nil

4.      Knowledge of Politics – Feeble

5.      Knowledge of Botany – Variable. Well up in belladonna, opium and poisons generally. Knows nothing of practical gardening.

6.      Knowledge of Geology – Practical, but limited. Tells at a glance different soils from each other. After walks, has shown me splashes upon his trousers, and told me by their colour and consistence in what part of London he had received them.

7.      Knowledge of Chemistry – Profound

8.      Knowledge of Anatomy – Accurate, but unsystematic.

9.      Knowledge of Sensational Literature – Immense. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century.

10.  Plays the violin well.

11.  Is an expert singlestick player, boxer and swordsman.

12.  Has a good practical knowledge of British law.

Sherlock Holmes and his faithful "sidekick" and assistant Dr John H. Watson

Holmes’ observational and deductive skills are second perhaps to none. In many instances, Holmes is able to surprise his clients by accurately guessing their occupations, backgrounds and recent activities just by carefully observing their appearances and actions and making clever deductions. The great detective often works on the premise of his common quotation:

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

As a result of his magnificently sharp observational and deductive skills, many clients from all walks of life frequently seek his assistance to solve various problems. Indeed, throughout all of his stories, Holmes has been consulted by countless people, ranging from members of Europe’s most powerful monarchs and governments to humble governesses and impoverished pawnbrokers hailing from the lower classes of society. The range of cases that the great detective has been engaged in is undoubtedly great as well, ranging from urgent cases of major political scandals with international repercussions to seemingly petty problems of unhappy love affairs.

The King of Bohemia seeking assistance from the great detective in Holmes' first short story A Scandal in Bohemia

In spite of Holmes’ extraordinary investigative skills, he does not often work for the sake of financial gains, but rather for the passion for the art of investigation and deduction itself. Dr Watson describes this accurately in the short story The Adventure of Black Peter:

“Holmes, however, like all great artists, lived for his art’s sake, and, save in the case of the Duke of Holdernesse, I have seldom known him claim any large reward for his inestimable services. So unworldly was he – or so capricious – that he frequently refused his help to the powerful and wealthy where the problem made no appeal to his sympathies, while he would devote weeks of most intense application to the affairs of some humble client whose case presented those strange and dramatic qualities which appealed to his imagination and challenged his ingenuity.”

Nonetheless, in the cases that he does take up, and in which the client involved is a wealthy aristocrat or influential figure, Holmes will claim any material rewards offered to him, remarkable examples being in the cases of The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet and The Adventure of the Priory School. Besides, Holmes has been known to accept priceless mementos, titles and tokens of acknowledgment from several royal and aristocratic clients such as the King of Bohemia, the Dutch royal family, the French President and Queen Victoria. Although Holmes started off as a man in financial need in his first story A Study in Scarlet, in which he had to share his rooms at 221B Baker Street with Dr Watson, his fame eventually grows along with his fortune obtained from grateful wealthy clients, so much so that many years later, in the short story The Adventure of the Dying Detective, Dr Watson remarks that Holmes is not only able to live alone in his rooms without sharing it with anyone else anymore, but he also has the means of purchasing the whole house himself rather than to continue remitting rentals for his rooms.

Holmes and Dr Watson inspecting the body of the dead German teacher, Heidegger in The Adventure of the Priory School

 

For his entire life, Holmes is never married, and he never wishes to do so. He does not find any interest whatsoever in women, except for the distinctly interesting cases that they bring to him. To Holmes, women are difficult to fathom and not to be entirely trusted. This view is reflected in a quotation from The Adventure of the Abbey Grange:

“And yet the motives of women are so inscrutable…How can you build on such a quicksand? Their most trivial action may mean volumes, or their most extraordinary conduct may depend upon a hairpin or a curling tongs.”

Holmes also justifies his personal lack of interest in relationships with women in general, and female clients in particular, with the following quotation from The Sign of Four:

“It is of the first importance not to allow your judgement to be biased by personal qualities. A client is to me a mere unit – a factor in a problem. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance money.”

As a result of such views towards the opposite sex, Dr Watson sometimes comments that Holmes is as cold and inhuman as a calculating machine, who merely accepts input in the form of problems from his clients, and churns out the necessary solutions without a tinge of emotion or interest attached to them.

Elements of eccentricity in Holmes’ lifestyle are reflected in his peculiar and sometimes unhealthy habits regarding his self-care. Whenever he is intensely following a hot trail in the course of his investigations, he permits himself no food and tends to skip meals until he solves the case at hand. Holmes also has the tendency to sink into deep self-absorption especially during times of lack of stimulating cases to pursue. Nevertheless, he often recovers almost instantly and springs into an enthusiastic action mode when an interesting case comes his way.

In times of self-absorption in the absence of interesting cases, Holmes uses cocaine to stimulate his brain, and may occasionally use morphine for the same reason. Dr Watson often views this habit as Holmes’ “only vice” and strongly disapproves it on the grounds that it may affect the detective’s mental health and intellect. He tries to “wean” Holmes off cocaine, but succeeds only temporarily at times, after which Holmes’ addiction for the drug kicks in again, especially in prolonged times of boredom without stimulating cases.

The great sleuth lying "extremely sick" in his bed while talking with Dr Watson in The Adventure of the Dying Detective

Indeed, despite being merely a fictional character of crime and mystery literature, this great detective of detectives and logician of logicians has left a profound imprint and legacy upon many areas of entertainment and the academics. Holmes’ remarkably extraordinary deductive powers in crime scene investigations are often hailed by forensic scientists and crime scene investigators worldwide as being a great source of inspiration for their work. Many principles of questioned document examination as used in forensic science today are ostensibly based on Holmesian methods of trace evidence analysis (study of evidences involving different objects contacting one another e.g. tyre impressions, footprints etc.), ballistics (science of mechanics dealing with projectiles e.g. bullets, rockets etc.) and handwriting analysis. In fact, principles of Holmesian deduction, which involves hypothesis-testing and generating inferences based on careful observation and logical analysis, are commonly utilized in many academic fields today, such as scientific experimentation and investigations, criminology and clinical reasoning in medical practice.

Just like how an extremely popular diva commands a huge fanbase, so too does this renowned detective, despite being fictional. Sherlock Holmes’s popularity has grown so much in magnitude and extent that even Sherlockian societies have been established in many countries in honour of the amazing sleuth. The first ever Sherlockian societies to come into existence were established way back in 1934, namely the Sherlock Holmes Society in London and the Baker Street Irregulars in New York. Up to the time this article is written, these two societies are still known to be active, in which the London-based Sherlock Holmes Society is still known to arrange regular visits to notable sites featured in his stories, such as the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland.

The Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland - one of the most popular hotspots for Sherlockian fans, being the site where Holmes and Professor Moriarty fell to their deaths in The Final Problem

The unprecedented popularity that Sherlock Holmes has managed to garner over the decades has also warranted the founding of the Sherlock Holmes Museum in the heart of London. Opened in 1990, the museum is situated in Baker Street and bears the number 221B, although being situated between numbers 237 and 241. This was intentionally done with legal permission in order to coincide with Holmes’ famous address, 221B Baker Street.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum in the heart of London - a must-visit for any Sherlockian fan

221B Baker Street was purely a fictional address that Conan Doyle came up with in his stories. In spite of the fact that there really was a Baker Street in London during Conan Doyle’s time, 221B never existed at that time. However, avid fans of Holmes, making belief that he really existed, have been searching for his “actual house” for decades, albeit in total vain.

In the 1930s, street numbers in Baker Street were reallocated, and lots 219 to 229 Baker Street were occupied by a banking organization and building society known as Abbey House (subsequently Abbey National). 221B was commonly thought to exist somewhere in between, thus Abbey House frequently received letters from Sherlock Holmes fans worldwide, some even requesting to “hire” the great detective. Letters received were in such great numbers that Abbey House eventually created a “secretary to Sherlock Holmes” position in its organization to respond to all those letters.

The establishment of the Sherlock Holmes Museum created a long tussle with Abbey House over the legal use of the address 221B Baker Street. In the end, the museum succeeded in obtaining legal rights for its usage, and the museum has been a hotspot for Sherlock Holmes fans from all over the globe up to today. Exhibitions in the museum include detailed reproductions of the rooms Holmes and Dr Watson shared, based on descriptions in the Sherlock Holmes stories, as well as replicas of numerous objects belonging to the great detective and his renowned assistant.

The 221B Baker Street plaque on the former Abbey House headquarters

 

A postcard depicting an artist's impression of 221B Baker Street

Doubtless to say, the great detective, though merely being a fictional character walking only in the realm of stories, has managed to attain standards of fame and splendour equivalent to, if not better than, any real celebrity who has ever walked the surface of this earth. From inspiring countless spin-offs, movies and TV serials to even Japanese animations such as Detective Conan, Sherlock Holmes has proven himself not only of being able to surpass the wiliness of the wiliest of criminals, but also to transcend the tide of time and the barriers of language to emerge as the most adored and sought after detective of all. His near-unparalleled fame has earned him not only a name in the UK Police Force (HOLMES 2 being the UK Police Force’s information technology system, named after Holmes), but also a posthumous honorary fellowship from the Royal Society of Chemistry normally reserved for Nobel Laureates and distinguished academics only.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson being portrayed by Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law respectively in the 2009 motion picture Sherlock Holmes

Statue of Sherlock Holmes in Picardy Place, Edinburgh, the birthplace of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle