The Complete Sherlock Holmes

"Sherlock Holmes is the prototype for the master criminologist – the methodical detective who uses science to solve crime. I’m struck by the similarity between the powers attributed to Sherlock Holmes in that era and those attributed to the CSI television shows in our own. It might seem an odd comparison, but think about it: Sherlock Holmes used the latest methods in scientific analysis, solved crimes with blinding speed and was dead certain of himself at all times. Which is exactly what characterises today’s CSI shows. “I’m struck by the similarity between the powers attributed to Sherlock Holmes in that era and those attributed to the CSI television shows in our own.” Interestingly, Dr Lacassagne, the French criminologist who is the hero of my book, was a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories , which were published in the course of his career. In fact, he was such a fan that he had one of his graduate students prepare a thesis on the science of Sherlock Holmes. I was lucky enough to find it, and found Dr Lacassagne’s handwritten remarks scribbled all over it. You can imagine my excitement at finding the real-life hero of my book commenting on one of the great fictional detectives of all time. Conversely, Conan Doyle knew about the real scientists and their work, and mentions them in his stories. So there was an amazing interplay between fiction and nonfiction. Although he enjoyed Sherlock Holmes, Lacassagne thought the science was a bit weak. Holmes worked alone, while real-life forensic scientists worked in teams, even then. Most notably, Holmes never conducted an autopsy – which even then was the staple of the criminal investigation. Of course, none of that detracted from Holmes’s popularity. In a world beset by uncertainty and chaos and fear, it’s comforting to imagine there is someone out there who, with keen intelligence and a scientific method, can put things back in order, and make the world safe again. I think that’s part of Holmes’s enduring appeal. Yes. The British were maybe ten to 15 years behind. The Americans were decades behind. The real leaders comprised a coterie of scientists in France, Austria, Italy and Germany."

"Dr Gooddy, the teacher I mentioned earlier—who recommended I read Proust—also recommended we read Arthur Conan Doyle. The plots are quite basic compared with modern detective fiction, but each generation rediscovers Holmes for themselves. In this very troubled world and uncertain future, we are all attracted to this character who appears to solve crime with rational logic. When I was young, I never wanted to be like Sherlock Holmes —I found him quite an unpleasant character. He treated his best friend Dr Watson very badly. I wanted to be more like Watson, a successful doctor. The method Holmes used to solve his crimes bears close similarities to that used in clinical practice to diagnose neurological disease. Even with fancy scans and genetics and so on, the problem-solving and crime-solving methods are really quite similar. It is often claimed that Holmes is the epitome of the rational, cold-blooded scientist but, in fact, most of his crimes are solved by backing his hunches and a fair amount of guesswork. His sleuthing in fact involved a process of elimination and of course knowing where to look. He was an expert in his field. “Holmes is still the alter ego of many neurologists” What you can learn from Sherlock Holmes are the rewards of paying great attention to small details, things that others may have considered irrelevant red-herrings. Then there is the importance of negatives such as ‘the curious incident of the dog in the night-time’: it was the fact the dog didn’t bark that allowed Holmes to solve the crime. Of course reaching the right diagnosis in neurology is only the beginning. What excites me is the neurology that is invisible on a brain scan. This is where careful history taking and medical sleuthing comes into its own. Doyle graduated from Edinburgh Medical School but struggled to make a decent living as a doctor. In those days, there wasn’t a National Health Service so, to make a living, doctors needed to have a private practice. Doyle tried to set up in Harley Street as an eye specialist but attracted very few patients. Fortunately, his stories were starting to get picked up by The Strand Magazine at this time and he was soon able to give up medicine completely and focus on his writing. Doyle always claimed that he had based Holmes’s technique on the diagnostic approach of one of his teachers, Joseph Bell, who was a surgeon and able, through careful observation, to make inspired spot-diagnoses in clinic. But I think the level of sophistication of Holmes’s method suggests that he may also have been influenced by the early neurologists who were just developing this speciality at the time. I have a feeling that he may have attended some of the clinical demonstrations by the great neurologist William Gowers, at the hospital where I now work in Queen Square. As part of the diagnostic process one of the things Holmes used—and we also use a lot to gain confidence—is ‘body watching’. You make a spot-diagnosis almost as soon as a patient walks into the consulting room. A little bit of showmanship—you mustn’t overdo it—can give your patient confidence in your ability. Authority and trust are essential to be a good doctor. Holmes is still the alter ego of many neurologists."

"It is essentially an impossible crime. A victim is found murdered in a locked room and there are no obvious entrances or exits from it. How was the crime committed? How did the murderer escape? Seemingly only supernatural means can explain this impossible situation. But a detective like Sherlock Holmes will figure out how it all really happened. The Speckled Band is also a kind of gothic story. You have a wonderful villain in Dr Roylott, and you have the isolated home, the mysterious sounds and habits of the household. Most Sherlockians, if they had to pick just one story to represent the canon, would choose this one. For many years, it and The Red-Headed League were the two adventures most often reprinted in school textbooks. It has a superbly eerie atmosphere and it gives you all kinds of details about Sherlock Holmes and Watson. As a story, everything in it comes together perfectly."