The Scientific Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case with Science and Forensics
James O’Brien
Sherlock Holmes and his methods have been criticized since the beginning. A news article titled Every Man His Own Holmes was published in the New York Times in 1894 after the first Holmes story “A Study in Scarlet” swept the public away. In this piece this editor describes the epidemic Holmes has caused:
“Everyone knows the exasperating way in which Sherlock Holmes made what he called deductions. If he saw a man with muddy boots, he instantly deduced from that fact a long history of the man’s career, from his cradle to the moment when his boots became muddy. This was not sheer impudence. It was rather a species of madness, and like certain varieties of madness it had a great deal of method in it.” (The New York Times)
It was Doyle’s use of deductions and knowledge of sciences that allowed Sherlock Holmes to influence and inspire the use of science in real-life crime work. As we have advanced in the fields
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O’Brien offers a short history of the uses of handwriting analysis and printed documents followed by his best chosen case reference: the New York Zodiac Killer. O’Brien mentions the notes written by the Zodiac Killer, but he doesn’t detail the full role the letters played in the case.
“For years the Zodiac taunted the police with weird ciphers, phone calls, insulting and cryptic messages. . . . [a cipher] key was handwritten on a sheet of white paper, and was accompanied by a short typewritten note on a 3x5 index card expressing hope that ‘the enclosed key will prove beneficial to you in connection with the cipher letter writer.’ It was signed "concerned citizen” (crimelibrary.com).
Providing the full details supports Holmes’ approach in utilizing documents (written and typed) as well as the case containing the
On page 39, it describes the moment in which bullies from his school force him to go face to face with a skeleton in a doctor’s office. Such a terrible experience truly could have scarred Holmes, but at the same time his comfortability with an representation of death could have prompted his killer roots. Also, the “accidental” death of Holmes’s childhood friend, at an event that Holmes was present, was another red flag in terms of potentially becoming a psychopath. We learn more of Holmes’s younger upbringing through the text in which it states,"He drifted through childhood as a small, odd, and exceptionally bright boy....in the cruel imaginations of his peers, he became prey" (Larson, 38) Holmes was essentially an outcast, a person who has been rejected by society or a social group. He was the target of many because of his oddness and rather unique characteristics. With no solid upbringing, and a probable fascination with death, Holmes was bound to be the infamous serial killer he became in his future.
There is one immensely popular figure in Victorian literature that uses scientific deduction to solve criminal mysteries, and his curiosity to solve mysteries has become his obsession. However, he is so cool and distant from his own emotions that he does not care if the obsession leads to his destruction, as long as he solves the mystery to appease his voracious mind first. The only thing that truly excites him in a passionate way, the one thing that causes any emotion within his cool demeanor, is his curiosity, which is his addiction, for solving mysteries. He is the hero of the story The Sign of Four, and his name, of course, is Sherlock Holmes.
Lycett, A. (2007). The man who created Sherlock Holmes: the life and times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. New York: Free Press.
People thought Zodiac was unintelligent, but that perception was obviously wrong because he had training in the following areas: explosives, cryptography, astrology, chemistry and guns. He also knew how to prevent leaving fingerprints on crime scenes; he could have learned that from jail. He knew he was clever and it made him happy to know that the police seemed to be running in circles. His letters themselves were works of art. He used codes and symbols as easily as normal people print the alphabet. It was thought at the beginning that the letters were in Zodiac's own handwriting. Later on, the theory was that he was using samples of alphabet letters taken from other people. He then used a tracing and enlarging device to reprint them into a letter. This man was clever enough to throw off the police by coding of his letters. He often used astrological symbols and signs. If his intent was to frighten San Francisco, then he achieved his goals without a doubt. His name, Zodiac.
The palimpsest known as Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, is constantly evolving and adapting to the changing standards of society and the world (Wilson, P. K., n.d.). Although Sherlock is evolving and adapting these interpretations do not alter or diminish who Sherlock truly is. Sherlock’s observant behavior and cunning ways have not changed, he has stayed recognizable, yet there are still changes being made to his character. Through the use of discourse communities, “a group of people who share a set of discourses, understood as basic values and assumptions, and ways of communicating about those goals,” individuals may freely voice their opinions as well as their views on Sherlock and things related to him (Wikipedia,
First, Holmes is the first scientific detective. Second, all of his cases ended up solved so therefore there are no flaws in his method. Well after researching in and out of books and web sites, I finally found the "true" way Holmes solved crimes. The site I found such spectacular information is Sherlockian.Net. This sight was helpful and it made me understand most of the stories by Conan Doyle.
The low rates of a person going to medical school to learn skills to become an expert at killing are really rare. This is one of the factor that makes Holmes a very unique criminal; as he was hidden behind the standards of what society defined as civilized, successful and normal.
The aim of this somewhat ambitiously titled paper is to use Marxist literary criticism to understand the literary merits of the Sherlock Holmes series, given its historical location and specificity. The idea is to analyse Holmes’ ‘Victorian-ness’ and place it in the socio-economic framework of that era. Special attention has been paid to character interaction and Holmes’ reaction to the dominant class and vocational ideologies (the word is used here in its Marxist sense) of his day.
This paper will explore the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and his companion and friend Dr. John Watson. What is the relationship between Holmes and Watson? Are they compatible or are their differences to great for them to overcome. Looking at how they work together will also be a key factor in how well the relationship works between the two of them. Do their own interests and abilities get in the way? Does the time period in which they live factor into the environment of their communication styles?
For Sherlock Holmes, his partner in crime is Dr. John H. Watson. Not only is he a trusted friend, but also he is Holmes’ associate and the first person narrator of the Sherlock tales. The stories of Sherlock Holmes are a collection of short stories and fictional novels created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These stories are based on a famous and most notorious detective all throughout London, Sherlock Holmes. Along his side, Dr. Watson narrates his and Holmes’ detective cases and reveals Sherlock’s abilities and knowledge of solving cases and fighting deadly crimes. For the duration of the stories, Watson and Holmes share a particular relationship where Holmes verbally dominates Watson, “You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is very clear” (Doyle 241). When he isn’t insulting Dr. Watson he talks about how much he relies on his partner, “I am lost without my Boswell” (Doyle 243).
Sherlock Holmes, one of the most famous fictional characters in literary history is a detective capable of solving the most complex mysteries. The author behind the character, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a very successful British writer. The majority of his literary success is due to his crime-fiction tales such as the Sherlock Holmes series. However, Mr. Doyle and Mr. Holmes himself must not take all the credit because there is another character that plays a major role in the stories success. He goes by the name of Dr. Watson, Holmes’ sidekick. The importance of Dr. Watson is evident in many of Doyle’s stories such as A Scandal in Bohemia and A Study in Scarlett.
In this essay you will read about Watson’s perspective. This essay will also include how the author developed Watson’s perspective in each passage. Watson has two different perspectives towards Holme’s through the passages, “Sherlock Holmes and the Blue Carbuncle” and “How Watson Learned the Trick.”
...ative ways to solve crimes, Holmes is also an early leader who paved the way for modern-day crime solving. The creation of the famous Sherlock Holmes, one of the most prominent fictional characters in history, has influenced many aspects of the world today, such as literature, entertainment, and modern day crime solving techniques.
James Kissane and John M. Kissane, “Sherlock Holmes and the Ritual of Reason”, in Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Vol.17, NO.4, March 1963, pp.353-62.
When his good friend Dr. Watson described him, it included adjectives such as, “Bohemian, accurate, curious, and has as calculating nature.” Holmes was always thought to have a curious ability for analytical reasoning which helped him to succeed when unraveling crimes. He was also known to have the ability to “lie to police, conceal evidence, or break into houses when he felt morally justifiable.” Sherlock Holmes worked hand in hand with Scotland Yard in London, England. He was considered a respected and talented investigator.