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James Goldzwig
Ms. Caitlin Martin
ENG 112
29 February 2012
Sherlock Holmes: A Medical Model
Sherlock Holmes is a pop icon so well known that he hardly requires any sort
of introduction. He is, of course, the great detective, the investigator on the level that
all others aspire to attain. His many adventures with Watson give him an air of
mystery and brilliance, but they also bring out a quality that is slightly less flattering
and perhaps less famous than his deductive reasoning skills: a social ineptitude on
an enormous scale. Many of his primary personality traits as well as his brilliance in
investigation and incompetence in social situations has lead many readers to
suspect that Holmes possessed a type of autism typically referred to as Asperger’s
Syndrome (Radomile).
Asperger’s Syndrome is considered by many to be both a superpower and a
handicap. Those diagnosed with Asperger’s tend to show hyper-focus on ideas and
objects that may have great significance or none at all. This enables them to see
details that may escape a “normal” person’s notice (Radomile). Unfortunately, this
focus can lead to an inability to understand ideas that a “normal person” could pick
up on easily, perhaps due to the Aspergian person considering such ideas as
unimportant or insignificant. In Holmes’ case, this is demonstrated mainly by his
ignorance of facts that have no “effect on his everyday life” such as the fact that the
Earth orbits the sun. Asperger’s wasn’t really discovered until 70 after the creation
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of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Radomile). This begs the question:
how does one create a character that exhibits traits so similar to an “undiscovered”
condition?
Of course, simply because Asperger’s had not yet been identified as a
condition does not mean it did not previously exist. It is thought that the character
of Sherlock Holmes is based heavily on a friend of Doyle’s, Dr. Joseph Bell. Doyle is
thought to have written to Bell, "It is most certainly to you that I owe Sherlock
Holmes. Round the centre of deduction and inference and observation which I have
heard you inculcate I have tried to build up a man” (Albrecht). This would be logical,
as Dr. Bell was known for his effective observation techniques that allowed him to
diagnose patients based upon more than just their symptoms. He would watch how
a person moved, talked, or acted as well as any physical markings or features that
would assist him in identifying the person and their work. When he factored these
aspects into what he knew of the patients’ ailments, he was able to diagnose them
extremely accurately and effectively. It is even said that Doyle himself may have
played the Watson to Bell’s Holmes, as a student and a friend (“Sherlock Holmes and
Dr. Joseph Bell”).
An extremely important aspect of Holmes’ Asperger’s Syndrome was his
ability to “observe” rather than to just “see.” Though there seems to not be much of a
difference between them to most people, Holmes’ considered the terms to be a
world apart. Holmes explained this difference to Watson by using a rather simple
example. He asked Watson how many times he had “seen” the stairs that lead up to
their apartment, to which Watson responded “hundreds of times.” When asked to
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tell how many steps there were, Watson was unable to respond. “Quite so!” retorted
Holmes. “You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now,
I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed”
(“Don’t Just See, Observe…”). This reinforces the idea of Holmes and his Aspergian
condition. The number of steps to an upper level is a detail that many of the general
population would not be able to recall due to their “seeing” without “observing”
whereas one with Asperger’s Syndrome may be able to instantly recall the number
of steps in a staircase they have only scaled once as a result of observing.
A question that may be still lingering is how these Aspergian tendencies
carry over from one incarnation of Holmes to the next. The character has been
reimagined countless times since his creation. In modern times, there are two main
forms of the character, one being Robert Downing Jr.’s Victorian era version in the
2010 film and the other being BBC’s modern day version. Both exhibit strong signs
of Asperger’s, including the social ineptitude (or possibly indifference), attention to
details that others skim over or miss completely, and ignorance to facts and ideas
that they deem “unimportant” (Liang). Of course, there are a few things that differ in
their psychology. In BBC’s version, Holmes is a self-diagnosed sociopath, whereas
the Downing’s counterpart makes no such claim (“A Study in Pink”). In fact, he
seems so focused on him cases and investigations, he makes no sort of attempt to
understand him problems in dealing with people. Interestingly, the two versions of
Watson differ as well, where the BBC incarnation seems to be more understanding
and tolerant of Holmes’ hijinks than the Victorian era version, who seems to have a
shorter temper. This is quite understandable, though, as Downing’s Holmes seems
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to be bolder and have less regard for those around him (“A Study in Pink”, ”Sherlock
Holmes”). Regardless, it shows that both versions have an accurate representation
of the original Holmes’ Aspergian traits.
In addition to the “official “ incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, there are many
other characters in pop culture that have been derived from Holmes talents, though
they are given a different sort of social or mental problems. Examples abound in
modern day shows such as House, Monk, and Psych. Each of these television shows
center on a main character who has some obnoxious or even debilitating mental
conditions, but also proves to have an uncanny ability for deduction, such as Adrian
Monk’s obsessive-compulsive disorder. Trying to relate to somebody who thinks so
differently from the “norm” and yet attains a seemingly unreachable brilliance is
quite attractive to many, as it presents an interesting challenge to understand an
extremely unique personage. This is a reoccurring theme throughout entertainment
mediums, even beyond the detective and mystery genre.
The general public evidently enjoys a character with perceived superpowers,
such as Holmes, but with tribulations of their own. Batman and Spider-Man are both
characters that are designed as ordinary people put into extraordinary
circumstances and they emerge as extraordinary people themselves. This really is
not very different from what Holmes or Monk experience. Their extenuating
situations are simply internal rather than external. The conditions they deal with,
Asperger’s and obsessive-compulsive disorder, shape them into the people they are,
as they have had to deal with that condition for their entire lives. So, in a sense,
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without Asperger’s Syndrome, there would be no Sherlock Holmes, at least, not the
Holmes everyone knows today.
Sherlock Holmes has long been considered the golden standard to which all
investigators are compared. If one is likened to Holmes, it is almost always
considered a compliment (excluding the possibility of sarcastic remarks.) Often,
Holmes’ Aspergian tendencies have been overlooked, especially in the way of social
interactions. Thankfully, the new incarnations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic
character have generally stayed true to his creation, giving modern day viewers and
readers a better idea of what Sherlock Holmes represents and what his character
was like, rather than just his legacy of brilliance in investigation. Gaining insight to
the rest of his psyche and personality assists viewers and readers in understanding
why Holmes is able to “observe” as he does and how it affects his everyday life as
well as his investigational talents. As a result, the audience gains a better
understanding of Asperger’s Syndrome and subsequently learns how Asperger’s can
be both a blessing and a curse.