Sherlock Holmes
 Arthur Conan Doyle born in Scotland 1859
 Studied at Edinburgh University
 Medical training…his own practice…eye surgery
 Favorite author Poe
 Married Louise Hawkins
 To please his wife he started to write
 He wanted someone to tell his stories…Dr. Watson
 The thought a detective should be:
Clever
Absolutely fearless
Have an unusual manner
Special charm
o His first stories appeared in Strand Magazine
o By 1890 gave up medicine for writing
o Soon became famous
o He intended to write only 6 stories but the public
wanted more
o Enlisted in the army and became a army doctor
o Was rewarded by becoming a knight
o July 1930 died
Detective Story
o Has 3 elements
o Plot
o Setting
o Much detail
The detective’s success at solving crimes depends on his
ability to make logical deductions based on the evidence at
hand.
Rules for Mystery Writers
o Reader must have equal opportunity w/ detective to
solve the mystery
o Writer should not play tricks on the reader
o Mystery should be solved by logical deduction not by
accident
o Solution should not be complicated
“Adventures of the Speckled Band”
Family Estates
o Aristocratic families owned land …town nearby
Gypsies
o Viewed with suspicion
o Thought to be kidnappers
o Nomadic
o Spoke own language
Toxicology
o Study of poisons
o Toxins produced by snakes, poison ivy, mushrooms
o Often found in labs
o Some household products
o Some medicines
o Each yr. more than 1 million people are poisoned
about 5,000 die
o Most accidents occur b/c no label reading
Transportation
o Holmes deducts Helen Stoner used the train and dog
cart
o 1st stage coach 1640
o Most people walked or rode horses
o Distances 5 to 10 miles were long trips
o 1700’s paved roads English and French
o 1800’2 steam powered locomotives/60 miles and hr.
Swamp Adder
o Not a real snake in India
o Description Doyle used matched Branded Krout, a
poisonous snake in Asia
o It has alternate bands of yellow and black…each are 1
to 1.5 wide
o Its venom is 16 times more powerful that of the cobra