Difference between revisions of "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)"
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| + | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, attended Edinburgh University [[Medical School]] from 1876 to 1881. | ||
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| + | While he was based in Edinburgh, the Royal Infirmary moved from its cramped facilities in Infirmary Street to Lauriston Place in 1880, and a new Medical School at Teviot Place was being planned. It was completed in 1884. | ||
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| + | Conan Doyle trained as a specialist in ophthalmology and then set up in private consulting rooms in Wimpole Street, London. | ||
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| + | He had always written short stories to supplement his income, but in Wimpole Street he was able to do so more seriously because ‘no patients passed through his door’. | ||
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| + | He invented Sherlock Holmes and stopped practicing medicine completely in 1891 after the success of the first five Holmes novels. | ||
| + | Inspired by medicine | ||
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| + | Conan Doyle hit on the magic formula of a private detective solving crimes that mystified the constabulary just as forensic medicine was becoming a science. | ||
| + | |||
| + | He drew on all the knowledge instilled into him during his time at Edinburgh’s Medical School to give the stories their unique mix of science and fiction. | ||
| + | |||
| + | He clearly had a keen eye for detail and an excellent memory, and unashamedly used the characters of his Edinburgh tutors and lecturers, along with the details of their cases, to embellish his novels. | ||
| + | Dr Joseph Bell | ||
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| + | Dr Joseph Bell was the model for the complex character of Sherlock Holmes. | ||
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| + | He lectured in medicine at the University of Edinburgh and Conan Doyle worked as his assistant while a student. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Like Holmes, Bell was famed for has astute powers of observation and deduction through his meticulous attention to detail. | ||
| + | Sir Robert Christison | ||
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| + | Sir Robert Christison, Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics, was a legendary Edinburgh figure in Conan Doyle’s time. | ||
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| + | Like Holmes, he experimented with dangerous drugs, using both himself and his students as guinea pigs, and he is said to have chewed coca leaves while climbing in the highlands. | ||
| + | Sir Henry Littlejohn | ||
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| + | Sir Henry Littlejohn was Edinburgh’s first Medical Officer of Health and an extremely popular lecturer. | ||
| + | |||
| + | He gave Conan Doyle insight into how scientific advances, such as photography and fingerprinting, could be exploited to apprehend criminals. | ||
[[Category:Alumni|Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir]] [[Category:Benefactors|Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir]] [[Category:Incomplete]] | [[Category:Alumni|Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir]] [[Category:Benefactors|Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir]] [[Category:Incomplete]] | ||
Revision as of 13:21, 17 November 2014
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, attended Edinburgh University Medical School from 1876 to 1881.
While he was based in Edinburgh, the Royal Infirmary moved from its cramped facilities in Infirmary Street to Lauriston Place in 1880, and a new Medical School at Teviot Place was being planned. It was completed in 1884.
Conan Doyle trained as a specialist in ophthalmology and then set up in private consulting rooms in Wimpole Street, London.
He had always written short stories to supplement his income, but in Wimpole Street he was able to do so more seriously because ‘no patients passed through his door’.
He invented Sherlock Holmes and stopped practicing medicine completely in 1891 after the success of the first five Holmes novels. Inspired by medicine
Conan Doyle hit on the magic formula of a private detective solving crimes that mystified the constabulary just as forensic medicine was becoming a science.
He drew on all the knowledge instilled into him during his time at Edinburgh’s Medical School to give the stories their unique mix of science and fiction.
He clearly had a keen eye for detail and an excellent memory, and unashamedly used the characters of his Edinburgh tutors and lecturers, along with the details of their cases, to embellish his novels. Dr Joseph Bell
Dr Joseph Bell was the model for the complex character of Sherlock Holmes.
He lectured in medicine at the University of Edinburgh and Conan Doyle worked as his assistant while a student.
Like Holmes, Bell was famed for has astute powers of observation and deduction through his meticulous attention to detail. Sir Robert Christison
Sir Robert Christison, Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics, was a legendary Edinburgh figure in Conan Doyle’s time.
Like Holmes, he experimented with dangerous drugs, using both himself and his students as guinea pigs, and he is said to have chewed coca leaves while climbing in the highlands. Sir Henry Littlejohn
Sir Henry Littlejohn was Edinburgh’s first Medical Officer of Health and an extremely popular lecturer.
He gave Conan Doyle insight into how scientific advances, such as photography and fingerprinting, could be exploited to apprehend criminals.