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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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, studied [[medicine]] at Edinburgh University from 1876 to 1881. Not only did his fiction drew on the medical knowledge acquired, but the character of Holmes himself is modelled on lecturers that Conan Doyle knew at Edinburgh. He drew particular inspiration from Dr [[Joseph Bell (1837-1911)]], for whom he worked as an assistant, and who renowned for the astute powers of observation and deduction that he derived from meticulous attention to detail. Another possible archetype is [[Sir Robert Christison (1797-1882)]], Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics, who, like Holmes, experimented with dangerous drugs using both himself and his students as guinea pigs. Another important influence was [[Sir Henry Duncan Littlejohn (1826-1914)]] who gave Conan Doyle insight into how scientific advances, such as photography and fingerprinting, could be exploited to apprehend criminals.
  
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In 1902, Edinburgh University established a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Prize at the writer's request. It was to be awarded each year on the Graduation Day to the most distinguished medical graduate from South Africa.
  
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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== Sources ==
  
Conan Doyle trained as a specialist in ophthalmology and then set up in private consulting rooms in Wimpole Street, London.
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*''Medical Detectives'' [[http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/about/conan-doyle], accessed 17 November 2014]
  
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.
 
  
 
[[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 13:41, 17 November 2014

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, studied medicine at Edinburgh University from 1876 to 1881. Not only did his fiction drew on the medical knowledge acquired, but the character of Holmes himself is modelled on lecturers that Conan Doyle knew at Edinburgh. He drew particular inspiration from Dr Joseph Bell (1837-1911), for whom he worked as an assistant, and who renowned for the astute powers of observation and deduction that he derived from meticulous attention to detail. Another possible archetype is Sir Robert Christison (1797-1882), Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics, who, like Holmes, experimented with dangerous drugs using both himself and his students as guinea pigs. Another important influence was Sir Henry Duncan Littlejohn (1826-1914) who gave Conan Doyle insight into how scientific advances, such as photography and fingerprinting, could be exploited to apprehend criminals.

In 1902, Edinburgh University established a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Prize at the writer's request. It was to be awarded each year on the Graduation Day to the most distinguished medical graduate from South Africa.

Sources

  • Medical Detectives [[1], accessed 17 November 2014]