In Victorian England, tobacco smoking by a variety of means was quite common. But nowhere in the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle was it ever suggested that Holmes was compromised by drinking alcohol or that his behavior would be considered that of an alcoholic. 3 In The Sign of Four he drank burgundy for lunch and in “The Adventure of the Gloria Scott” he drinks after dinner. His favorites were burgundies, especially Montrachet and Meursault. Holmes was a connoisseur of French wines. There is evidence in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that Holmes had varying degrees of dependency on alcohol, tobacco, and cocaine. They keep using alcohol or a drug even when they know it will cause problems. The American Psychiatric Association defines addiction as “a complex condition, a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence.” People with addiction (severe substance use disorder) have an intense focus on using certain substance(s), such as alcohol or drugs, to the point that it takes over their life. First, however, it is appropriate to define what is meant by addiction today. In order to understand the addictions of Sherlock Holmes, it is crucial to have a perspective on the medical profession’s attitude toward drugs and addiction in the Victorian era. Watson written by Nicholas Meyer, who although not a physician is a Holmesian scholar who understands the mores of Victorian Britain. This is illustrated in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, a “lost manuscript” of Dr. 1Īnother reason is that as a physician, Arthur Conan Doyle was well acquainted with the medical consequences of substance abuse. The New York Times columnist Bret Stephens recently quoted a survey that found 20% of British teenagers thought that Winston Churchill was a fictional character, but 58% thought Sherlock Holmes was real. One might ask, why write about the addictions of a fictional character? The answer is that there is often a fine line between reality and fiction. By Frank Wiley September, 1914.Īccessed via the Toronto Public Library, Adventures with Illustration of Sherlock Holmes for “The Valley of Fear.”įrom The Strand Magazine. It’s elementary: the addictions of Sherlock Holmes September 5, 2019
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |