![]() It will not deduct any pleasure from the reading of the tales, but might give you deeper insight. This book will not draw anybody to the stories nor drive them away, but it opens a window, as it were, in interpreting some of the events, as well as many of the statements and actions by Holmes. You could easily dismiss it, and many have, by saying, "Everybody did it, there was no law against it, and he did not abuse it," but that's not only the easy way out, but evades the question of the role the drug played in the development of Holmes as detective, but how it affects his career as a whole, especially toward the end of the Canon when, as Tracy puts it: "Holmes begins to exhibit failing judgement and markedly erratic behaviour." In a appendix to this book, Tracy ties a chronology of Holmes' cases to deductions about his use or overuse (supported by quotes from the stories)of cocaine, and traces not only the detective's rise to greatness, but his long decline from use of the drug.įor any fan of the Holmes stories, the depiction of his use of cocaine has always been a knotty problem, no matter how you personally feel about drug use or drug laws. Tracy diagnoses Holmes as suffering from the whole gamut of symptoms which, at the time would have warranted the prescription of cocaine by a physician - depression, lethargy, apathy, self-pity, etc. The average Victorian or Edwardian could pop down to the local chemist (pharmacist) and buy just about anything, which also explains why so many rich and/or abusive husbands often died of "stomach ailments." ![]() Throughout his lifetime he remained high-strung and restless, his excitable nature shooting in a moment to a state of nervous frenzy bordering on hysteria." While we may take with his statement, he brings ample testimony from both Watson and Holmes that could support the contention of emotional instability.Īnother thing he does quite early in the book, then enlarges upon it later in detail, is to dispose of the picture of Holmes as a drug fiend or junkie, even though a recent re-release of 1939's The Hound of the Baskervilles described Holmes in promotional materials as a "junkie cop." When Conan Doyle introduced Holmes' use of the seven-percent solution, it was no more controversial than stating Holmes had a favorite alcoholic drink, for at that time there was no real stigma to the use of cocaine and England (like America) had not yet introduced paternalistic legislation to restrict certain substances. According to Tracy, "The real Sherlock Holmes, as Dr Watson described him, may have aspired to emotionless objectivity, but he fell far short of his ideal. The first thing he does is dispose of the idea that Holmes is the dispassionate logician we think of him as. ![]() What Lack Tracy does in this book is trace the use cocaine by Sherlock Holmes in relation to his career as revealed in the Canon, though to do so he draws conclusions and makes inferences that not all followers of the Great Detective will find palatable.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |