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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is widely recognized for crafting the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, a character whose name has become universally known, much like Holmes himself. This larger-than-life creation has led to numerous adaptations and inspired many other fictional figures. However, Doyle was more than just the creator of Holmes, and his later involvement in spiritualism is another intriguing aspect of his life that often goes unnoticed.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was not just a writer but also a physician, historian, sailor, and much more. In fact, he would have preferred to be remembered for all his diverse achievements rather than being solely associated with the creation of the beloved detective we know as Sherlock Holmes.
10. Knighted for Service During the Boer War
While some people question the practice of awarding knighthood for contributions to the arts, and others see it as a worthy honor, there is debate about whether those knighted for artistic achievements deserve the same recognition as those honored for other, perhaps 'more important' contributions. This could explain why few people formally address him as 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.' However, it's important to note that his knighthood had no connection to his work on Sherlock Holmes. Instead, it was granted in recognition of his efforts during the Boer War.
His knighthood had nothing to do with his contributions to medicine, history, or spiritualism. Instead, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was knighted for his service during the Second Boer War (1899–1902) in South Africa. While he worked in a field hospital, his most significant contribution, from the British government's perspective, was a widely circulated pamphlet that supported the war effort.
9. The Jesuits Forced My Hand
Doyle’s later involvement in Spiritualism is well-documented. He attended seances, sought evidence of psychic abilities, and even tried to prove that the Cottingley Fairies were real. Many people think his spiritual journey began as an attempt to communicate with deceased loved ones during his grieving process. While this may have sparked some of his later research, the truth is that Doyle had already lost faith in conventional religion long before the deaths of his family members.
At just nine years old, Doyle was sent to a rigid Jesuit boarding school that believed in using corporal punishment as discipline. By the time he reached adulthood, he had completely abandoned religion. Though harsh discipline was common at many boarding schools of the time, regardless of their religious affiliations, Doyle’s experiences had a lasting, negative impact on him.
8. A Little Too Much to Drink
Doyle's fame largely stems from the legendary Sherlock Holmes, often overshadowing his own life story. For those who venture beyond the well-known detective tales, they would uncover the story of a man who faced numerous challenges. He navigated these tough periods largely through writing letters to his mother, which he used as a therapeutic outlet. His struggles began early—at just nine years old, he was sent to a boarding school following the family's breakdown, with relatives scattering the children to protect them from their troubled father.
Doyle's father, Charles Altamont Doyle, battled alcoholism, which hindered his ability to hold a job or care for his family. Although Doyle never directly claimed physical abuse, he later supported his father’s institutionalization. In his Sherlock Holmes novels, Doyle frequently expressed disdain for drunkenness, associating it with abuse. In fact, he created a Holmes character using the alias 'Altamont', who was described as someone waging war on both the English language and the English monarchy.
7. A Profession That Opened His Eyes
In addition to creating the Sherlock Holmes mysteries and exploring psychic phenomena, Doyle was a skilled doctor, particularly an ophthalmologist—one of the most highly trained specialists in eye care, performing surgeries and handling complex procedures. Although this didn't provide him with all the medical knowledge necessary for his stories, it was a time when such expertise was rare and highly respected.
Despite specializing in eyes, Doyle’s medical training encompassed broader surgical knowledge. To complete his education, he spent seven months aboard a whaling ship as its surgeon. This experience not only shaped his perspective on surgery but also inspired many of his tales of maritime adventures, mutinies, and sailors. One memorable story, in particular, likely drew from his time at sea, featuring a harpooner who impales his former captain against a wall. In 1891, Doyle began his medical practice in London while continuing to pursue his various intellectual interests on the side.
6. A Life of Surprising Inattention
One might expect that the creator of Sherlock Holmes would possess keen observational skills, given that his fictional detective could deduce everything from your last meal to your smoking habits based on minute details. However, in reality, Doyle wasn't known for his sharp powers of perception, at least not in the everyday sense. Among his friends, he was often considered less observant than the average person, with seemingly no knack for noticing small changes like a new haircut.
Some have also heard stories of Doyle’s self-proclaimed talents in deduction, suggesting he helped the police solve certain cases. In reality, while he dabbled in amateur detective work, his efforts rarely met with success. He did manage to assist in freeing a couple of wrongfully convicted men, but that was the extent of his true contributions. Doyle himself maintained a good-natured attitude about his lack of success, admitting once that he had tried to solve a case the police had already cracked. His best guess? The suspect was left-handed and had nails in his boot.
5. The Belief in Phrenology
Phrenology, now discredited and labeled a pseudoscience, was based on the idea that the shape of a person’s skull could reveal aspects of their intelligence, personality, and even race. Many criticized it as a racist pseudoscience, since it often depicted the skull shapes of Western races as superior to those of people from other regions, such as Africa. Unfortunately, Doyle was an ardent believer in phrenology, a stance that tarnished his otherwise esteemed legacy.
This idea appears frequently in Doyle's stories, often presented as though it's undeniable truth—almost as if intelligent characters are discussing well-established facts. For some, it may be easy to forgive Doyle for including such concepts, considering how long ago it was written, and our modern understanding of science. However, the problem is that phrenology had already been debunked before Doyle was even born. If these stories were penned today, it would be considered highly controversial for a respected medical figure to champion such discredited pseudoscience.
4. An Interest in (Pseudo) Science
Beyond being a doctor, historian, and failed parliamentary candidate, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a man eager to stay ahead of the curve and embrace new ideas. He had a deep fascination with all subjects, constantly seeking to be among the first to adopt and explore novel concepts. Unfortunately, this made him particularly vulnerable to pseudoscientific beliefs, many of which were either on the verge of being disproven or had never been seriously regarded in the first place. These misguided ideas, unfortunately, found their way into his works, even creeping into his otherwise rational detective stories.
There are several instances of this, starting with 'The Adventure of the Creeping Man.' In this tale, a man injects himself with a serum made from monkey blood in an attempt to reverse aging, temporarily adopting monkey-like behavior. In 'The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire,' the plot hinges on the use of bloodsucking to prevent poisoning—an idea that has no basis in reality. These are just two examples of such pseudoscientific elements appearing throughout his well-known stories.
3. Sherlock Holmes and the Evolution of Crime
Doyle often expressed frustration that his work on Sherlock Holmes overshadowed his other pursuits in fields like psychic research, medicine, and history. However, had he known just how much his detective stories influenced real-world practices, he may not have felt so disappointed. While Holmes's knack for deducing a person's occupation might seem more like a literary trick, it was his use of scientific methods—such as chemistry, ballistics, and forensic evidence—that left a lasting impact on criminal justice. Fictional or not, Holmes was one of the pioneers in incorporating these techniques to solve crimes.
At the time, solving crimes generally relied on eyewitness testimony and very obvious clues, such as the infamous 'smoking gun.' Holmes's innovative methods and the popularity of his stories inspired Edmund Lochard to establish the world's first forensic laboratory, long after the stories were written. Additionally, today's detective stories still draw inspiration from both the modern crime-solving techniques introduced by Holmes and the characters Doyle created.
2. A Sinister Link
Doyle wore many hats during his life: historian, researcher, spiritualist, former sailor, eye surgeon, amateur detective, novelist, British government apologist, and, above all, an endlessly curious man eager to explore the world. However, some have suggested a far darker possibility—that Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was secretly Jack the Ripper, the infamous serial killer.
As mentioned earlier, Doyle spent several months aboard a whaling ship in the Arctic, and some claim that he showed a disturbing pleasure in the act of whale hunting. Others point to his traumatic upbringing, where he endured the abuse of an alcoholic father who frequented prostitutes and a brutal experience at a hated boarding school. This theory has resurfaced in recent years, with new 'evidence,' including claims that the letters sent by the Ripper to the police were printed on the same type of paper Doyle used. Additionally, some argue that Doyle's works occasionally reference the Ripper murders, further fueling the speculation.
1. The Racism of the Times
Doyle has often been criticized for his apparent racism, with critics pointing to various aspects of his stories and personal actions. Among the most frequently discussed are his steadfast support for the Boer War in South Africa, his belief in phrenology, and his repeated portrayals of black people, islanders, and other non-British groups as violent, uncivilized, and grotesque. Defenders of Doyle often argue that he was no different from many others of his time, possibly even more progressive than some.
However, one aspect that is much harder to overlook is the behavior of his character, Sherlock Holmes, in 'The Adventure of the Three Gables.' In this story, a black boxer named Steve Dixie is sent to intimidate Holmes by a gang leader, and Holmes responds with a series of racially offensive remarks that would be considered highly inappropriate by today's standards.
To make matters worse, a police officer later refers to the boxer using the racial slur 'N' word, and Holmes doesn't challenge or correct this behavior, as if it's perfectly acceptable. Some have suggested that this particular story may have been ghostwritten, citing 'The Yellow Face' as evidence, arguing that the same author who wrote a story about racial tolerance would not have allowed Holmes to make such derogatory comments about Steve Dixie.
