Sherlock Holmes in life and on the screen: who was the prototype of the legendary literary and film hero

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Everyone has their favorite Sherlock: someone argues that no film adaptation in terms of the power of artistic skill can compete with the literary original Arthur Conan Doyle, someone remains a fan of Vasily Livanov's brilliant performance in the Soviet film version, someone admires the modern British interpretation of the famous plot. But the debate about which Sherlock is "more real" becomes meaningless if we consider the facts that indicate that the literary hero really had a real prototype … "The most real" Sherlock was called Joseph Bell.

The writer did not deny that his hero had a prototype in real life, as evidenced by the words from his letter to Joseph Bell: “Of course, to you, doctor, I owe Sherlock Holmes! In the book, I put my hero in various exaggeratedly dramatic situations, but I am sure that the analytical talent he demonstrated does not in any way exceed your abilities, which I had the opportunity to observe in the outpatient ward."

Joseph Bell was a professor at the University of Edinburgh, a renowned surgeon and inventor of the famous deductive method. Arthur Doyle studied at the medical faculty of this educational institution, and Professor Bell became an idol for him, as, indeed, for most students.

At the lecture, the professor invited patients and, first of all, gave the students the task - to determine the occupation, place of residence and the cause of the disease by the person's appearance. One day a man in a hat with obvious signs of fever appeared before them. Joseph Bell drew the students' attention to the fact that he did not take off his hat, which means he had lost the habit of civilized manners. Surely he served in the army, where it is not customary to take off the headdress when saluting. And since the symptoms were indicative of a West Indian fever, the man supposedly came from Barbados.

The professor often focused the attention of students on the characteristic habits of representatives of a particular profession, taught them to notice details. If there was a sailor in front of them, his tattoos could indicate the area from which he came. Joseph Bell even advised medical students to study accents used in English colloquial speech. By the accent, you can determine which places a person is born in, establish his bad and useful habits.

Of all the students, the professor singled out Arthur Doyle and even offered him the place of his assistant. In the future, the writer used the acquired knowledge and skills of working with people both in medical and literary activities.

The fact that Joseph Bell became the prototype of Sherlock Holmes is indicated by a number of facts. First, these are the techniques of the deductive method, which the literary hero, following his real counterpart, applies in practice. Secondly, the appearance of Sherlock described by the author resembles a professor: tall (more than 180 cm), thin build, thin aquiline nose, piercing gaze, chin protruding slightly forward, sharp voice. Joseph Bell was fond of chemical experiments, smoked a pipe, loved to argue, he was often attacked by blues. Sherlock Holmes had the same habits.

The first story about Holmes's adventures was published a day before the 50th birthday of his beloved teacher Conan Doyle - December 1, 1887. This can be regarded as a kind of gift from a grateful student. Many details were pointed out to Joseph Bell, but when he was asked about this, he joked: “Well, what are you! Where can I climb to such heights. And the real prototype of Holmes is, of course, Arthur himself."

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