Sherlock Holmes: forensic pioneer

Sherlock Holmes, the most famous fictional detective, was the vehicle that Arthur Conan Doyle used to advance forensic science. The cases of Sherlock Holmes brought to the masses the value of logical deduction. From fingerprints to document and footprint analysis, this detective uses the clues to make a logical hypothesis regarding people's behavior and reactions in order to solve the case. That's the thing that always impressed me by about this character, the information he gains from clay on the bottom of a shoe or the way a document was written is so eye-opening you have to sit back in awe of how he put it all together. Of course, a lot of credit must go to the author himself because without his dedication to create a "science" detective, modern forensic methods would be sorely lacking.

My favorite forensic method would have to be document analysis. From a handwritten note, Sherlock Holmes can detect the gender of the writer and certain characteristics such as if the writer was in a hurry or a methodical planner.  It really is amazing how much you can tell from someone's writing -- just think about it. Women write differently than men and if you're in a hurry, most likely, the writing will be less legible than if you're taking your time to write an important document. The place in which the document was written can also be deduced from an analysis of the writing. Of course, with the invention of email some of this art has been lost which, for me, is such a shame.  Document analysis is such an involved forensic technique that the FBI created a separate section for it in 1932. Of course, document analysis was not always taken seriously, but thankfully, he has gained the creditability that it deserves.

Readers may fall in love with a fictional character, but there comes a time when the author is ready to put that character to rest.  It's hard to imagine that Arthur Doyle would ever get tired of his detective character, and in fact, that was the purpose of the story "The Adventure of the Final Problem".  The readers just see an amazing character, but the author has to create the stories, do the research, plot out the story, and so I can see how one would become exhausted.  However, Sherlock Holmes is the greatest detective, fictional or not, from his amazing logical dedications to his quirky character flaws. Modern forensic methods were brought to life by the most unlikely person -- a fictional detective created by a brilliant author, Arthur Conan Doyle.
Until next time...