In one classic anecdote: “A total stranger was brought to his [Dr. Bell’s] clinic in the outpatient department. While observing him, Bell stated, “Well, my man, you’ve served in the army.” “Aye, sir.” “Not long discharged?” “No, sir.” “A highland regiment?” “Aye, sir.” “Stationed in Barbados?” “Aye, sir.” Bell explained to his students, “You see gentlemen, the man was a respectful man, but he did not Joseph Bell remove his hat. They do not do Wellcome Library, London. so in the army, but he would have learned civilian ways had he been long discharged. He had an air of authority and was obviously a Scot. As to Barbados, his complaint is elephantiasis, which is West Indian and not British.” Doyle would later use this anecdote to serve as the basis for one of Holmes’ examples of “the method.” Holmes and Watson are seated with Mycroft Holmes (the stout older brother of Sherlock) in the bow window of Mycroft’s famous Diogenes Club. The brother and the detective observe two men stopped opposite their window. They run their eyes over the smaller, darker man first: “An old soldier,” I perceive, says Sherlock, “And very recently discharged,” says the older brother. “Served in India,” I see. “And a non-commissioned officer.” “Royal Artillery, I fancy,” says Sherlock. “And a widower.” The amazed Watson asks them to explain. “Surely,” says Sherlock Holmes, “it is not hard to see that a man with that bearing, expression of authority and sun-baked skin is a soldier, is more than a private, and is not long from India.” To which his portly brother adds: “That he has not left the service long is shown by his still wearing his ammunition boots as they are called.” Then Sherlock notes: “He has not the cavalry stride, yet he wore his hat on one side, as is shown by the lighter skin on that side of his brow. His weight is against his being a sapper. He is in the artillery.” Mycroft completes the analysis: “Then, of course, his complete mourning shows that he has lost someone very dear. The fact that he is doing his own shopping looks as though it were his wife.” Multiple anecdotes of Bell’s clinical observations have been reported by his students. As a professor and teacher, he trained his amateur “Watsons” in the habit of observation. In another anecdote, Bell passed around the class a vial filled with amber colored liquid and said, “This, gentleman, contains a most potent drug. It is extremely bitter to the taste. Now I wish to see how many of you have developed
Sidney Paget is famous for his drawings of Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes. Castle Books, Edison NJ, © 1976; p. 295. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. XXII. The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter, originally published in the Strand Magazine 1893.
Of note, Dr. John Watson, owes his surname, but not any other obvious characteristics, to a medical colleague of Doyle’s, Dr. James Watson. Apparently, there were physical similarities, as well as psychological, between Sherlock Holmes and Bell, as Bell was described as “thin, dark, wiry and had a prominent nose.” The famed Scottish novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) was able to recognize the strong similarity between Joseph Bell and Sherlock Holmes and wrote to Doyle, “My compliments on your very ingenious and very interesting adventures of Sherlock Holmes…can this be my friend Joe Bell?”
the Powers of Observation that God granted you. But sair, ye will say, it can be analyzed chemically. Aye, aye, but I want you to taste it… I don’t ask anything of my students which I wouldn’t do alone wi’ myself. I will taste it before passing it around.” He would then dip a finger in the liquid, put his finger in his mouth, suck it and grimace. He watched as each student tasted the harsh concoction, made a face and passed the awful stuff to his neighbor. After everyone had tasted it, Bell began to chuckle, “Gentleman,” he would say, “I am deeply grieved to find that not one of you has developed his power of perception, the faculty of observation… for if you had truly obsairved me, you would have seen that, while I placed my index finger in the awful brew, it was the middle finger – aye – which somehow found its way into my mouth.”
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