Sherlock Holmes Through The Microscope

The life and career of Mr. Sherlock Holmes haves inspired the interest of many of the brightest intellects in the world. They have expended great efforts to penetrate beyond the glimpses afforded us in the 60 published adventures - to detect the real underlying character of "the best and the wisest man" Dr. Watson has ever known ("The Final Problem" by A. C. Doyle). To the hundreds of past and present day Sherlockians, Holmesians, Doyeleans, we owe a great deal of gratitude for helping to shred the veil which has been created to obfuscate the real character of our remarkable hero: from the sainted Christopher Morley and Vincent Starrett; to the renowned commentators Ronald A. Knox, William S. Baring-Gould, Edgar W. Smith, Sydney C. Roberts, Michael Harrison, Michael Hardwick, and many others too numerous to mention. Commentators have included bookmen, journalists and essayists, physicians, psychiatrists and pathologists, chemists, monsignors and vicars, barristers and solicitors, and automobile executives. All have brought their intelligence, unique perspectives, and, most of all, a very desperate need for knowledge to this quest, their labor of love. With great humility but stout heart, I feel highly motivated, even obligated, to attempt to add my voice to this ongoing effort. As a microbiologist, I hope to bring a different perspective to these studies. I am used to dealing with very minute objects that produce consequences much greater than their size would indicate. Is not this obsession with minutiae the perfect training and background for one who feels the need to participate in Sherlockian studies? I do hope that this makes me somewhat qualified to join in this important area of scholarly research.

This open access book considers science and empire, and the stories we tell ourselves about them. Using British Nobel laureate Ronald Ross (1857-1932) and his colleagues as access points to a wider professional culture, Empire Under the Microscope explores the cultural history of parasitology and its relationships with the literary and historical imagination between 1885 and 1935. Emilie Taylor-Pirie examines a wealth of archival material including medical lectures, scientific publications, popular biography, and personal and professional correspondence, alongside novels, poems, newspaper articles, and political speeches, to excavate the shared vocabularies of literature and medicine. She demonstrates how forms such as poetry and biography; genres such as imperial romance and detective fiction; and modes such as adventure and the Gothic, together informed how tropical diseases, their parasites, and their vectors, were understood in relation to race, gender, and nation. From Ancient Greece, to King Arthur’s Knights, to the detective work of Sherlock Holmes, parasitologists manipulated literary and historical forms of knowledge in their professional self-fashioning to create a modern mythology that has a visible legacy in relationships between science and society today.

Praise for The Science of Sherlock Holmes "Holmes is, first, a great detective, but he has also proven to be a great scientist, whether dabbling with poisons, tobacco ash, or tire marks. Wagner explores this fascinating aspect of his career by showing how his investigations were grounded in the cutting-edge science of his day, especially the emerging field of forensics.... Utterly compelling." —Otto Penzler, member of the Baker Street Irregulars and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop "E. J. Wagner demonstrates that without the work of Sherlock Holmes and his contemporaries, the CSI teams would be twiddling their collective thumbs. Her accounts of Victorian crimes make Watson's tales pale! Highly recommended for students of the Master Detective." —Leslie S. Klinger, Editor, The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes "In this thrilling book, E. J. Wagner has combined her considerable strengths in three disciplines to produce a work as compelling and blood-curdling as the best commercial fiction. This is CSI in foggy old London Town. Chilling, grim fun." —John Westermann, author of Exit Wounds and Sweet Deal "I am recommending this delightful work to all of my fellow forensic scientists.... Bravo, Ms. Wagner!" —John Houde, author of Crime Lab: A Guide for Nonscientists "A fabulously interesting read. The book traces the birth of the forensic sciences to the ingenuity of Sherlock Holmes. A wonderful blend of history, mystery, and whodunit." —Andre Moenssens, Douglas Stripp Professor of Law Emeritus, University of Missouri at Kansas City, and coauthor of Scientific Evidence in Civil and Criminal Cases

Lively and immensely readable, The Science of Sherlock Holmes looks at the advancements in crime-solving and general science from late Victorian times to the modern day. Over the course of the nineteenth century, the reading public acquired a taste for the new genre of detective fiction. At the same time, science was transforming every aspect of human life. Arthur Conan Doyle, a young doctor and up-and-coming writer, brilliantly wove these two strands together to create detective fiction's most memorable and enduring character: Sherlock Holmes. Detailed yet eminently readable, The Science of Sherlock Holmes looks at contemporary scientific achievement at the time of writing and how these were employed in the Sherlock stories. The book looks at Holmes' deductive logic and his skills in specific areas: codes, prints, writing, disguise, guns etc. and how these are still used today in the world of criminology. Learn about Holmes's brilliant forensic reasoning and his skills in areas such as prints and marks, handwriting, disguise and weaponry. Discover his encyclopaedic scientific knowledge over an immense field, from botany and poisons to physics and ballistics. See, too, how many of the techniques pioneered by Holmes are still relevant in modern criminal investigation.

In one of Sherlock Holmes' most harrowing cases, the crown jewels are stolen from the Tower of London just days before Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. In the race against the clock to retrieve the precious gems to save from national embarrassment, Holmes finds that the case to be more complex and infinitely more dangerous than it first appeared.

Evidence that can barely be seen with the naked eye routinely plays a crucial part in the search for—and the conviction of—some of the most dangerous criminals known to society. From the hairs of a dog to tiny fiber fragments, forensic analysts study these trace materials and interpret them for use in legal proceedings. Hairs and fibers are two of the most commonly found types of trace evidence and the focus of this eBook. Trace Evidence, Revised Edition explores the microscopic world in which the forensic scientist works by addressing the issues of what constitutes evidence; important methods of trace analysis, including spectroscopy and chromatography; human and animal hairs and what can be determined by examining them; and manufactured and natural fibers and the many ways in which they appear in textiles and are analyzed in the laboratory. Written by a well-respected author with extensive knowledge in the field, this eBook is essential for students fascinated by this area of forensic science. Chapters include: What Is Evidence? Forensic Applications Hairs Fibers.

Fundamentals of Forensic Science, Second Edition, provides an introduction to the basic principles of forensic science. The book begins at a crime scene and ends in the courtroom.The book is divided into six parts. Part 1 provides an overview of criminal justice and forensic science, covering the basics of crime scene investigation and the nature of evidence. Part 2 discusses analytical tools, including microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, atomic spectroscopy, and separation methods. Parts 3 to 5 discuss the various types of forensic evidence collected, categorized by the types of science employed in their analysis: physical science, chemical science, and biological science. These include pathology; anthropology and odontology; entomology; serology and bloodstain pattern analysis; DNA analysis; forensic hair examinations; forensic toxicology; fiber and paint analysis; friction ridge examination; and firearms and tool marks. Part 6 discusses the legal aspects of forensic science. The book is written for students with a background in basic science, and it is can be used in a one-semester or two-semester format. Vivid, full-color illustrations that diagram key concepts and depict evidence encountered in the field Straightforward unit organization that includes key terms, numerous feature boxes emphasizing Internet resources, historical events in forensic science, practical issues in laboratory analysis, and topics for further reading Effective pedagogy, including end-of-chapter questions, paired with a clear writing style makes this an invaluable resource for professors and students of forensic science

The highly publicized O.J. Simpson trial helped spark an interest in the application of science to criminal investigations, leading to popular TV shows, books, and movies on the topic. Enrollment in forensic science educational programs soared, and new academic programs sprouted everywhere. Science versus Crime, Revised Edition provides an insider’s look at how crimes are solved with the help of forensic science. Offering students a peek at the many investigations that have revolutionized this field of study, this eBook explores the pioneers of forensic science, how evidence is collected and analyzed, the science of DNA, fingerprinting, and more. Written by a well-respected forensic scientist with extensive experience in this field, this fascinating volume covers the important cases and procedures that govern scientific evidence: testimony, admissibility hearings, and how the law and scientific evidence intersect in a courtroom. Science versus Crime, Revised Edition is an essential book for middle and high school students, providing them with a thorough understanding of what forensic science is and how it can assist in crime fighting. Chapters include: Forensic Science: In and Out of the Laboratory History and Pioneers What Is Evidence? Microscopy Spectroscopy Chromatography Forensic DNA Fingerprints Firearms Examination Testimony and Report Writing.