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The legends of Sherlock Holmes and Phineas Gage

Phil Banyard goes in search of good science, following the trail of a fictional hero and a real-life legend

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as John Watson. What is the enduring appeal of these characters?

Some stories never die. They are re-imagined and re-invented and live on from generation to generation. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the first Sherlock Holmes story in 1887 before telephones, before cars, before motion pictures, before aircraft and before universal education. How could a character who inhabits that world still be exciting to audiences today? How could a character who inhabits that world still be exciting to audiences today? Well, there are some interesting parallels with our times. In the original stories, for example, John Watson — Holmes’ sidekick — has recently returned as an injured army doctor from war in Afghanistan. In the current BBC version (see below), set in the present day, Watson’s history can remain the same and be totally accurate. Some things, it seems, do not change after 100 years. However, I would argue that it is Holmes’ methods that really capture our imagination.

WHEN YOU HAVE ELIMINATED THE IMPOSSIBLE, WHATEVER REMAINS, HOWEVER IMPROBABLE, MUST BE THE TRUTH

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An exam question on research methods: Part 1

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Seven tips for using Google Scholar

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