8 Ridiculously Inappropriate Phrases And Acts In Sherlock Holmes Stories

3. Testing Poison On A Dog €“ A Study In Scarlet

In a Study in Scarlet, the first Holmes book, Holmes begins to formulate a plausible theory as to how a number of murders had been committed; this included the use of a supposed poison. In order to prove his theory Holmes asks for Watson to get a dog which had been growing old from downstairs so that it could be tested upon. In fairness, the dog's ill health is hinted at prior to this barbaric act, and a prior mention is made that the dog was meant to have been 'put out of its pain yesterday.' Whether this justifies the act is unimportant, as we now view animals in a far more compassionate manner than Doyle did in his own time. Such a notion would rightly provoke outrage if it was said now, and to use this method is one which is rather vile when read in a modern context. Yet Doyle was writing in a time before CSI-style investigations could ascertain the lethality of chemicals, so the use of an animal to test a theory is understandable, yet it is not one which can be justified now. It is sickening to think of such an act being taken in a modern drama; had CSI:NY, NCIS or Law & Order reverted to these methods it would be the subject of media vilification, and it is for this reason that it is unsurprising that this act has not been replicated in modern adaptations.