1. Holmes' Use Of Opium The Man With The Twisted Lip
These days opium is associated inexplicably with heroin or morphine; dangerously addictive narcotics which are extremely dangerous. In the 19th Century Britain twice went to war with China in a bid to force them to trade opium with them. This context explains how acceptable and easy it was to get your hands on some opium. In The Man with the Twisted Lip Watson inadvertently stumbles upon his friend in an opium den whilst trying to find the husband of a client. The opium den is described as a borderline brothel; rife with decadence. The fact that Holmes attends such an establishment is glanced over in the book, and this lack of focus on how morally questionable Holmes was is one which remains poignant. The use of opium is not restricted to the communal places; Holmes routinely sits around 221b Baker Street taking drugs to stimulate his brain. There is a sheer incompatibility between our understanding of these vices and the Victorian acceptance of destructive drugs is one which is hard to reconcile with the heroic notions attached to Holmes through his miraculous ability to solve cases. Despite our own romantic nostalgia attached to Victorian society, with it being seen as an era of high moral standards and the dawning of British identity, it was also an era deeply ridden with drugs, alcohol, vice and sexual deviance.
A 21 year old History graduate looking for someone to listen to his ramblings. Lover of comic books, movies and all other superhero related things. Published in The Independent, always looking for interesting things to write about...Follow me on Twitter at @samclements1993, and check out my blog: http://samuelclements.wordpress.com/
