Studying the science of Sherlock Holmes
Was Sherlock Holmes a great detective purely because he was a great chemist? That is the crucial question being posed by a leading scientist on an international lecture tour later this month.
Dr Tobias Gruber, an organic chemist from the University of Lincoln’s School of Pharmacy in the UK, will examine the science involved in the famous mysteries authored by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. From the ‘phosphorescent’ Hound of the Baskervilles to Major Sholto and his need for quinine, Dr Gruber’s public talks will reveal how chemistry played a crucial role in some of the world’s most famous crime stories.
Dr Gruber will embark on a one-week tour across Germany from Monday 15th May, delivering his talk, Sherlock Holmes and Chemistry¸ at five different venues. Speaking in Bochum (15th May), Hamburg (16th May), Frankfurt (17th May), Leipzig (18th May), and Jena (19th May), he will explore the chemical occurrences throughout the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories.
As well as lecturing and leading academic research into the development of new antibiotics at Lincoln, Dr Gruber is also a member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London Â- a literary and social society for study of the life and work of Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson.
Known as a ‘consulting detective’, the character of Sherlock Holmes is known for a proficiency with observation, forensic science, and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients. Though not the first fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes is arguably the most well-known, and is thought to be the most-portrayed movie character in history.
Dr Gruber’s fascinating talk will explore chemical synthesis and the science of deduction in the renowned Sherlock Holmes stories, and will also examine the famous detective in his ‘cocaine phases’.
For more information on the Sherlock Holmes and Chemistry tour, visit: https://www.chemistryviews.org/details/event/10249411/Sherlock_Holmes__Chemistry.html
