The coca leaves that Sims chews are directly related, albeit in a much weaker form, to the infamous seven-per-cent solution that Holmes was wont to utilize when he felt the stagnation of the mind (Chapter I, The Sign of the Four).
CHAPTER XIII: THE EVIDENCE OF THE PORTUGUESE WINE-MERCHANT
Madeira was well known to the Victorians as a locale to travel to on vacation. Holmes once asked Mrs. Maberley whether she would prefer to travel to Cairo, Madeira, or the Riviera (The Adventure of the Three Gables).
Mr. James Windibank was also a traveler in wines (A Case of Identity), and worked for the great claret importer Westhouse & Marbank. It was clearly a good occupation for moving around without attracting too much attention.
Watson must have decided that he liked Cordeiro’s silent tennis shoes so much that he acquired a pair of his own, used for his nocturnal house-breaking with Holmes (The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton), despite the fact that there is no other evidence in the Canon that Watson ever learned to play tennis.
In 1876, lawn tennis, a game devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year earlier and originally called ‘Sphairistike’ (ancient Greek for ‘the art of playing ball’), was added to the activities of the All England Croquet Club in Wimbledon. In the spring of 1877, the club was re-titled ‘The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club’ and signaled its change of name by instituting the first Lawn Tennis Championship. A new code of laws (replacing the code until then administered by the Marylebone Cricket Club) was drawn up for the event. Today's rules are similar except for details such as the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net. The only event held in 1877 was the Gentlemen's Singles, which was won by Spencer Gore, from a field of twenty-two. Gore lost to Frank Hadow in 1878. There are no records of an Antonio Cordeiro participating in the early tournaments, so he was either lying or perhaps played under an assumed name to hide his foreign origin?
CHAPTER XIV: THE EVIDENCE OF THE BOHEMIAN PHYSICIAN
The Lancet is one of the world's oldest general medical journals, founded in 1823 by Thomas Wakley, an English surgeon. It is hardly surprising to find Dr. Nemcek reading it.
Watson was clearly conversant in German, as he had no problems when Holmes quoted from Goethe (Chapters VI & XII, The Sign of the Four). “Mit der dummheit kämpfen götter selbst vergebens,” which indeed translates as “against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain,” is from The Maid of Orleans (1801) a play by the other great German romantic poet Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759 – 1805), most famous for his Ode to Joy later utilized by Beethoven.
Although Dr. Nemcek trained in Montpellier, we can assume that he was not an acquaintance of either the murderer Lefevre, or the poisoner Leturier (Chapters I & VII, A Study in Scarlet), nor did he overlap with Holmes who did research into coal derivatives there during the Great Hiatus. Ainstree later moved to London where he became recognized as “the greatest living authority upon tropical disease” (The Adventure of the Dying Detective).
Barring a monstrous coincidence, when Dr. Nemcek refers to Antonín Dvořák, it seems likely that this is actually the same as ‘Mr. A. Dorak,’ Professor Lowenstein’s London agent (The Adventure of the Creeping Man). As the surname ‘Dorak’ is actually of Turkish origin (from the town of the same name on the shores of Lake Apolyont with some royal tombs of an age near to that of fabled Troy), it is obvious that either Watson or the printer John Murray made a spelling mistake, and the man’s “curious,” “Slavonic” name was actually meant to be ‘Dvořák.’ Dr. Nemcek was thirty-three years of age in 1880 (when the events of the Bermuda Manuscript unfolded), and Dr. Watson was not to hear the name ‘Dorak’ again until 1903. Since ‘Dorak’ was Nemcek’s uncle, he likely was at least twenty years his elder, or approximately seventy-six years old. Given that the average life expectancy at the turn of the century was less than sixty years, it is reasonable for Holmes’ agent to describe ‘Dorak’ as “elderly.”
Constable Dunkley’s warning about Chicago was quite valid. Crooks like Killer Evans (The Adventure of the Three Garridebs) and Abe Slaney and Mr. Patrick of the Joint gang (The Adventure of the Dancing Men) were known to terrorize the streets of Chicago in the days before the turn of the twentieth century.
The Aberdeen Shipping Company used by Dr. Nemcek had offices in London, where Mrs. St. Clair went to pick up a small parcel of considerable value (The Man with the Twisted Lip).
Dr. Nemcek was correct about the word ‘pistol’ being the only word in the English language derived from the Czech. However, this singularity lasted only for another forty years, until the word ‘robot’ was introduced to the public by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots; 1920).
‘Si vis pacem para bellum,’ translates to ‘If you wish for peace, prepare for war.’ Any physician of the Victorian era would be very well acquainted with Latin. Watson was able to recognize it whenever Holmes tossed out a Latin saying (e.g. Chapter VII, A Study in Scarlet).
The cataract knife in the possession of Dr. Nemcek is very similar to the one utilized by Mr. John Straker, though Straker’s was made by Weiss & Co. (Silver Blaze). Nemcek carried his hypodermic syringe in a morocco case, as did Sherlock Holmes (Chapter I, The Sign of the Four). The empty phials found in Dr. Nemcek’s satchel are reminiscent of those found in Professor Presbury’s box (The Adventure of the Creeping Man).
The Hippocratic Oath, which may or may not have actually been written by Hippocrates, was first spoken as part of the modern graduation ceremony of new physicians in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1508. The version that Watson paraphrases from went: “I swear by Apollo the Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods, and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant. To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art – if they desire to learn it – without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken the oath according to medical law, but to no one else. I will apply dietic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice. I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art. I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work. Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves. What I may see or hear in the course of treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep myself holding such things shameful to be spoken about. If I fulfill this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.” There are several reasons why this antiquated version of the Oath has been updated by modern medical schools!
CHAPTER XV: THE EVIDENCE OF THE TURKISH ENGINEER
The tools that Dunkley describes are a pure picklock kit, as opposed to the broader “up-to-date burgling kit,” with its jemmy and glass cutter, utilized by Holmes during one of his less legal escapades (The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton).
It is highly appropriate that Mr. Bey would smoke a meerschaum pipe, as Turkey is the main source of that soft mineral. Although commonly depicted as such, there is no evidence in the Canon that Hol
mes ever smoked such a pipe (clay and cherry-wood were the two undisputed descriptions of Holmes’ pipes).
Sadly, the cruel Abdul-Hamid would not be deposed for another twenty-nine years (1909). Surprisingly, in 1903 Holmes would admit to taking a commission from him (The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier). There may have been extenuating circumstances to explain this lapse in moral judgment, or perhaps Holmes was actually working as a double agent for the forces of the Young Turks opposed to the Sultan?
Like Mr. Bey, Victor Hatherley also apprenticed at Venner and Matheson, the well-known firm of Greenwich (The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb). George Stephenson (1781 – 1848) was the English engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives, and was renowned as being the “Father of Railways.”
As mentioned in Chapter III, Watson would come to learn about the dangers of the railway profession first hand when he established a practice near Paddington Station (The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb).
Watson eventually takes Bey’s advice about Turkish baths (The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax), and even draws Holmes into the habit, as evidenced by their visit together (The Adventure of the Illustrious Client).
Bey’s reference to Gioachino Rossini’s opera La Cenerentola (1817) is a confusing one, since the opera does not utilize the plot device of the fitted slipper, but instead has a pair of bracelets. Bey must have been thinking of Charles Perrault’s version of the tale (1697).
The reference to the Turkish or Persian slipper brings to mind the one owned by Holmes. It only appears three times in the Canon (The Musgrave Ritual & The Adventures of the Naval Treaty & The Empty House), but its fame as the repository for his shag tobacco far eclipses those few mentions.
CHAPTER XVI: THE EVIDENCE OF THE GREEK PUGILIST
Despite recurring revolts from 1866 onwards, Crete would only achieve partial independence in 1897, and would not fully join Greece until the end of the Balkan Wars in 1913.
It is interesting to speculate whether Mr. Delopolous’ unnamed mother was somehow related to Paul and Sophy Kratides, both of whom hailed from Athens (The Greek Interpreter). Paul and Sophy both appeared to be young when they attracted the attention of Sherlock Holmes in 1888. Based on the timing of these cases, it seems plausible that Mr. Delopolous could be either their first cousin once removed or their second cousin.
The Marquess of Queensbury rules were drafted in 1867. Holmes was described several times as an “expert boxer” (first noted in Chapter I, A Study in Scarlet). As for Delopolous’ claim that the Greeks invented boxing, there is certainly some truth there, though the Sumerians and Egyptians can also make a case. The earliest use of gloves is depicted in the great frescos of the Minoan palaces of Crete and Santorini. However these sites were not excavated until after 1880. The boxing match in the Iliad was won by Epeios, son of Panopeus, a minor character. Although the first modern international Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1896, precursor events also occurred in 1870 and 1875, to which Delopolous clearly must have been referring.
Delopolous’ unnamed cousin likely attended the same university where Mr. Hilton Soames taught, as the described scholarship sounds much like the Fortescue (The Adventure of the Three Students). It seems unlikely that his cousin would be the chief Greek interpreter in London, Mr. Melas, who did not know the Kratides (The Greek Interpreter).
It is tempting to speculate that ‘Murderous Mathews’ later returned to the capital of his native land and went on to knock out the left canine of Sherlock Holmes in the waiting-room at Charing Cross (The Adventure of the Empty House).
Lumbago, or rheumatism of the lumbar muscles, was suspected by Watson in the strange case of Professor Presbury (The Adventure of the Creeping Man). Watson would learn much more about malingering during his association with Holmes, who was practiced it often enough (The Reigate Squires) to become something of an expert: “Malingering is a subject upon which I have sometimes thought of writing a monograph” (The Adventure of the Dying Detective).
Mr. Delopolous descending the flimsy ladder during the height of a hurricane is perhaps even more impressive than the climbing feats performed by Captain Jack Croker, which could only have been done by a sailor or an acrobat (The Adventure of the Abbey Grange).
Watson cannot seem to decide whether Delopolous wore dungaree or denim trousers. Although similar, there are slight differences. Dungarees are a coarse cotton cloth, often blue, that originated in India. They were worn by Mr. Hudson, who was also a sailor (The “Gloria Scott”). Denim is also a coarse cotton twill originally died indigo on half the weave, and was invented in the city of Nimes, France.
Henry’s sarcastic prediction of Watson’s next adventure was not far from the mark. Although Watson originally published two novel length tales of his cases with Holmes, the first of his published ‘Adventures’ involved a mission proposed by a poorly disguised King of Bohemia (A Scandal in Bohemia).
Chianti also kept on hand by the eccentric Mr. Thaddeus Sholto (Chapter IV, The Sign of the Four). At the time of Watson’s Bermuda adventure, a fine Chianti likely hailed from the vineyards of the Baron Ricasoli. Their name has been linked to wine production since 1141 and it is reputed to be the second oldest winery in the world. In 1872, Baron Bettino Ricasoli wrote the formula for Chianti Classico wine, which he developed after more than decades of research. He called for a mixture of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 10% Malvasia (later amended to include Trebbiano) and 5% other local red varieties. In 1967, the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) regulation set by the Italian government firmly established the "Ricasoli formula" of a Sangiovese-based blend with 10-30% Malvasia and Trebbiano. However, recent modifications have moved today’s Chianti further away from the blend that Watson and his brother would have enjoyed. Since 1996 the blend for Chianti Classico has been 75-100% Sangiovese, up to 10% Canaiolo and up to 20% of any other approved red grape variety such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah, and in the greatest of ironies, since 2006, the use of white grape varieties such as Malvasia and Trebbiano have been prohibited in Chianti Classico. The Iron Baron would have shuddered at this deviation from his formula.
Telegrams were frequently used by Holmes and Watson throughout London and beyond, but at first glance this appeared to be an anachronism that might call into question the authenticity of the Bermuda Manuscript, for Bermuda was not linked to the outside world by telegraph until the completion of the Bermuda-Halifax Cable undersea cable in 1890. However, on further review it appears that the Royal Engineers had at least erected an intra-isle system to connect the strategic forts and Dockyard, which replaced the flag signals that had worked across the islands since the 1820s. In 1863 the No 5 Company of Royal Engineers had constructed a single overhead, roadside iron wire from the Central Signal Station at Fort George above St George's eleven miles west to the Governor's Residence at Mount Langton. In 1864, the civil government contributed for its extension with a branch from Mount Langton to the Post Office in the capital of Hamilton. By 1866, the line had been extended two miles westwards to Spanish Point and the Admiral's House opposite Dockyard on Ireland Island. It was completed in 1868 by the laying of an over two mile submarine cable to Dockyard, with a grand total of eleven military telegraph offices on the Bermudas. Clearly this is the system that Watson must have utilized.
CHAPTER XVII: THE EVIDENCE OF THE ENGLISH NATURALIST
The distinction between a Persian and Turkish slipper may have been too fine for Watson, as he appears to use both in the Canon. Dr. Grimesby Roylott was fond of wearing red heelless Turkish slippers as part of his nighttime attire (The Adventure of the Speckled Band).
Watson had some knowledge of plants, as he immediately knew that Tonga’s thorn was not native to England (Chapter IV, The Sign of the Four).
An orchid makes only one other appearance in the Canon, when Beryl Stapleton points one out to Watson upon the
moor (Chapter VII, The Hound of the Baskervilles).
The Langham, London opened in 1865 and was one of the Grand Hotels of Victorian high society with opulent comforts and luxuries. The Langham is where the King of Bohemia stayed under his pseudonym Count von Kramm (A Scandal in Bohemia), where Colonel Morstan planned to stay before his murder (Chapter II, The Sign of the Four), and where the Honorable Philip Green receives his correspondence (The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax).
In addition to George Warburton’s father, Trelawney is also the given name of the Right Honorable Trelawney Hope, Secretary for European Affairs, and the most rising statesman in the country, one of the two men who hire Holmes to solve the case of the Second Stain. Watson must have found it a funny coincidence the following year, when Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island was serialized and featured the Squire Trelawney as a major character.
The Isle of Devils Page 39