Wesley Britton's Blog - Posts Tagged "medicene"

Arthur and Sherlock: Conan Doyle and the Creation of Holmes
Michael Sims
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (January 24, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1632860392
ISBN-13: 978-1632860392
https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Sherloc...


Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton

While I’ve read, seen, and heard more than my fair share of fictional Sherlock Holmes stories, I haven’t spent much time reading any histories or biographies of the creator of Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So I can’t say anything credible about whether or not Arthur and Sherlock presents anything new for Holmes devotees or breaks any new ground or sheds any new light for Doyle scholars. But I can report those of us who haven’t spent much time in the company of the actual good doctor/author should know that Michael Sims’ Arthur and Sherlock reads like a very fine introduction to pretty much everything that shaped the origins of the Sherlock Holmes mythos. In addition, I suspect even the most serious Holmes experts will find revelations they haven’t seen before, especially in the second half of the book.

Happily, the first chapters of Arthur and Sherlock don’t just cover the biography of Arthur Conan Doyle, describing his family background, his medical education—especially the mentoring he received from a long acknowledged model for Holmes, Dr. Joseph Bell, to Doyle’s early apprentice years and his time seeking to establish his own surgical practice. Sims also chronicles Doyle’s lifelong reading and his first stabs at getting published. Sims’s discussions of Doyle’s reading and his awareness of popular novels focuses on fictional precursors to Holmes featuring characters and storylines created by Poe, Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and even the Book of Daniel from the Old Testament.

Equally of interest is Sims’ overview of the times in which Doyle grew as a young man including the great shifts in scientific and medical knowledge as well as the surprisingly recent developments in police work. For example, the term “detective” was a relatively new term in the middle of the 19th century and the Metropolitan Police force and Scotland Yard had only been established in London in 1829.

The second half of the book is where Holmes takes center stage, and this part of the book is essentially literary analysis. Sims breaks down nearly every element in A Study in Scarlet (1887) including the possible origins of the names of the primary characters, the structure of the novel that introduced us to the residents of 221b Baker Street, Sims’ evaluations of the characteristics of Holmes and his erstwhile companion, Dr. John Watson, as well as a detailed publication history of the novel. A bit of trivia I never knew was how Doyle’s artist father, Charles, was institutionalized for depression and alcoholism and did artwork for the first stand-alone publication of A Study in Scarlet.

Here, it’s likely even the most knowledgeable of Doyle/Holmes aficionados will benefit from Sims insights and perspectives. For example, Sherlock Holmes is known as a proponent of “deductive reasoning” (a form of logic employing a syllogism that moves from the general to the specific using a major premise, minor premise, and conclusion) when, in fact, Holmes was more often using inductive reasoning (building a case by moving from the specific to the general, adding up small details to reach a conclusion.)

Then, Sims discusses the publication history of the first years of the Holmes series with rather quick hit-and-run descriptions of The sign of the Four (1890) and the short stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892). Clearly, anyone interested in the creation of the world’s first fictional consulting detective should not only enjoy Arthur and Sherlock, but also put the book down feeling educated in 19th century literature as a whole, not to mention life in London in that century. Sims’ writing style is often quite personable as he takes us on walks with Doyle, peeks behind the doctor’s curtains, pokes around Doyle’s bookshelves, and finally explores the first adventures of Holmes and Watson in an analytical fashion Holmes would have approved of. What more can you ask for?

This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Dec. 8, 2017:
https://is.gd/FZQwS4

Rock Doc
Neil Ratner, MD
Paperback: 317 pages
Publisher: Rock Doc Entertainment LLC; 1st edition (January 28, 2019)
ISBN-10: 1732379017
ISBN-13: 978-1732379015
https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Doc-Neil-...


Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton

I was intrigued when I read a blurb for Neil Ratner's new Rock Doc when I saw his memoir included stories about the professional careers of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Pink Floyd, Edgar Winter, and Rick Derringer during their various heydays in the 1970s. I wasn't disappointed. Roughly one-quarter of the book is Ratner's account of his years as a personal manager, tour manager, and production supervisor for those talented performers.

Then, Ratner's autobiography shifts gears as he describes how he left the happy rock and roll lifestyle to enter medicine and specialize as a pioneering anesthesiologist. After establishing the break-through idea of setting up anesthesiologist services in doctor's offices to reduce the need to use hospital operating rooms, Ratner described the day Michael Jackson walked into his office and Ratner's life forever changed.

After that, reader interest in the longest section of the book will depend on your interest in Michael Jackson. Ratner unfolds a long, warm, intimate relationship he and Jackson shared both professionally and personally for decades. The account is as revelatory as anything I've read on Jackson's complex life. Those much more familiar with his story might not find too much new other than Ratner's passages on his relationship with the singer. Personally, I was glad to learn so much about Jackson's, and Ratner's, relationship with Nelson Mandela and their many strong connections to South Africa.

The book takes another sharp turn when Ratner details his experiences with the legal system after he's convicted for insurance fraud. While I might have missed these chapters if I'd given up reading the Michael Jackson saga, I'd have missed a very positive, rather uplifting story of redemption and a growing spiritual depth Ratner acquired in prison. What he does after his incarceration is another surprising turn and an admirable one at that. Very admirable.

Since Rock Doc touches so many bases, the potential readership should include those interested in rock and pop history, medicine, Michael Jackson, Nelson Mandela and South Africa, not to mention all the transformative perspectives Ratner shares as he summarizes his more recent years. The memoir is told with a personal, often passionate tone that is candid enough to disarm all but the most cynical of readers.


This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 25, 2019:

https://waa.ai/o9aM