Product Description

Praise for The Science of Sherlock Holmes

"Holmes is, first, a great detective, but he has also proven to be a great scientist, whether dabbling with poisons, tobacco ash, or tire marks. Wagner explores this fascinating aspect of his career by showing how his investigations were grounded in the cutting-edge science of his day, especially the emerging field of forensics.... Utterly compelling."
—Otto Penzler, member of the Baker Street Irregulars and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop

"E. J. Wagner demonstrates that without the work of Sherlock Holmes and his contemporaries, the CSI teams would be twiddling their collective thumbs. Her accounts of Victorian crimes make Watson's tales pale! Highly recommended for students of the Master Detective."
—Leslie S. Klinger, Editor, The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

"In this thrilling book, E. J. Wagner has combined her considerable strengths in three disciplines to produce a work as compelling and blood-curdling as the best commercial fiction. This is CSI in foggy old London Town. Chilling, grim fun."
—John Westermann, author of Exit Wounds and Sweet Deal

"I am recommending this delightful work to all of my fellow forensic scientists.... Bravo, Ms. Wagner!"
—John Houde, author of Crime Lab: A Guide for Nonscientists

"A fabulously interesting read. The book traces the birth of the forensic sciences to the ingenuity of Sherlock Holmes. A wonderful blend of history, mystery, and whodunit."
—Andre Moenssens, Douglas Stripp Professor of Law Emeritus, University of Missouri at Kansas City, and coauthor of Scientific Evidence in Civil and Criminal Cases

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #482136 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Forensic expert Wagner has crafted a volume that stands out from the plethora of recent memoirs of contemporary scientific detectives. By using the immortal and well-known Sherlock Holmes stories as her starting point, Wagner blends familiar examples from Doyle's accounts into a history of the growth of forensic science, pointing out where fiction strayed from fact. The author avoids the technical details that mar so many other efforts in this genre, injecting life into her narrative by weaving in true crime cases that either influenced Holmes's creator or may have been influenced by a published story from the Baker Street sleuth. Particularly memorable is a creepy 1945 murder of a man who, as a youth, had had an encounter with a spectral dog reminiscent of the hound of the Baskervilles. While some of the speculations are thin (including a passing suggestion about a new Ripper suspect), Wagner presents a balanced view of the history of forensic science that should appeal to a wide audience. (Apr.)
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Review
"Fascinating.... The Science of Sherlock Holmes will intrigue readers with incredible stories and amazing tales from the early days of forensic science." (Christian Science Monitor)

"…informative, intriguing and entertaining…" (What's on in London, July 2006)

"…well-researched book…" (Chemistry World, August 2006)

"…will be appreciated…not just by devotees of Holmes…but by anyone interested in the Victorian beginnings of forensic science…" (Chemistry World, August 2006)

Forensic expert Wagner has crafted a volume that stands out from the plethora of recent memoirs of contemporary scientific detectives. By using the immortal and well-known Sherlock Holmes stories as her starting point, Wagner blends familiar examples from Doyle's accounts into a history of the growth of forensic science, pointing out where fiction strayed from fact. The author avoids the technical details that mar so many other efforts in this genre, injecting life into her narrative by weaving in true crime cases that either influenced Holmes's creator or may have been influenced by a published story from the Baker Street sleuth. Particularly memorable is a creepy 1945 murder of a man who, as a youth, had had an encounter with a spectral dog reminiscent of the hound of the Baskervilles. While some of the speculations are thin (including a passing suggestion about a new Ripper suspect), Wagner presents a balanced view of the history of forensic science that should appeal to a wide audience. (Apr.) (Publishers Weekly, January 16, 2006)

Review
"E. J. Wagner demonstrates that without the work of Sherlock Holmes and his contemporaries, the CSI teams would be twiddling their collective thumbs. Her accounts of Victorian crimes make Watson's tales pale! Highly recommended for students of the Master Detective."
—Leslie S. Klinger, Editor, The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

"Holmes is, first, a great detective, but he has also proven to be a great scientist, whether dabbling with poisons, tobacco ash or tire marks. Wagner explores this fascinating aspect of his career by showing how his investigations were grounded in the cutting-edge science of his day, especially the emerging field of forensics . . . Utterly compelling."
—Otto Penzler, member of the Baker Street Irregulars and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop

"A fabulously interesting read. The book traces the birth of the forensic sciences to the ingenuity of Sherlock Holmes. A wonderful blend of history, mystery, and whodunit."
—Andre Moenssens, Douglas Stripp Professor of Law Emeritus, University of Missouri at Kansas City, and co-author of Scientific Evidence in Criminal Cases

"In this thrilling book, E. J. Wagner has combined her considerable strengths in three disciplines to produce a work as compelling and blood-curdling as the best commercial fiction. This is CSI in foggy old London Town. Chilling, grim fun."
—John Westermann, author of Exit Wounds and Sweet Deal

"I am recommending this delightful work to all of my fellow forensic scientists . . . . Bravo, Ms. Wagner!"
—John Houde, author of Crime Lab: A Guide for Nonscientists

"E. J. Wagner has pulled off a double triumph. She has identified and ingeniously explored an aspect of Sherlock Holmes not already picked over by the legions of admirers of the Great Detective. And she has written a book that will nevertheless hold the interest of those benighted people who have read none of the 60 Holmes adventures penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . . . her recounting of the history of forensics is so masterful and, for the most part, riveting."
—Toronto Star

"This well-researched book will be appreciated, therefore, not just by devotees of Holmes... but by anyone interested in the Victorian beginnings of forensic science, and those who have enjoyed the more recent portrayals of science in crime detection, such as CSI and Silent witness."
—Andrew Milton, Chemistry World.

"What really makes The Science of Sherlock Holmes stand out is Wagner's easy and engaging style. The book reads like a series of highly entertaining and informative lectures making the subject matter accessible to both the layman and serious student alike... Bottom line: An absolute must-have addition to the Sherlockian non-fiction shelf that is highly recommended to the general reader, Sherlockian and even, dare I say it, CSI fan."
—Charles V. Prepolec, Sherlock Magazine

"There have been lots of books about the great fictional detective and arguably even more about how we forensic scientists came to be doing things the way we do now. If, like me, you enjoy books on both the history of forensic science and on Sherlock Holmes, then this is the one to read."
—Roger J. Davis, Science and Justice: The Journal of Forensic Science Society

Customer Reviews

A great book!
A long-time fan of Sherlock Holmes, and having read the Cannon several times, I always had an appreciation for The Great Detective's appearances in film and new books. This book, with its analysis of forensic science is a must have for any true fan of Mr. Holmes.

Other highly recommended reading is the new release of EW Hornung's classic The Crime Doctor. Though not the equal to Sherlock Holmes, Doctor John Dollar is perhaps the first fictional sleuth to use forensic science to combat crime.

Forensic Science in the Victorian Era
Sherlock Holmes and his times form the main theme around which the early developments in forensic science are presented in this highly entertaining and informative book. The period covered is mainly from about the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, but concentrates mainly on the latter part of the Victorian era. Advances in various disciplines within forensic science are discussed as are many early cases in which these new developments were used and occasionally misused. The writing style is friendly, authoritative and quite engaging. But in particular, the author's very witty prose makes this book doubly enjoyable. General readers who love good mysteries will not be disappointed here, but forensic science buffs, as well as Sherlock Holmes fans, would likely savor this wonderful book the most.

Entertaining Retrospections
The author is a crime historian, a lecturer, and a teller of suspense stories. E.J. Wagner did write about the "True Cases Solved by Conan Doyle" (p.viii). This book uses Sherlock Holmes stories to discuss forensic sciences during the Victorian Age (p.ix). The 'Bibliography' lists a wide collection of books in English (pp.218-233).

Chapter 1 notes that 19th century France and Germany led the way in examining unexplained deaths (p.4). Rigor mortis, algor mortis, and livor mortis could estimate the time of death (p.5). Techniques in post mortem examination were refined (p.6). Chapter 2 is about "Black Dogs", a sign of impending death. [Do people still believe the howling of a dog at night signifies a death?] Chapter 3 discusses insects and their effects on corpses. This varies according to climate and geographical area. Human DNA profiles could be obtained from maggots that fed on a cadaver (p.39). Chapter 4 tells of poisons and the developing science of toxicology in the 19th century. Chapter 5 describes the use of disguises by a detective. Vidocq is used as an example. Hans Gross tells how to test for pretended deafness (p.71). Chapter 6 tells the stories of some famous Victorian crimes. One miscarriage of justice was corrected by the efforts of A. Conan Doyle. Could a dog eat a murder weapon (p.90)?

Chapter 7 discusses the problem of accurately identifying an individual. There is the famous identity case of the Tichbourne Claimant (p.94), which showed the unreliability of eyewitness testimony. Alphonse Bertillon invented the first scientific method for identifying criminals. Fingerprints were used in China for centuries before their adoption in Victorian times (p.102). Edmond Locard found how fingerprints could be forged (p.107). Chapter 8 reports the science of ballistics in the 19th century. Microphotographic comparison of the test and murder bullets date from 1898. The failure to convict a murderer eventually led to more murders (p.131). Chapter 9 tells of identification by footprints, shod and unshod. Footprint evidence is rarely used today (paved sidewalks?).

Chapter 10 discusses the importance of trace evidence in criminalistics (p.147). The importance of subtle trace evidence has increased with the ability to detect it. Chapter 11 deals with the examination of questioned documents. Handwriting comparison is not an exact science (p.167). Chapter 12 tells of the tests for blood. The method of spectrum analysis was used as early as 1864 (p.176). Blood types were discovered by 1900, and identifying human blood in 1901 (p.186). Chapter 13 discusses the various theories of why some people commit crimes. Myths and folk tales influenced people's thinking. Legends exist today, and innocents suffer (p.212). An opinion from a scientist is dangerous if it is accepted on faith ("ipse dixit"),