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Like the elusive1 Sherlock Holmes， his most famous creation， Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a man of many contradictions. Scientifically educated， he believed in séances2 and fairies. A humanist who identified with3 oppressed peoples， he strongly defended English colonialism at its most aggressive. He dreamed of being a serious historical novelist， yet he is best remembered for stories that he considered pot-boilers4. The product of a pragmatic， fiercely protective mother and a detached dreamer of a father， Conan Doyle became a man with astonishing self-confidence， a tireless selfpromoter who also retained some measure of childish innocence throughout his life.
It all started with an eccentric professor teaching Doyle when he was at medical school， the man he later acknowledged as his inspiration for Sherlock Holmes， Dr. Joseph Bell. By the end of Conan Doyle’s second year Dr. Joseph Bell had selected him to serve as an assistant in his ward. This gave Conan Doyle the opportunity to view Dr. Bell’s remarkable ability to quickly deduce a great deal about a patient.
Dr. Bell taught his students the importance of observation， using all the senses to obtain an accurate diagnosis. He enjoyed impressing students by guessing a person’s profession from a few indications， through a combination of deductive and inductive reasoning， like Holmes. For instance， he observed the way a person moved. The walk of a sailor varied vastly from that of a solider. If he identified a person as a sailor he would look for any tattoos that might assist him in knowing where their travels had taken them. He trained himself to listen for small differences in his patient’s accents to help him identify where they were from. Bell studied the hands of his patients because calluses5 or other marks could help him determine their occupation.
“In teaching the treatment of disease and accident，”Dr. Bell stated， “all careful teachers have first to show the student how to recognize accurately the case. The recognition depends in great measure on the accurate and rapid appreciation6 of small points in which the diseased differs from the healthy state. In fact， the student must be taught to observe. To interest him in this kind of work we teachers find it useful to show the student how much a trained use of the observation can discover in ordinary matters such as the previous history， nationality and occupation of a patient.”
So while Conan Doyle went on to write about the brilliant Sherlock Holmes， he played Dr. Watson， at least for a while， to his professor. Although Bell’s methods fascinated Conan Doyle， his cold indifference towards his patients repelled7 the young medical student. Some of this coldness found its way into Sherlock Holmes’s character， especially in the early stories. In 1886， Doyle finished the first Sherlock Holmes novella， A Study in Scarlet8. After several rejections， he was forced to sell it for ￡25 to Beeton’s Christmas Annual， a holiday collection that often sold out， but did not usually attract much attention in the national press. The work was reprinted in 1889 and many more times， but Conan Doyle never earned another penny from it. The Sign of the Four9， the second work to feature Holmes and Watson， also achieved a small， but by no means brilliant， success.
While writing the early Holmes stories， Doyle also began what he considered his most important work： chivalric， historical novels based on British history， primarily， Micah Clark， Sir Nigel， and The White Company. Although these novels were widely admired， none of them created the stir caused by the first series of short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and John Watson that appeared in The Strand Magazine10. Despite their overwhelming success， Conan Doyle never suspected that these stories would be the foundation of his literary legacy.
After writing three series of twelve Holmes stories， receiving the unheard-of sum of ￡1，000 for the last dozen， Conan Doyle was sick to death of the popular detective and decided to kill him off in the 1893 story， The Final Problem. Conan Doyle considered the Holmes stories light fiction11， good for earning money， but destined to be quickly forgotten， the literary equivalent of junk food. “I couldn’t revive him if I would， at least not for years，” he wrote to a friend who urged Holmes’s resurrection， “for I have had such an overdose of him that I feel towards him as I do towards paté de foie gras， of which I once ate too much， so that the name of it gives me a sickly feeling to this day.”12 The vehement public reaction to Holmes’s death must have shocked Conan Doyle. People wore black armbands and wrote him pleading or threatening letters. Still， it was nine years before he gave in to public opinion and brought Holmes back.
The third Holmes novel， The Hound of the Baskervilles13， appeared in nine parts in The Strand Magazine during 1901-2， but it was presented as an old case from Watson’s records， completed before Holmes’s death. Conan Doyle did not make up his mind to resurrect Holmes until 1903， when he wrote The Empty House. He continued， reluctantly， to produce Holmes stories until 1927， three years before his own death.
Doctor and writer， Doyle’s personality encompassed all these traits that contributed to the Sherlock Holmes stories we love to read today. Conan Doyle’s fanciful imagination， combined with his scientific training， created ideas that have helped to shape the modern mystery and science fiction genres. His most long-lived idea， however， was Sherlock Holmes himself， who has continued to evolve in our time through the works of other writers and filmmakers， taking forms even his creator could never have imagined. 就像自己创造的最有名的角色——难以捉摸的夏洛克·福尔摩斯一样，阿瑟·柯南道尔爵士是一个充满矛盾的人。他接受过科学教育，却相信降神和精灵。他是一位人道主义者，同情受压迫的民族，却强烈捍卫英国最具侵略性的殖民主义政策。他梦想成为一名严肃的历史小说家，却因那些他自视为了赚稿费而创作的故事被人们永远怀念。拥有一个现实的、保护欲极强的母亲和一个对自己漠不关心、沉浸于幻想中的父亲，柯南道尔成长为一个自信心极强的人，永不疲倦地宣传自己，一生都保持着几分天真的孩子气。
所有这一切都应从一位古怪的教授开始讲起，他是柯南道尔所在医学院的教授，柯南道尔后来承认他是自己创作夏洛克·福尔摩斯的灵感，他就是约瑟夫·贝尔医生。柯南道尔第二学年快结束之际，约瑟夫·贝尔医生选中柯南道尔成为他病房的助理，这让柯南道尔有机会观察他那快速推断出与病人有关的大量信息的出色能力。
贝尔医生教导学生们观察的重要性，调用所有的感官去进行准确的诊断。他像福尔摩斯一样采用演绎和归纳的推理方法，从蛛丝马迹中推测病人的职业，这使他的学生们印象深刻，而他也乐在其中。例如，他观察人走路的方式，水手的走路方式肯定与士兵大相径庭。如果确定一个人是水手之后，他就会观察其身上是否有刺青，从而帮助他进一步推测这个人曾经去过哪里。他训练自己分辨病人口音的细小差别，这有助于确定他们来自哪里。贝尔医生还研究病人的双手，因为手上的老茧或其他印迹都可帮助他确定病人经常做什么事情。
“在教学生们治疗疾病和意外伤害时，”贝尔说道，“所有细心的教师都应该首先向学生们演示如何准确地诊断病情，而诊断很大程度上取决于准确快速地鉴别出病态和健康状态的细微差别。事实上，我们应该教会学生如何去观察。教师应向学生演示，经过训练后，善于运用观察就能够从普通事物中发现许多（有助于进行诊断的）情况，例如病人的既往病史、国籍和职业，这有助于培养学生对观察的兴趣。”
由此看来，柯南道尔在撰写才华横溢的夏洛克·福尔摩斯的故事之前，至少有一段时间他曾在他的教授面前扮演了华生医生的角色。尽管贝尔的方法让柯南道尔深深着迷，但他对病人漠不关心的态度也让这位年轻的医学学生很反感。贝尔的冷漠或多或少影响了他对福尔摩斯性格的塑造，尤其是在早期故事中。
1886年，柯南道尔完成了首部福尔摩斯中篇小说《血字的研究》。在遭到出版社数次拒绝后，他被迫以25英镑的价格卖出，发表在《比顿圣诞年刊》上。《比顿圣诞年刊》是一本节日刊物，虽然经常售罄，但在全国范围内却没有什么影响力。1889年，这篇小说进行了重印，此后又重印了多次，但柯南道尔没有额外得到过一分钱。《四签名》是第二部以福尔摩斯和华生为主角的作品，这部作品只算能小有成就。
柯南道尔在撰写这些早期福尔摩斯故事的同时，也在酝酿着他自视为最重要的作品：基于英国历史之上的骑士历史小说，主要有《弥迦·克拉克》、《奈杰尔爵士》和《白衣纵队》。尽管这些小说广受推崇，但都不能引起像刊登在《海滨杂志》上的以夏洛克·福尔摩斯和约翰·华生为主角的第一批短篇小说所带来的轰动。尽管福尔摩斯的故事极为成功，但柯南道尔却从未想到过这些故事会成为自己流传后世的主要文学遗产。
柯南道尔编写了三个系列共36个福尔摩斯故事，最后12个故事使他获得了前所未闻的1，000英镑稿费，但他却对这位广受欢迎的侦探深感厌恶，并决定在1893年《最后一案》中把他“杀掉”。柯南道尔将福尔摩斯故事视为通俗小说，极好挣钱，但注定很快会被人遗忘，是文学中的“垃圾食品”。在给一位力劝他让福尔摩斯复活的朋友的信中，他这样写道：“即使我想把他复活，我也无法这么做，至少好几年内不行。我写他写得太多了，现在我对他的感觉就好像我对鹅肝一样，吃得太多以致现在我一想起这个名字就觉得恶心。”公众对福尔摩斯死去的强烈反应肯定让柯南道尔大吃一惊，人们在手臂上戴黑纱以示悼念，给他写信恳求或是威胁他（复活福尔摩斯）。尽管如此，柯南道尔还是在九年之后才屈从于公众的要求，让福尔摩斯归来。
第三部福尔摩斯小说《巴斯克维尔的猎犬》分成九部分，在1901至1902年间的《海滨杂志》上连载，但卻是作为华生记录下的福尔摩斯死前侦破的一个旧案件。直到1903年，柯南道尔创作《空屋》时，才下定决心让福尔摩斯复活。之后他不太情愿地继续创作福尔摩斯的故事，一直到1927年才停笔。三年之后，他自己过世了。
作为医生和作家，柯南道尔的性格中包含了这两者的特点，这些性格特征帮助他创作了我们至今仍读得津津有味的福尔摩斯故事。柯南道尔富有天马行空的想象力，加上受到过科学训练，为他带来了各种创意，从而影响了现代悬疑推理小说的写作。然而，他最经久不衰的创意，恐怕还是夏洛克·福尔摩斯，这个角色通过当代其他作家和电影制片人的作品，以一些他的创作者从未想到过的形式，在我们这个时代继续经历不同的演变过程。
1. elusive： 难以捉摸的，难找的。
2. séance：（招魂术士搞的）降神会。
3. identify with sb. ： 与某人产生共鸣，同情。
4. pot-boiler： 为赚钱而创作的书籍（或戏剧等作品）。
5. callus： 老茧，结痂。
6. appreciation： 鉴定，评价。
7. repel： 使厌恶，使反感。
8. A Study in Scarlet： 《血字的研究》，是柯南道尔第一部以福尔摩斯为主角的作品。讲述了华生医生在旧助手的介绍下结识福尔摩斯，和他一同租下位于贝克街的房屋，并随后协助福尔摩斯解决了一起在犯罪现场留下血字“RACHE”（德语“复仇”之意）的谋杀案。
9. The Sign of the Four： 《四签名》，讲述了一个关于不列颠东印度公司、印度民族起义、被窃宝物以及由四位罪犯所拟定的秘密协定的复杂案件。华生医生的未来妻子玛丽·莫斯坦在这一案件中第一次登场。
10. The Strand Magazine： 《海滨杂志》，也译作《斯特兰德月刊》，是1891年至1950年间在英国较受欢迎的一本月刊，刊登小说或知识性文章，创刊初始销售量达到30万册/月。
11. light fiction： 情节轻松的小说，迎合大众情趣的小说。
12. resurrection： 复活。下文的resurrect是其动词形式；patéde foie gras： 鹅肝，一种著名法国料理。
13. The Hound of the Baskervilles： 《巴斯克维尔的猎犬》，讲述的是在巴斯克维尔家庭中，三百年来一直流传着的“魔鬼般的大猎狗”的神秘传说以及由这个传说引发的谋杀案。
It all started with an eccentric professor teaching Doyle when he was at medical school， the man he later acknowledged as his inspiration for Sherlock Holmes， Dr. Joseph Bell. By the end of Conan Doyle’s second year Dr. Joseph Bell had selected him to serve as an assistant in his ward. This gave Conan Doyle the opportunity to view Dr. Bell’s remarkable ability to quickly deduce a great deal about a patient.
Dr. Bell taught his students the importance of observation， using all the senses to obtain an accurate diagnosis. He enjoyed impressing students by guessing a person’s profession from a few indications， through a combination of deductive and inductive reasoning， like Holmes. For instance， he observed the way a person moved. The walk of a sailor varied vastly from that of a solider. If he identified a person as a sailor he would look for any tattoos that might assist him in knowing where their travels had taken them. He trained himself to listen for small differences in his patient’s accents to help him identify where they were from. Bell studied the hands of his patients because calluses5 or other marks could help him determine their occupation.
“In teaching the treatment of disease and accident，”Dr. Bell stated， “all careful teachers have first to show the student how to recognize accurately the case. The recognition depends in great measure on the accurate and rapid appreciation6 of small points in which the diseased differs from the healthy state. In fact， the student must be taught to observe. To interest him in this kind of work we teachers find it useful to show the student how much a trained use of the observation can discover in ordinary matters such as the previous history， nationality and occupation of a patient.”
So while Conan Doyle went on to write about the brilliant Sherlock Holmes， he played Dr. Watson， at least for a while， to his professor. Although Bell’s methods fascinated Conan Doyle， his cold indifference towards his patients repelled7 the young medical student. Some of this coldness found its way into Sherlock Holmes’s character， especially in the early stories. In 1886， Doyle finished the first Sherlock Holmes novella， A Study in Scarlet8. After several rejections， he was forced to sell it for ￡25 to Beeton’s Christmas Annual， a holiday collection that often sold out， but did not usually attract much attention in the national press. The work was reprinted in 1889 and many more times， but Conan Doyle never earned another penny from it. The Sign of the Four9， the second work to feature Holmes and Watson， also achieved a small， but by no means brilliant， success.
While writing the early Holmes stories， Doyle also began what he considered his most important work： chivalric， historical novels based on British history， primarily， Micah Clark， Sir Nigel， and The White Company. Although these novels were widely admired， none of them created the stir caused by the first series of short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and John Watson that appeared in The Strand Magazine10. Despite their overwhelming success， Conan Doyle never suspected that these stories would be the foundation of his literary legacy.
After writing three series of twelve Holmes stories， receiving the unheard-of sum of ￡1，000 for the last dozen， Conan Doyle was sick to death of the popular detective and decided to kill him off in the 1893 story， The Final Problem. Conan Doyle considered the Holmes stories light fiction11， good for earning money， but destined to be quickly forgotten， the literary equivalent of junk food. “I couldn’t revive him if I would， at least not for years，” he wrote to a friend who urged Holmes’s resurrection， “for I have had such an overdose of him that I feel towards him as I do towards paté de foie gras， of which I once ate too much， so that the name of it gives me a sickly feeling to this day.”12 The vehement public reaction to Holmes’s death must have shocked Conan Doyle. People wore black armbands and wrote him pleading or threatening letters. Still， it was nine years before he gave in to public opinion and brought Holmes back.
The third Holmes novel， The Hound of the Baskervilles13， appeared in nine parts in The Strand Magazine during 1901-2， but it was presented as an old case from Watson’s records， completed before Holmes’s death. Conan Doyle did not make up his mind to resurrect Holmes until 1903， when he wrote The Empty House. He continued， reluctantly， to produce Holmes stories until 1927， three years before his own death.
Doctor and writer， Doyle’s personality encompassed all these traits that contributed to the Sherlock Holmes stories we love to read today. Conan Doyle’s fanciful imagination， combined with his scientific training， created ideas that have helped to shape the modern mystery and science fiction genres. His most long-lived idea， however， was Sherlock Holmes himself， who has continued to evolve in our time through the works of other writers and filmmakers， taking forms even his creator could never have imagined. 就像自己创造的最有名的角色——难以捉摸的夏洛克·福尔摩斯一样，阿瑟·柯南道尔爵士是一个充满矛盾的人。他接受过科学教育，却相信降神和精灵。他是一位人道主义者，同情受压迫的民族，却强烈捍卫英国最具侵略性的殖民主义政策。他梦想成为一名严肃的历史小说家，却因那些他自视为了赚稿费而创作的故事被人们永远怀念。拥有一个现实的、保护欲极强的母亲和一个对自己漠不关心、沉浸于幻想中的父亲，柯南道尔成长为一个自信心极强的人，永不疲倦地宣传自己，一生都保持着几分天真的孩子气。
所有这一切都应从一位古怪的教授开始讲起，他是柯南道尔所在医学院的教授，柯南道尔后来承认他是自己创作夏洛克·福尔摩斯的灵感，他就是约瑟夫·贝尔医生。柯南道尔第二学年快结束之际，约瑟夫·贝尔医生选中柯南道尔成为他病房的助理，这让柯南道尔有机会观察他那快速推断出与病人有关的大量信息的出色能力。
贝尔医生教导学生们观察的重要性，调用所有的感官去进行准确的诊断。他像福尔摩斯一样采用演绎和归纳的推理方法，从蛛丝马迹中推测病人的职业，这使他的学生们印象深刻，而他也乐在其中。例如，他观察人走路的方式，水手的走路方式肯定与士兵大相径庭。如果确定一个人是水手之后，他就会观察其身上是否有刺青，从而帮助他进一步推测这个人曾经去过哪里。他训练自己分辨病人口音的细小差别，这有助于确定他们来自哪里。贝尔医生还研究病人的双手，因为手上的老茧或其他印迹都可帮助他确定病人经常做什么事情。
“在教学生们治疗疾病和意外伤害时，”贝尔说道，“所有细心的教师都应该首先向学生们演示如何准确地诊断病情，而诊断很大程度上取决于准确快速地鉴别出病态和健康状态的细微差别。事实上，我们应该教会学生如何去观察。教师应向学生演示，经过训练后，善于运用观察就能够从普通事物中发现许多（有助于进行诊断的）情况，例如病人的既往病史、国籍和职业，这有助于培养学生对观察的兴趣。”
由此看来，柯南道尔在撰写才华横溢的夏洛克·福尔摩斯的故事之前，至少有一段时间他曾在他的教授面前扮演了华生医生的角色。尽管贝尔的方法让柯南道尔深深着迷，但他对病人漠不关心的态度也让这位年轻的医学学生很反感。贝尔的冷漠或多或少影响了他对福尔摩斯性格的塑造，尤其是在早期故事中。
1886年，柯南道尔完成了首部福尔摩斯中篇小说《血字的研究》。在遭到出版社数次拒绝后，他被迫以25英镑的价格卖出，发表在《比顿圣诞年刊》上。《比顿圣诞年刊》是一本节日刊物，虽然经常售罄，但在全国范围内却没有什么影响力。1889年，这篇小说进行了重印，此后又重印了多次，但柯南道尔没有额外得到过一分钱。《四签名》是第二部以福尔摩斯和华生为主角的作品，这部作品只算能小有成就。
柯南道尔在撰写这些早期福尔摩斯故事的同时，也在酝酿着他自视为最重要的作品：基于英国历史之上的骑士历史小说，主要有《弥迦·克拉克》、《奈杰尔爵士》和《白衣纵队》。尽管这些小说广受推崇，但都不能引起像刊登在《海滨杂志》上的以夏洛克·福尔摩斯和约翰·华生为主角的第一批短篇小说所带来的轰动。尽管福尔摩斯的故事极为成功，但柯南道尔却从未想到过这些故事会成为自己流传后世的主要文学遗产。
柯南道尔编写了三个系列共36个福尔摩斯故事，最后12个故事使他获得了前所未闻的1，000英镑稿费，但他却对这位广受欢迎的侦探深感厌恶，并决定在1893年《最后一案》中把他“杀掉”。柯南道尔将福尔摩斯故事视为通俗小说，极好挣钱，但注定很快会被人遗忘，是文学中的“垃圾食品”。在给一位力劝他让福尔摩斯复活的朋友的信中，他这样写道：“即使我想把他复活，我也无法这么做，至少好几年内不行。我写他写得太多了，现在我对他的感觉就好像我对鹅肝一样，吃得太多以致现在我一想起这个名字就觉得恶心。”公众对福尔摩斯死去的强烈反应肯定让柯南道尔大吃一惊，人们在手臂上戴黑纱以示悼念，给他写信恳求或是威胁他（复活福尔摩斯）。尽管如此，柯南道尔还是在九年之后才屈从于公众的要求，让福尔摩斯归来。
第三部福尔摩斯小说《巴斯克维尔的猎犬》分成九部分，在1901至1902年间的《海滨杂志》上连载，但卻是作为华生记录下的福尔摩斯死前侦破的一个旧案件。直到1903年，柯南道尔创作《空屋》时，才下定决心让福尔摩斯复活。之后他不太情愿地继续创作福尔摩斯的故事，一直到1927年才停笔。三年之后，他自己过世了。
作为医生和作家，柯南道尔的性格中包含了这两者的特点，这些性格特征帮助他创作了我们至今仍读得津津有味的福尔摩斯故事。柯南道尔富有天马行空的想象力，加上受到过科学训练，为他带来了各种创意，从而影响了现代悬疑推理小说的写作。然而，他最经久不衰的创意，恐怕还是夏洛克·福尔摩斯，这个角色通过当代其他作家和电影制片人的作品，以一些他的创作者从未想到过的形式，在我们这个时代继续经历不同的演变过程。
1. elusive： 难以捉摸的，难找的。
2. séance：（招魂术士搞的）降神会。
3. identify with sb. ： 与某人产生共鸣，同情。
4. pot-boiler： 为赚钱而创作的书籍（或戏剧等作品）。
5. callus： 老茧，结痂。
6. appreciation： 鉴定，评价。
7. repel： 使厌恶，使反感。
8. A Study in Scarlet： 《血字的研究》，是柯南道尔第一部以福尔摩斯为主角的作品。讲述了华生医生在旧助手的介绍下结识福尔摩斯，和他一同租下位于贝克街的房屋，并随后协助福尔摩斯解决了一起在犯罪现场留下血字“RACHE”（德语“复仇”之意）的谋杀案。
9. The Sign of the Four： 《四签名》，讲述了一个关于不列颠东印度公司、印度民族起义、被窃宝物以及由四位罪犯所拟定的秘密协定的复杂案件。华生医生的未来妻子玛丽·莫斯坦在这一案件中第一次登场。
10. The Strand Magazine： 《海滨杂志》，也译作《斯特兰德月刊》，是1891年至1950年间在英国较受欢迎的一本月刊，刊登小说或知识性文章，创刊初始销售量达到30万册/月。
11. light fiction： 情节轻松的小说，迎合大众情趣的小说。
12. resurrection： 复活。下文的resurrect是其动词形式；patéde foie gras： 鹅肝，一种著名法国料理。
13. The Hound of the Baskervilles： 《巴斯克维尔的猎犬》，讲述的是在巴斯克维尔家庭中，三百年来一直流传着的“魔鬼般的大猎狗”的神秘传说以及由这个传说引发的谋杀案。