276 RüdigerKunow
coming most readily to mind is the figure of Sherlock Holmes, just
recentlyturnedintoyetanotherfilmicversion.Forthepresentpurposes,
Holmesisagoodexampleforanumberofreasons.Asa"nerd"avantla
letter, his case invites reflections on whether extraordinary intelligence
(discussed in the previous chapter) might not also constitute a form of
disability (Berger20-21).Moreimportantly,theHolmesfigurehelpsus
not to forget that the current popularity of people with non-normative
mindsets is not completely new. Holmes, as we think we know him, is
ofcoursethecreationofArthurConanDoyle,the"hero"offournovels
and over 50 stories, and has been the object of countless textual and
filmic adaptations since his first appearance in 1887. In Conan Doyle's
original version, Holmes is an aging man with an aristocratic
backgroundwhospendsallhislifeasanamateurdetective.
Amonghiseccentricitiesishishabitualuseofstimulatingsubstances
(morphine, cocaine). The stories remain ambivalent throughout about
whethersuchhabitualuseofdrugsamountstochemicaladdiction."The
SignofFour"(firstpublishedin1890)openswithadetaileddescription
of Holmes injecting himself (three times a day) with a dose of cocaine:
when chided by his companion Watson, who is after all a medical
doctor, Holmes replies: "Perhaps you are right, Watson... I suppose
that its influence is physically a bad one. I find it, however, so
transcendentallystimulatingandclarifyingtothemindthatitssecondary
actionisamatterofsmallmoment."Inhisrepartee,Watsonemphasizes
the negative effects of the drug on Holmes's mind and even alludes to
strong side effects: "You know, too, what a black reaction comes upon
you" (136). But Holmes is not to be persuaded. While the "black
reaction" is never specified in the original Holmes narratives, later
readershavenotbeenslowtoattributesignsofmentalimpairmenttothe
eccentric master detective. Among the most popular diagnoses are
Asperger's syndrome, some schizoid disorder, or bipolar disorder.^105
Contemporary rewritings and adaptations of the Holmes figure did of
course not hesitate to move into the center of their narratives what in
(^105) The point here is not to decide whether this or other diagnostic options are
"true,"especiallyasmanyarecomingfromamateurpsycho-sleuthsofsorts.For
the debate about Holmes's frequently invoked autistic traits cf. Chambers, Lisa.
"HiddenClues."TheNewYorkTimes.TheNewYorkTimesCompany,04Dec.
2009.Web.10Dec.2016.