“... the shock of the night’s adventures had shattered his nerves.”
_The Hound of the Baskervilles_
The harrowing adventures experienced by some of the characters in the
stories of Sherlock Holmes, and the great shocks they sustained, often
induced in them a state of high nervous tension. References to such
individuals are numerous.
Sherlock Holmes himself possessed an iron constitution, and was favored
with an especially well-balanced mind. His biographer, John H. Watson,
M.D., writes, “All emotions ... were abhorrent to his cold, precise but
admirably balanced mind” (_A Scandal in Bohemia_). But even Holmes,
on one occasion at least, was on the verge of a serious nervous
breakdown. In the spring of 1897, Dr. Watson became concerned about
the health of his distinguished friend: “... I found him a prey to the
blackest depression ... [even his realization of his worldly fame] was
insufficient to rouse him from his nervous prostration” (_The Reigate
Puzzle_).
Watson felt that Holmes needed a complete rest in a quiet and soothing
atmosphere, and finally persuaded the great detective to take a holiday
in the country. Arrangements were made to stay at the home of one of
Dr. Watson’s old friends. On the evening of their arrival, their host,
Colonel Hayter, in the course of a conversation following dinner, told
them of an unusual burglary which had occurred a few nights before
in the neighborhood. When Holmes manifested too warm an interest in
this event, Watson became alarmed and cautioned him: “You are here
for a rest, my dear fellow. For Heaven’s sake don’t get started on
a new problem when your nerves are all in shreds” (_The Reigate
Puzzle_). Watson’s admonition proved of no avail. The next morning,
while at breakfast, they were informed that a dastardly murder had
been committed at the home of a nearby neighbor. Inspector Forrester,
knowing that Sherlock Holmes was in the vicinity, asked for his help.
Holmes answered the call, and after a rather painful experience, solved
the mystery brilliantly in the course of a few hours.
The neat solution of this case, together with the concomitant
excitement which it afforded, apparently caused Holmes to recover
quickly from his “blackest depression,” for that afternoon he remarked
to his faithful friend, “Watson, I think our quiet rest in the country
has been a distinct success, and I shall certainly return much
invigorated to Baker Street tomorrow” (_The Reigate Puzzle_). This
episode demonstrates the man’s superb constitution. Most people would
have required several weeks, or even months, to recover their normal
health following a severe nervous breakdown. But not Holmes.
In several instances, the characters described by Dr. Watson showed
clear-cut signs of hysteria. When the well-known banker Alexander
Holden found that the “Beryl Coronet,” which had been intrusted to his
care, had been mutilated and three of its jewels stolen, he became
greatly agitated and called on Sherlock Holmes:
For a while he could not get his words out, but swayed his body and
plucked at his hair like one who has been driven to the extreme limits
of his reason. Then suddenly springing to his feet, he beat his head
against the wall with such force that we both rushed upon him and tore
him away to the centre of the room.
_The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet_
This highly respected citizen must have been an emotionally unstable
person. One wonders how he could have been a successful banker, with
such a sensitive nervous system. The poor man must have lain awake
many a weary night worrying about his investments. We do not know
his subsequent history, but I suspect that he eventually developed
hypertension or suffered from gastric ulcers.
When Rachel Howells was questioned by the master of the house about the
disappearance of her perfidious lover Brunton, she showed pronounced
signs of hysteria:
She looked at me with so strange an expression that I began to suspect
that her brain was affected.... She fell back against the wall with
shriek after shriek of laughter, while I, horrified at this sudden
hysterical attack, rushed to the bell to summon help. The girl was
taken to her room still screaming and sobbing....
_The Musgrave Ritual_
There was a real reason for the girl’s behavior; she had been directly
responsible for her lover’s horrible death. It is small wonder that she
suffered a violent hysterical attack.
Once Dr. Watson was asked to see the wife of his boyhood friend Robert
Ferguson. It was a tragic situation. She had been observed on several
occasions sucking blood from her infant son. The sympathetic doctor
stated that she appeared only half conscious, and had a frightened
expression. Her pulse and temperature were both high, but he felt
that this was due to her highly emotional state (_The Adventure of
the Sussex Vampire_). Mrs. Ferguson was probably suffering from
hysteria. The attack cleared up promptly when Sherlock Holmes sat down
at the patient’s bedside and, in the presence of her husband, analyzed
the situation, explaining why it was necessary for Mrs. Ferguson to
suck the baby’s wounds. They had been made by arrows dipped in curare.
The baby’s insanely jealous half-brother had committed this atrocious
deed. Truly, a shocking episode!
In _The Greek Interpreter_, reference is made to a man who showed
symptoms of St. Vitus’ dance. Mr. Melas described his unpleasant
companion: “... his lips and eyelids were continually twitching like a
man with St. Vitus’ dance. I could not help thinking that his strange,
catchy little laugh was also a symptom of some nervous malady.”
The term “St. Vitus’ dance” is seldom used nowadays; it is presently
called “acute chorea.” This condition is characterized by irregular
involuntary contractions of the muscles and is associated with a
variable amount of psychic disturbance. The name (St. Vitus’ dance)
has been handed down from the Middle Ages. Epidemics characterized
by excitement, gesticulations, and dancing brought about mainly by
religious fervor were in those days not uncommon. Whenever these
symptoms became excessive, the people in the Rhenish province
frequently made pilgrimages to the Chapel of St. Vitus in Zebern.
Another reference to twitching muscles may be cited. Sherlock Holmes
called on Mr. Sidney Johnson, senior clerk and draughtsman, in an
office from which extremely important secret papers had disappeared.
Watson writes that the clerk had haggard cheeks, and that his hands
were twitching from the nervous strain he had undergone (_The Adventure
of the Bruce-Partington Plans_).
In the tales, other references may be found to shattered nerves and
states of nervous exhaustion. In describing the condition of her
father, Alice Turner tells Sherlock Holmes: “... Dr. Willow says
that he is a wreck and that his nervous system is shattered” (_The
Boscombe Valley Mystery_). The real reason for his pitiful state,
which his daughter did not know, was that he had recently murdered an
old acquaintance.
When Don Murillo, Tiger of San Pedro, tried to kidnap Miss Burnett, she
broke away from him, and with the help of a friend got into a cab. Here
Holmes saw her, and observed that she was in a state of collapse from
nervous exhaustion (_The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge_). This brave
lady had been locked in a room for a number of days with insufficient
food, and had undergone other traumatic experiences. It is no wonder
that Holmes found her in such a pitiful state.
After Sir Henry Baskerville had narrowly escaped death on the moor from
the savage hound, he suffered a nervous collapse, “... the shock of
the night’s adventure had shattered his nerves.” Sir Henry assuredly
was not a weak man, but the victim of a concatenation of unfortunate
circumstances. The family history of the hound, Sir Henry’s love for a
married woman, his isolation and loneliness, and the somber landscape
of the bleak moor doubtless all preyed on his mind. When the hound
actually sprang upon him, his nervous system finally reached the
breaking point. Stronger men than he would have quailed.
Mr. Marlow Bates, the manager of the estates of the wealthy “Gold King”
Mr. Gibson (whose wife had been found dead), called on Sherlock Holmes.
Watson describes him as a small, thin, fidgety man, who appeared to be
on the brink of a serious nervous breakdown. Although in great fear of
his vicious employer, Bates detested him so heartily that he hurried
to Baker Street and told Holmes that Gibson was an “infernal villain.”
In view of the circumstances, this was indeed a grave accusation. The
reader will recall that the “Gold King” had not murdered his wife; she
had died by her own hand (_The Problem of Thor Bridge_).
The eyes often show a characteristic expression under emotional strain.
Referring to Colonel Valentine Walther, whose brother had suddenly
died, Watson observes that he had wild eyes and presented a worried
and disheveled appearance (_The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington
Plans_). It was discovered that it was the colonel who had stolen
an extremely important state document. His older brother, Sir James,
suspected Valentine’s guilt. The shock was too much for the older
man and caused his death; there was a question as to whether he took
his own life. Be that as it may, his younger brother was responsible
for the tragedy. We are not surprised to learn that the eyes of the
colonel had a wild expression.
People under great emotional strain often break out in a cold sweat.
Nearly everyone has, at one time or another, experienced this
phenomenon. It is caused by violent stimulation of the sympathetic
nervous system. When John Openshaw’s uncle Elias received a letter
containing five orange pips, a great change came over him. At times he
acted like a madman. His nephew told Holmes, “At such times I have seen
his face, even on a cold day, glisten with moisture, as though it were
new raised from a basin” (_The Five Orange Pips_).
A cold sweat is more apt to manifest itself on the forehead, but it
is not necessarily limited to the face, for any portion, or all,
of the body may be involved. The cold, clammy sweat produced under
conditions of intense mental stress is different, of course, from the
normal healthy sweat brought about by a warm environment or by physical
exertion, or by both. The physiologic explanation of a cold sweat is
that it is a condition brought about by pain or fear as a reaction
anticipatory of the strenuous muscle movements that may ensue.
Victor Trevor’s father was also the recipient of a letter which led to
tragedy:
My father read it, clapped both hands to his head and began running
round the room in little circles like a man who has been driven out of
his senses.... I saw that he had a stroke.
_The “Gloria Scott”_
Apparently, this individual became so agitated, and his blood pressure
rose so high, that he was stricken with a fatal cerebral hemorrhage.
It is well known that emotions may produce a pronounced rise in blood
pressure even in healthy people.
Most of the nervous maladies described by Dr. Watson were in the
nature of acute episodes, and more or less transient in character. The
individuals he depicted were high-strung, nervous people, overwhelmed
by the traumatic experiences to which they had been subjected. Some
of these were unable to suppress their emotions and either became
hysterical or suffered a nervous collapse.
As a rule, we do not think of the English people as giving way to
their feelings, but as governing them strictly. It is the Latins who
are supposed to manifest hysterical reactions. However, it would
take extraordinarily strong men, regardless of their nationality,
to maintain normal mental equilibrium under some of the situations
described in the spine-tingling tales; even the stolid Britishers
cracked under the mental strain. The nervous system of man can
withstand just so much and no more. It is given to but few to possess
nerves of steel, and even such rare individuals finally reach a
breaking point. Man is not a machine, but a human being.
If Dr. Watson were writing his adventurous stories today, he probably
would stress the fact that long-continued nervous strain is likely
to produce ulcers of the stomach or of the duodenum. The modern view
is that mental worry may lead to hypertension and to diseases of the
arteries, especially those which supply the heart muscles, namely, the
coronaries--although it is true, as previously mentioned, that most
of the characters depicted in the tales suffered mental strain for a
substantial length of time.
It is noteworthy that both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson maintained a
nice mental balance even during periods of tremendous excitement and
danger. A striking characteristic about both was their extraordinary
fearlessness and mental poise. Although people around them often
manifested signs of abject fear, or were given to hysterical outbursts,
our heroes never faltered, but maintained a calm demeanor and
dispatched neatly and efficiently the task before them.