Dr Watson (left) and Sherlock Holmes, by Sidney Paget.

Dr John H. Watson is a fictional character, the friend and confidante of Sherlock Holmes, the fictional 19th-century detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Various (extra-canonical) sources give Watson's birth date as August 7, 1852 and his full name as Dr John Hamish Watson. According to Nicholas Meyer's revisionist novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, he died in 1939. Image File history File links Paget_holmes. ... A Paget illustration of Sherlock Holmes (right) and Dr. Watson. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Sherlock Holmes as imagined by the seminal Holmesian artist, Sidney Paget, in The Strand Magazine. ... For the periodical, see Nineteenth Century (periodical). ... Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes Detective fiction is a branch of crime fiction that centers upon the investigation of a crime, usually murder, by a detective, either professional or amateur. ... Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859 - July 7, 1930) is the British author most famously known for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Nicholas Meyer at the Paramount Pictures lot in 2002. ... Revisionism is a word which has several meanings. ... The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche by Nicholas Meyer. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Background and description

In the debut Holmes story "A Study in Scarlet" (published in 1887), Watson, as the narrator, describes meeting Holmes, their subsequent sharing of rooms at 221B Baker Street, his attempts to discover the profession of his taciturn companion, Holmes's eventual taking of Watson into his confidence, and the events surrounding their first case together. Watson describes Holmes and his methods in detail, but in too romantic and sentimental a manner for Holmes's taste. In time, they become close friends. A Study in Scarlet is a detective mystery story written by Arthur Conan Doyle and published in 1887. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... 221B Baker Street is the fictional London residence of the detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Arthur Conan Doyle. ...

In "The Sign of Four", John Watson met Mary Morstan, who became his wife. Mary seemed somewhat less sure of her husband, however, absent-mindedly calling him "James" in the short story "The Man with the Twisted Lip". This may be a simple typographical error, though some have speculated that it is a wifely reference to Watson's unknown middle name, which could have been "Hamish" (Scottish for "James")^[1]. The Sign of Four (1890) was the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. ... beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie man beware pie... The Man with the Twisted Lip, one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the sixth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. ... // Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ...

Watson is a physician of some experience (as was Conan Doyle). Watson had served in the British Army medical corps in Afghanistan, but was discharged following an injury^[2] received in the line of duty during the Battle of Maiwand. Watson was almost killed in the long and arduous retreat from the battle, but was saved by his orderly, Murray. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Combatants Great Britain Afghanistan Commanders George Burrows Ayub Khan Strength 2,566 25,000 Casualties 1,123 962 dead 161 wounded 7,000+ 5,500+ dead 1,500+ wounded The Battle of Maiwand was one of the largest battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. ... This article is about orderlies in medical work. ...

When Watson first returns from Afghanistan, he is "as thin as a lath and as brown as a nut." His more normal appearance is hinted at in "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton": "... a middle-sized, strongly built man--square jaw, thick neck, moustache ...". In The Hound of the Baskervilles he notes that he is "reckoned fleet of foot". By 1914 (in the story "His Last Bow"), he is described as "thickset". He is evidently not ill-favored, as Holmes several times jokes about Watson's success with women. The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes. ... The Hound of the Baskervilles is a crime novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, originally serialised in the Strand Magazine in 1901 and 1902, which is set largely on Dartmoor 1889. ... His Last Bow, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as His Last Bow. ...

Personality

Watson is not a stupid man (he is, after all, a medical doctor, and one whose talents Holmes holds in the highest esteem), but he does not have Holmes' insight. He serves as a foil to Holmes: the ordinary man against the brilliant, emotionally-detached analytical machine that Holmes can sometimes be. With the two, Conan Doyle created a clever literary pairing: two vivid characters, different in their function and yet each useful for his purposes.

Watson is well aware of both the limits of his abilities and Holmes' reliance on him:

[Holmes] was a man of habits... and I had become one of them... a comrade... upon whose nerve he could place some reliance... a whetstone for his mind. I stimulated him... If I irritated him by a certain methodical slowness in my mentality, that irritation served only to make his own flame-like intuitions and impressions flash up the more vividly and swiftly. Such was my humble role in our alliance.

Conan Doyle portrays Watson as a capable and brave individual, whom Holmes does not hesitate to call upon for both moral and physical assistance: "Quickly Watson, get your service revolver!" Watson occasionally attempts to solve crimes on his own, using Holmes's methods. For example, in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Watson efficiently clears up several of the many mysteries confronting the pair, and Holmes praises him warmly for his zeal and intelligence. However, because he is not endowed with Holmes's almost-superhuman ability to focus on the essential details of the case, he meets with limited success in other cases, as Holmes remarks "Quite so... you see, but you do not observe." In the story "The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist", Watson's attempts to help Holmes with an investigation prove unsuccessful because of his unimaginative approach, e.g. asking a London estate agent who lives in a particular country residence (according to Holmes, what he should have done was "gone to the nearest public house" and listened to the gossip). Watson is too guileless to be a proper detective: he has a definite strain of "pawky humour", as Holmes observes in The Valley of Fear; but he is naturally open and straightforward, while Holmes can be secretive and devious. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Hound of the Baskervilles is a crime novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, originally serialised in the Strand Magazine in 1901 and 1902, which is set largely on Dartmoor 1889. ... The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes. ... The Valley of Fear is a Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. ...

Though initially their relationship was little more than vaguely acquainted roommates, the two became the very best of friends, almost like brothers. By the time they shared "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs," Holmes had such an attachment to his friend that he nearly panicked at the thought that Watson had been shot. Watson wrote, "It was worth a wound–it was worth many wounds–to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation." Holmes returns to himself only when he is assured that Watson has been merely scratched by the bullet, adding to the perpetrator that "if you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive." The Adventure of the Three Garridebs, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes. ...

Though he never masters Holmes's deductive methods, Watson is acute enough to follow his friend's reasoning after the fact. In "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder," Holmes notes that John Hector McFarlane is "a bachelor, a solicitor, a Freemason, and an asthmatic". Watson comments, in his narratorial role: "Familiar as I was with my friend's methods, it was not difficult for me to follow his deductions, and to observe the untidiness of attire, the sheaf of legal papers, the watch-charm, and the breathing which had prompted them." Similar episodes occur in "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot," "The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist," and "The Adventure of the Resident Patient". The Adventure of the Norwood Builder, one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the second tale from The Return of Sherlock Holmes. ... The Adventure of the Devils Foot, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as His Last Bow. ... The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes. ... The Adventure of the Resident Patient, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. ...

Watson is something of a ladies' man (boasting in The Sign of Four of "an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents,") and fans of the Conan Doyle stories have long speculated as to just how many times he was married.

As archetype of the sidekick

In Conan Doyle's early rough plot outlines, he intended that the role of Watson would be filled by two junior detectives known as Sandifer and Phillip; these characters were merged into "Watson." In turn, the introduction of Dr. Watson in the Holmes novels proved a precursor to other, similar characters. Many of the great fictional detectives have their Watson: Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, for example, is accompanied by Captain Arthur Hastings. Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), also known as Dame Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in The Dream Hercule Poirot (pronounced ) is a fictional Belgian detective who featured in the novels of Agatha Christie. ... Captain Arthur Hastings, OBE, is a fictional character, the partner and best friend of Agatha Christies Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. ...

• In the words of William L. De Andrea,

Watson also serves the important function of catalyst for Holmes's mental processes. [...] From the writer's point of view, Conan Doyle knew the importance of having someone to whom the detective can make enigmatic remarks, a consciousness that's privy to facts in the case without being in on the conclusions drawn from them until the proper time. Any character who performs these functions in a mystery story has come to be known as a "Watson."

• In 1929, English crime writer and critic Ronald Knox stated as one of his rules for fledgling writers of detective fiction as that -

the stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal from the reader any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader."

• See also: Audience surrogate

William L. DeAndrea (1952 - October 9, 1996) was an American mystery writer and columnist. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (1888-1957) was an English theologian and crime writer. ... In the study of literature, an audience surrogate is a character who expresses the questions and confusion of the reader. ...

Not necessarily a fool

In a number of film adaptations, in particular those featuring the comic skills of the actor Nigel Bruce, the character of Watson became more of a caricature. Far from being the able assistant as presented by Conan Doyle, Watson was portrayed as an incompetent fool. Modern treatments have returned to the roots of Conan Doyle stories and have portrayed a more sympathetic and competent Watson. The most famous example of this restored image of Watson is the depiction played by David Burke and later Edward Hardwicke in the 1980s television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Jeremy Brett in the title role. At the end of the episode "The Empty House", Watson even speaks the lines (given to Holmes in the story) about the criminal's motives, and receives Holmes' warm praise for his acumen. Nigel Bruce (left) with Basil Rathbone in a promotional photo for their Sherlock Holmes film series William Nigel Ernle Bruce (September 4, 1895 – October 8, 1953), usually credited as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor, best known as Dr. Watson in a series of films and a radioseries starring... David Burke (born May 25, 1934) is a British actor, known for playing Watson in Granada Televisions 1980s Sherlock Holmes series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which starred Jeremy Brett in the title role. ... Edward Hardwicke (born August 7, 1932; sometimes credited as Edward Hardwick) is a British actor, the son of Sir Cedric Hardwicke and actress Helena Pickard. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the name given to the series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations produced by British television company Granada Television between 1984 and 1994, although only the first two series bore that title on screen. ... Jeremy Brett in the role of Sherlock Holmes. ...

Another well-liked depiction was by actor André Morell in the 1959 film version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Other depictions include Donald Houston, who played Watson to John Neville's Holmes in A Study in Terror (1965); a rather belligerent, acerbic Watson portrayed by Colin Blakely in Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), in which Holmes was played by Robert Stephens; and James Mason's portrayal in Murder by Decree (1978), with Christopher Plummer as Holmes. Ian Hart potrayed a young, capable and fit Watson twice for BBC television once opposite Richard Roxburgh as Holmes (in an adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles) and for a second time opposite Rupert Everett as the Great Detective in the new story Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking. André Morell as Professor Bernard Quatermass in the BBC Television serial Quatermass and the Pit (1958-59). ... The Hound of the Baskervilles is a crime novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, originally serialised in the Strand Magazine in 1901 and 1902, which is set largely on Dartmoor 1889. ... Donald Houston (November 6, 1923 — October 13, 1991) was an impassive, hardworking Welsh actor whose first two films - The Blue Lagoon (1949) with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money (1949) with Sir Alec Guinness - were highly successful. ... John Neville was a UK Theatre and film actor, popular in the 1950s but enjoying a resurgence in the 1980s as a result of his starring role in Terry Gilliams The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. ... A Study in Terror is a 1965 Sherlock Holmes film in which the detective goes on the trail of Jack the Ripper. ... Colin Blakely (September 23, 1930 May 7, 1987) was a British character actor. ... Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American journalist, screenwriter, film director, and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. ... The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is a 1970 film directed and produced by Billy Wilder, and starring Robert Stephens as Sherlock Holmes. ... Sir Robert Stephens (July 14, 1931 – November 12, 1995) was a leading actor in the early years of Britains Royal National Theatre. ... James Neville Mason (May 15, 1909 – July 27, 1984) was a three-time Academy Award nominated English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. ... A still from Murder by Decree showing the Goulston Street graffiti containing the word Juwes, which is portrayed erroneously as a Masonic term. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Ian Hart as Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Ian Hart (born 8 October 1964 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England) is an English actor of Irish Catholic extraction. ... Richard Roxburgh (born January 1, 1962) is an Australian actor, who has starred in many Australian films and has appeared in prominent supporting roles in a number of Hollywood productions, usually as villains. ... The Hound of the Baskervilles is a crime novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, originally serialised in the Strand Magazine in 1901 and 1902, which is set largely on Dartmoor 1889. ... Rupert James Hector Everett (born May 29, 1959) is an English actor and a former singer. ... Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking is a British television movie originally broadcast on BBC One in the UK on December 26 2005. ...

Stephen King, the American horror novelist, wrote a short story called "The Doctor's Case" in the collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes, where Watson actually solves the case instead of Holmes. Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author best known for his enormously popular horror novels. ... The Doctors Case is a short story by Stephen King, originally published in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a 1987 centennial collection, and reprinted in his collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes. ... Nightmares & Dreamscapes cover Nightmares & Dreamscapes is a short story collection by Stephen King published in 1993. ...

In the 1988 parody film Without a Clue, the roles of a bumbling Watson and an extremely competent Holmes are reversed. In the film, Holmes is an invention of Watson played by an alcoholic actor to allow Watson to work on solving cases behind the scenes. // Michael Jacksons first film was Moonwalker Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise Who Framed Roger Rabbit, starring Bob Hoskins Coming to America, starring Eddie Murphy Big, starring Tom Hanks Twins, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito Crocodile Dundee II Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis The Naked Gun... Parody of Back to the Future In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Without a Clue is a 1988 comedy film starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley. ...

Cultural references

Microsoft Corporation named the debugger in Microsoft Windows "Dr. Watson" Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), (founded 1975), headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA, is the worlds largest software company (with over 50,000 employees in various countries, as of May 2004). ... Debug redirects here. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... Doctor Watson invoked on Windows XP In Microsoft Windows, Dr. Watson is an application debugger included with the operating system. ...

In the television series House, the character of Dr. James Wilson is meant to be a direct reference to Watson (with House himself being a direct reference to Holmes). In addition to the similarity of their names, Wilson serves in the show as House's only real friend and confidante, and occasionally assists him in solving particularly difficult cases. (In one episode, House also claims to live in 221b Baker Street.) Also, in keeping with Watson's role as a ladies' man, Wilson has been married several times and had multiple affairs. House, originally House M.D., is a critically acclaimed American medical drama television series created by David Shore and executive produced by film director Bryan Singer. ... Robert Sean Leonard as Dr. James Wilson on House Dr. James Wilson is a fictional character, portrayed by Robert Sean Leonard, on the American television drama House. ... Dr. Gregory House is a fictional character portrayed by Hugh Laurie on the television medical drama House. ... 221B Baker Street is the fictional London residence of the detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Arthur Conan Doyle. ...

See also

Notes

1. ^ Dorothy Sayers, creator of the detective Lord Peter Wimsey, also wrote several essays on Holmesian speculation, later published this theory in Unpopular Opinions
2. ^ Watson gives two separate locations for the Jezail bullet wound he received while serving in the British Army. In "A Study in Scarlet", he states, "I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery." However, in "The Sign of Four", Watson informs us that he "sat nursing my wounded leg. I had had a Jezail bullet through it some time before, and though it did not prevent me from walking it ached wearily at every change of the weather." "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" contains the only other reference to the injury. Here Watson is a little ambiguous; he tells us "the Jezail bullet which I had brought back in one of my limbs as a relic of my Afghan campaign throbbed with dull persistence."

Dorothy Leigh Sayers (Oxford, 13 June 1893 – Witham, 17 December 1957) was a British author, translator, student of classical and modern languages, and Christian humanist. ... The Jezail (Sometimes Jezzail from the Pashto language) is an Afghan matchlock or flintlock musket fired from a forked rest. ... A Study in Scarlet is a detective mystery story written by Arthur Conan Doyle and published in 1887. ... The subclavian artery is a major artery of the upper thorax that mainly supplies blood to the head and arms. ... The Sign of Four (1890) was the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. ... The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor, one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the tenth of the twelve stories collected inThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. ...

External links

• Who2 biography
• 221b Sherlock Holmes
• Sherlock Holmes Public Library
• A short illustrated profile of Watson as Honorary Member of the Diogenes Club
• An analytical profile of The Good Doctor