Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes. When hearing this name, many individuals will know the iconic character. While many know Holmes as the crime solving genius, many do not truly understand Holmes as a person. With societies growth in knowledge since Arthur Conan Doyle first wrote these stories, a conversation about if Holmes has an Autism Spectrum Disorder has started. Many are focusing in on a mild form of Autism known as Asperger’s syndrome. Some of the symptoms of individuals with Asperger’s are poor social skills, eccentric or repetitive behaviors, unusual rituals, communication difficulties, limited range of interests, and skilled or talented in a particular area. Holmes has all of these traits. When looking in the story The Hound Of Bakervilles, his lack of social skills and communication difficulties are shown. In the first chapter Sherlock tells Watson that, “It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light,” meaning that Watson is there to help Sherlock and that there is no way that Watson could actually solve these crimes on his own. While in the first episode of the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes, Holmes yells out “ Brilliant! Four suicides and now a note. Its Christmas.” These two quotes are just a couple indicators for his lack of social skills. It is clear in the film adaptations and written work that Holmes has a certain way he likes to do things. He has not plans of changing his ways for anyone or anything. His rituals are his life and how he is able to fixate on his particular area of interest. This is shown when he is sitting with his eyes closed tight and his thoughts running across the screen. This ritual is something that Holmes uses in order to be the best at what he does. With this comes his cockiness and arrogance. Sherlock knows that he is both of these things but does not care what others seem to think. The only person who he cares about is Watson. This is common in individuals with Asperger’s.  Many lack a variety of friends but will have one or two individuals who they attach to. This person is Watson for Sherlock and is shown when Holmes tells Watson, in the episode about the Hound of Bakersville, “John, I don’t have friends. I have one,” meaning Watson. These are just a few examples of symptoms that Holmes portrays. While it will never actually be known if Sherlock has a disorder, such as Asperger’s, many are beginning to notice strong indicators that present that a diagnosis could occur, while others do not agree. It is up for debate but when looking at the symptoms and Holmes unique characteristics, I believe that this explains a lot about Sherlock Holmes.