Born on December 2 1837 Dr. Joseph Bell, British physician believed to be the prototype of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective Sherlock Holmes

		Journal of Pediatric Surgery Volume 45, Issue 7, July 2010, Pages 1567–1570 Historical vignette Was the real Sherlock Holmes a pediatric surgeon? John Raffensperger doi:10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2010.03.006 Get rights and content Abstract Purpose This article reviews the pioneering efforts of Joseph Bell, the model for Sherlock Holmes, in the surgical care of children during the antiseptic era. Methods I reviewed biographies of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; the biography of Joseph Bell; his surgical textbook, Edinburgh Medical Journals; and the history of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital for Sick Children. Results Dr Bell was a colleague of Joseph Lister and one of the first surgeons to apply antiseptic methods to operations involving children. He was the surgeon appointed to the first surgical ward of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital for Sick Children; in that role, he cared for many children with surgical diseases. Conclusions Dr Joseph Bell, by his compassion for children and his surgical skill, was indeed a pioneer pediatric surgeon. Key words Sherlock Holmes; Antiseptic surgery; Edinburgh history; Joseph Bell Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.