Secrets of Sherlock's Maker: 1927 Interview with Conan Doyle on Psychic Gifts (HD) [Audio Enhanced]

A lot of people don't know this, but Sherlock Holmes' author was a medical doctor (and certified crazy person). He believed in mediums, Irish Faeries, and of course...psychic powers. Him and Houdini (yes that Houdini...actually I think there's just the one) had a falling out over ole Arthur (Conan Doyle) believing in idiotic nonsense. This is the only video interview with Doyle.

You'd think Sherlock's dad would be...like Sherlock. His inspiration for Sherlock was his medical professor, Bell. Professor Bell was basically the real Sherlock and would testify and investigate medical mysteries. He was an early practitioner or "inventor" of forensics. There was a case where a guy's wife "died suddenly" and he said it was from a gas leak in the home, but really he just whacked her with laudanum. The gas was leaking, but the pipe had chisel marks. Plus pipes don't normally leak laudanum. So this was the beginnings of forensics. https://sherlockian-sherlock.com/dr-joseph-bell-the-real-sherlock-holmes.php

It's crazy to think the guy who made Autism-Incarnate-Sherlock-Holmes, the character who would use inductive and deductive reasoning (https://www.livescience.com/21569-deduction-vs-induction.html) better than any other character, would fall victim to psychic nonsense. He even opened a Psychic bookshop. He called it, "The Psychic Bookshop."

"An advertisement included in Pheneas Speaks (The Psychic Press, 1927) described the bookshop as follows:

This central depot for knowledge was established to meet the fact that psychic literature, the most important literature in the world, found hardly any place upon the shelves of the ordinary book seller.
What advantages does it offer?
1. It contains a splendid stock of psychic books, which is always kept up-to-date, and includes the old literature as well as the new.
2. It has a circulating library from which these books, which are often expensive, can be taken out at 2/6 a month or a guinea a year. Provincial customers are served by post.
3. It has a psychic museum which is unique.
4. It gives advice and direction gratis.

Come and inspect or write for Catalogues.
Telephone: Franklin 6248
Telegrams: "Ectoplasm, Sowest"
https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/The_Psychic_Bookshop

Arthur Conan Doyle was more like Ray Stantz than Sherlock Holmes. You know, Dan Akroyd is a crazy person too. (https://youtu.be/dVRd7XEHo5c) I wonder if he knew about Conan Doyle's bookshop and and books. Because he didn't just read occult books, he wrote them too...He considered the Sherlock stuff to be pop trash and his REAL legacy was stuff like this:

"Pheneas Speaks : Direct Spirit Communications in the Family Circle reported by Arthur Conan Doyle, M.D., LL.D." is a book written by Arthur Conan Doyle first published by The Psychic Press and Bookshop on 21 march 1927.https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/Pheneas_Speaks

Remind you of anyone? https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Ray%27s_Occult_Books

This is an absolutely fascinating story. Houdini would debunk spiritualist and mediums as an act of charity. While now we consider it a bit of harmless fun, people took it way more seriously (like Doyle himself) at the time. There certainly are things we cant explain and forces at work we don't understand. Maybe there are other dimensions and spiritual planes that seep through to our reality. But what's not there, are obvious illusions by Mediums and parlor room scammers. It prays on people's false hope to talk to grandma, or their wife...or even more sadly...their child. That's why Houdini wanted to put a stop to this. It's evil to pray on the sadness of others with false hope in a fiction. Unfortunately, despite making such an analytical character and being a component doctor himself, he was full on in the kool aid. This is worthy of a full deep dive.

Here is the real French Sherlock Holmes, Edmond Locard. He was a doctor that helped the French police solve mysteries:https://sherlockian-sherlock.com/edmond-locard-sherlock-holmes-of-france.php

Want to solve some of your own true crime mysteries? Got the skillz to pay the billz? No amateurs. If you're a professional Sherlock and you want to volunteer your time to help crack cold cases, consider donating your expertise to the Vidocq Society. They provide free consulting assistance for cold cases. Monsieur Vidocq was a pioneer of investigations. Veritas Veritatum - Truth begets truth- https://www.vidocq.org

They made a show about Doyle and Houdini and they called it "Doyle & Houdini". It is a downright decent show. Worth a watch if you enjoyed this video. https://youtu.be/FCZ3jwDU9uE https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4539954/

1927. William Fox Film Reel.