ABSTRACT
The late nineteenth century in Dartmoor, England. In a carriage bound for the small town of Tavistock, Inspector Gregory of Scotland Yard speaks to the London consultant:
“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” “The dog did nothing in the night-time.” “That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes. The famous scene from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “Silver Blaze” shows
the acuity of Holmes’ observational and reasoning ability. Throughout the canon of Sherlock Holmes we also see his use of a magnifying glass and even an optical microscope for trace evidence-e.g., tobacco ash, gunpowder residue, and fingerprints as well as hoof prints and bicycle tracks. He employs physical techniques to analyze ballistics, handwriting, and typewritten letters, analytical chemistry for blood residues, and knowledge of toxicology for the determination of poisons.
