Lectures' inspiration is truly elementary

HE may be more than 120 years old, but the sharp analytical mind of one of the world's most famous fictional detectives is still being used in the 21st century - by medical experts in Edinburgh.

The forensic science skills used by Sherlock Holmes are the inspiration for a series of public lectures being hosted by Edinburgh University.

Inspired by Holmes' creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who attended the Edinburgh University Medical School from 1876 to 1881, the lectures are designed to highlight the institution's acclaimed medical research.

Open to the public, the medical detectives series takes place in the university's anatomy lecture theatre to give a more authentic experience.

A university spokeswoman said: "The lecturers will follow a patient's journey from diagnosis to treatment, taking us from the bedside to the laboratory and back again.

"Each will show how, like Holmes, medical sleuths must use astute observation and deductive reasoning to make the correct diagnosis."

The first lecture on the "mysteries" of birth took place on Thursday, with the next lecture, entitled Murder of a Heart Valve: An Open-and-Shut Case? being held this Thursday. This will be followed by Prions: The Serial Killers that Attack the Brain on November 4, given by Professor James Ironside. Prions attack the brain and lead to diseases such as CJD in humans and BSE in cattle.

The last lecture in the series, Cracking the Cell Code: How we Build Vital Organs, by Professor Jamie Davies on November 11 will reveal the clues scientists have picked up to help build tissues in the laboratory.

Sir Arthur based the character of Holmes on Dr Joseph Bell, who lectured in medicine at Edinburgh University. The author worked as his assistant while he was a student.

Sir Arthur hit on the magic formula of a private detective solving crimes that mystified the constabulary just as forensic medicine was becoming a science. He stopped practising medicine in 1891 after the success of the Holmes novels.

The university spokeswoman added: "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle studied medicine at Edinburgh University, and although he became famous for his detective novels rather than his medical practice, he certainly honed his powers of detection in the medical school.

"From Joseph Bell he learnt the importance of meticulous attention to detail."