Musings on life and a drabble

Feb 25, 2007 15:55


I feel rather guilty. My mum called to tell me all about her job and the interview she has and I spent most of it just nodding and making the appropriate noise every now and again - I wasn't actually listening. She's reminded me I need to renew my passport... personally, I can't actually be bothered to do so. I have no plans to leave the country, I ( Read more... )

sherlock holmes

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Comments 13

snarry_fan7 February 25 2007, 17:06:01 UTC
An excellent, illuminating drabble. I sympathize with Holmes' anguish and I'm glad Watson is there to make things better. Grand work!~Sophia

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sherlock2040 February 25 2007, 17:25:39 UTC
thank you. :-)

Any suggestions for a title?

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snarry_fan7 February 25 2007, 17:36:26 UTC
I'm shit at finding titles for stuff, lol. Maybe...Unnecessary Anguish or Unholy Cures. Like I said, titles are not my strong point, haha.~Sophia

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sherlock2040 February 25 2007, 17:42:16 UTC
Ooh I like 'Unholy Cures'.

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elena_c February 25 2007, 21:56:58 UTC
Urgh. You really pile it on thick. Is that preventative device factual? *shudders* Wouldn't surprise me in the least if it were.

The scary thing is, this whole sequence of events makes all too much sense. Poor Holmes.

Very... illuminating. I would distrust women too if I were Holmes. Makes EXcellent sense.

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sherlock2040 February 26 2007, 08:09:52 UTC
Yup, the 'preventative' device is real. There was quite a lot to choose from when doing the research, and the one I went for was actually one of the least cruel ones.

I find it more scary that an entire section of medicine was based on a 18th century quack doctors theory from a reference in the Bible.

Glad you found it illuminating.

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moonmaid February 26 2007, 00:38:25 UTC
Poor Holmes! Well, that settles it: I'm going to have to 1)build a time machine, 2)go back in time, and 3)kick some doctors' asses. I can't believe people actually used to do things like that. Well, that's not true. I can believe it, and that's the really tragic part.

Excellent work, as usual. ^_^

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sherlock2040 February 26 2007, 08:13:06 UTC
you might have to go back to 1712 as that's when a quack doctor published 'Onania' which suggested that masturbation was unhealthy.

Glad you enjoyed found the story illuminating.

(PS - when you build the time machine would you mind find out who Jack the Ripper was?)

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prof_pangaea March 1 2007, 01:06:23 UTC
actually, in the nineteenth century the main opposition to masturbation was not religious -- it was generally regarded as unhealthy, immoral, and weak, not simply "sinful". until the end of the century, when hysteria over homosexuality became accute, masturbation was seen as a rather worse threat than homosexuality (especially as there was no such term as homosexuality until the latter part of the century!).

having holmes's father haul him to a priest and undergo "confession" is not only unnecessary, but rather weird as it makes holmes's family apparently catholic (not impossible, i'll grant, but rather unlikely).

in addition, i simply can't believe that holmes would have this conversation -- it's extremely out of character for both of them. in reality, the story would have ended after this line:
"Holmes, can I ask you something very personal?" when holmes either ignored watson or just stared at him. even allowing for some kind of discussion of this event, the language is unconvincing -- casual talk about foreskins and such just ( ... )

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sherlock2040 March 1 2007, 01:23:44 UTC
I can't see why Holmes can't be Catholic. Why is it unlikely ( ... )

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prof_pangaea March 1 2007, 01:55:16 UTC
I can't see why Holmes can't be Catholic. Why is it unlikely?

his family's position (meagre as it may have been) in victorian england simply makes me think that catholicism would be unlikely. although now that i think of it more, i think my scepticism was probably due to the inclusion of catholicism just so the story could include being hauled to church to offer confession to a priest.

The first so called medical publication linking masturbation with ill effects came in 1712 when an anonymous doctor published 'Onania'.

oh, yah, but by the time your story is taking place the characters don't need to have religious zealots in their family for them to have an extremely adverse reaction to masturbation!

There was nothing behind this story other than some random research I did to help someone find a link between morphine & homosexualitythat my have been because homosexuality was not regarded as a medical disorder at all until the end of the 19th century -- and even then the idea of "treating" gayness (in one way or another) was ( ... )

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sherlock2040 March 1 2007, 02:17:01 UTC
I actually believe that the Holmes family was Catholic. His grandmother was French and the predominated religion in France is Catholicism, so I think there is a likely connection. There are several hundred articles out there about which church Holmes 'followed' so I'm sure if you wanted to read more about it there would be ample stuff there ( ... )

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