To Sherlock Holmes, she is always the woman. Thus begins Conan Doyle’s, A Scandal in Bohemia published in 1891. In this gripping tale, Holmes is bested by a woman who proves to be the detective’s equal in intelligence and deception. For reasons I cannot explain, I restrict my exposure to Holmes and Dr. Watson to podcast listening when I am airborne. Years ago, I did love watching the classic movies starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce who defined the roles for me. Conan Doyle, a physician, was a superb story teller, who wove his tales with texture, plot and humanity. I think he wields words with surgical precision. I admire his skill. I wonder to what extent Conan Doyle’s medical training influenced his writing? Certainly, the stories often discuss arcane medical conditions that provide the detective with important clues. In The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier, Holmes suspects that the protagonist is suffering from leprosy, a diagnosis that is revised af