Eighteen members of the Greek Interpreters braved the heaviest snowfall of the winter on February 9th, 2010 to attend a Tuesday night meeting at Hershey's Steak and Seafood restaurant in East Lansing. The meeting opened with the customary Canonical Toasts to Mrs. Hudson, Mycroft Holmes, the second Mrs. Watson and The Woman. Charles Press then offered his customary toast to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Founder of the Feast. The story on which the evening's quiz and discussion focussed was "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax", a selection from the canon that had not yet been studied by our group. A short quiz was provided by Bill Reusch.
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Several interesting points were raised during the discussion. The use of injected ether as an antidote to chloroform intoxication seemed counter-intuitive. According to reports, subcutaneous injection of ether (roughly 1 mL) was often used as a stimulant in the last quarter of the 19th century extending through the first quarter of the 20th century. It was said to increase the heart rate and blood pressure, and served as a stimulant. Whether this would have been a useful treatment in Lady Frances' case is debatable. Many members commented on Holmes' disparaging remarks about Watson's investigative efforts, especially since he complemented Philip Green for similar results. Indeed, Holmes' efforts themselves seem to be little and almost too late. When Watson was dispatched to Laussane by Holmes, Lady Frances in the hands of Shlessinger had already been in London over two weeks. Holmes' contacts in his home environment are curiously lackluster. Holmes is also rather indifferent to the nature of Philip Green's relationship with Lady Frances. Was he a concerned suitor or a potentially violent stalker?
The meeting concluded with the reading of Vincent Starrett's "221B" poem, followed by our singing of The Anthem.
Attention: if you would like to hear a podcast of an interview with Howard Brody regarding the Institute for Medical Humanities that he directs click here.