Horsetuna
New member
I was reading Sherlock Holmes and came to one adventure that got me thinking...
Now, Sir ARthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock holmes was a very smart man... but assuredly he did not know anything, much less Herp behavior.
I will quote below the statements which make me wonder about this particular 'myth'. It is a little lengthy.. I marked the most IMPORTANT paragraphs though I feel they all had information important hence why i had them.
Sherlock:
***"My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remakred to you, to this ventilator, and to the bell rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and the bed was clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope was there as a bridge for somethign passing through the ventilator hole and coming to the bed.
The idea of a snake instantly occursed to me, and when I coupled it with my knowledge that the Doctor was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I felt that i was probably on the right track. The idea of using a form fo poison which could not possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless man who had had an Eastern training.
The rapidity with which such a poison would take effect would also, from his point of view, be an advantage. It would be a sharp eyed coroner indeed who could distinguish the two little dark punctures which would show you where the poison fangs had done their work."
***Then I thought of the whistle. Of course, he must recall the snake before the morning light revealed it to the victim. He had trained it, probably by the use of the milk which we saw, to return to him when summoned. He would put it through this ventilator at the hour he thought best, with the certainity that it would crawl down the rope and land on the bed. It might or might not bite the occupant, perhaps she might escape every night for a week, but sooner or later she must fall a victim."
The snake in question is a Swamp Adder.
Now, I am very sure you cannot train a snake... much less with milk. But mayhaps in the time that it was written (mid 1800s) when India was still mostly English and snake charmers true charmers and hypnotists, people thought it was possible.
Thoughts? Discussions? What do you think about this Myth?
Now, Sir ARthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock holmes was a very smart man... but assuredly he did not know anything, much less Herp behavior.
I will quote below the statements which make me wonder about this particular 'myth'. It is a little lengthy.. I marked the most IMPORTANT paragraphs though I feel they all had information important hence why i had them.
Sherlock:
***"My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remakred to you, to this ventilator, and to the bell rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and the bed was clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope was there as a bridge for somethign passing through the ventilator hole and coming to the bed.
The idea of a snake instantly occursed to me, and when I coupled it with my knowledge that the Doctor was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I felt that i was probably on the right track. The idea of using a form fo poison which could not possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless man who had had an Eastern training.
The rapidity with which such a poison would take effect would also, from his point of view, be an advantage. It would be a sharp eyed coroner indeed who could distinguish the two little dark punctures which would show you where the poison fangs had done their work."
***Then I thought of the whistle. Of course, he must recall the snake before the morning light revealed it to the victim. He had trained it, probably by the use of the milk which we saw, to return to him when summoned. He would put it through this ventilator at the hour he thought best, with the certainity that it would crawl down the rope and land on the bed. It might or might not bite the occupant, perhaps she might escape every night for a week, but sooner or later she must fall a victim."
The snake in question is a Swamp Adder.
Now, I am very sure you cannot train a snake... much less with milk. But mayhaps in the time that it was written (mid 1800s) when India was still mostly English and snake charmers true charmers and hypnotists, people thought it was possible.
Thoughts? Discussions? What do you think about this Myth?
