Dr Arthur Conan Doyle: the first portfolio GP?

摘要

Many readers instantly associate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his literary genius in creating the fictional detective duo Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Yet, delving more deeply, he practised as an apothecary and GP in Portsmouth and Plymouth, over a century ago (1882–1890). Around this time, he penned three short stories, Crabbe’s Practice1 (1884), Round the Red Lamp2 (1894), and The Stark Munro Letters3 (1895). These medical tales paint a vivid picture of general practice in the 19th century and contain many insightful and poignant quotes about GPs, illness, reflective practice, and portfolios, which have numerous consonances for the modern day GP: