title: Neurology and detective writing.
abstract: When searching for clues to reach a diagnosis, neurologists often empathise with the detective who is trying to solve a case. The premise of this article is that detective stories have been part of the fabric of neurology ever since the time that it evolved into a discrete medical speciality. We will examine how this form of narrative has found expression in detective mystery fiction and popular science publications created by 20th century neurologist physician-writers. We will also investigate the power of the neurologist's alter ego, Sherlock Holmes: his relationship to founders of clinical neuroscience such as Jean-Martin Charcot, William Gowers and Sigmund Freud, and his influences on neurological practice and its literary traditions.
authors.affiliation: Neurosciences Department, Monash Medical Centre, , Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Kempster
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lees
mesh_terms: D005197:Famous Persons; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008093:Literature, Modern / Q000266:history*; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D009462:Neurology / Q000266:history*