Canon Discussion Post: The Resident Patient

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Canon talk time, everyone! What did you think of The Resident Patient? As always, I've written up a few of my own random thoughts and comments, which are behind the jump. Add your own in the comments!

Note: Granada discussion is available in the Granada discussion post. Thanks!



- The opening sequence of this story can be different, depending on the edition you read. From Wikipedia: Most American editions of the Sherlock Holmes stories contain a bastardized edition of the text in which the first few pages of this episode and "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" are almost identical; both contain the same, rather impressive example of Holmes's deductive powers. The reason for this stems from the original American publication of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes in which the story of "The Cardboard Box" was eliminated; but its opening scene was retained and transferred to "The Resident Patient". Even today, this change continues to be propagated and editions of the stories which contain the original, correct text of "Resident Patient" are comparatively few.

- How did Blessington decide upon and find Dr. Trevelyan for his odd investment scheme in the first place? He knows Trevelyan going in and starts right in with his proposal. Strange.

- Does Holmes' theory that the visits by the old man and his "son" were failed runs at Blessington hold water? They had the page under their thumbs - couldn't they have just asked him about what Blessington's habits were? It seems more likely to me that the visits were reconnaissance, done when they knew he would not be there in order to scout the scene for his trial.

- The story the fake son tells Trevelyan about the sickness of his father is patently false on its face. "If I were to see my father in one of those dreadful seizures..." If. If I were to see him. Has he never seen his father have a seizure before? Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say he did and was traumatized by it in the past. How does he keep it from happening while he's around his father now? And why does he seem so convinced that the old man will have a seizure during Trevelyan's consultation, hence his needing to stay outside? Oh, yeah, that's right. It's all in the plan.

Comment away, and join us next week for The Noble Bachelor, and its Granada adaptation, The Eligible Bachelor!

Comments

[hisietari.livejournal.com]

I'd like to check which version I have. It's a British Complete edition, but I realised that the printing order (with RETI being last) might imply more changes.

[tweedisgood.livejournal.com]

I imagine the Bruce Pinkerton, or as Granada has it,Slater Prize for Medicine was announced in The Times, and would be recorded somewhere, so Blessington went looking for someone both clever enough to win it and poor enough (Trevelyan's address might give him a clue) to ask few questions about his offer.

[tweedisgood.livejournal.com]

P.S I have a paperback British Penguin Books edition, originally published 1950, and it has the added scene.

[marysutherland.livejournal.com]

I've got a copy of the Memoirs with my grandfather's signature in and the date 1914 (book itself undated) and that's already got the added scene. So It was only when I was checking a name online that I realised it wasn't the original version of the story (and that one idea of mine for this week's drabble therefore fell flat).

[bwblack.livejournal.com]

Tried to find the other version online and it's hard to do it even there and you can find anything online! Sigh. My print copy of Baring Gould book will be here Monday and it is for things like that along with the annotations I will be quite thrilled to have it. The part where I ordered it on Monday from a retailer that turns out to be 20 miles from my house and it isn't here, yet? Gah. Had I realized I would have gone into the store and picked it up!

I spent more time than you can imagine pondering how Blessington picked Trevelayn.

I agree it was more likely to have been surveillance their earlier visits but then, why two? If they saw what they needed to see the first time. A whole here either way.

The part that bothered me with this story is these guys are bank robbers. They rob banks. It is what they do by trade. So since they come on revenge killing they are too honorable to take the cash that Blessington has in the room? What? I mean his principle 1000 dollars from the bank robbery is rightfully theirs... in odd thief logic and the money is just there for them to take! And they are thieves. It's what they do! I suppose it was about making it look like a suicide but since they were fleeing the country, anyway....


Take the money and run, folks. Maybe with it they could have booked passage on a boat less likely to sink!

[bwblack.livejournal.com]

I got the impression that all book forms had this change except some later editions that restored the original. But maybe I misunderstood what I read about it.

[debriswoman]

Yes, a few plot holes; and a case observed rather than solved.The young doctor with few funds seems to have been common. I believe ACD could only afford to furnish the rooms his patients were seen in when he started in practice. His own quarters were very sparse.

[tweedisgood.livejournal.com]

Yes, he writes to his mother of surviving on potatoes and sleeping on the floor, doing all his own housework.

[debriswoman]

I read that he had a box to store his food in and sit on, used his overcoat as a blanket, and wrapped medical journals in his suit as a pillow till his mother sent him some bedding. He made a mattress out of the straw his medicines arrived in...

Poor man:-(

[azriona.livejournal.com]

For some reason, this story didn't grab me as much as the others. I'm not sure why. Mostly, the one thing that really struck me - which I don't think I can work into a 60 word fic without delving into RPF, which isn't my thing - is the fact that one of the original gang was named Moffat. This just cracks me up. Was anyone else as amused as I was, or is it just me?

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

You weren't the only one to be amused by that, it appealled to me too.

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

I was also amused by Moffat. I wondered if our Mr Moffat was thrilled to find that when he first read the stories.

[sabrinaphynn.livejournal.com]

I thought I had the original version. Would thatbe the part with or without the inference of Watson's thoughts?
(I do not have that part. )
Oh well... I did at least have the bit with Chemist!Holmes being none too pleased about losing his day's work of chemical anylsis but turning his mood around once he sees that it is a nice evening for a walk.

I agree that Blessingtn found dr. Trevelyan via the papers- he is a nervous man and a hypochondriac, perhaps he was going to consult Trevelyan, but once he found the doctor, he saw the opportunity for investment.

The visits were more likely reconnaissance than failed attempts. Holmes is not always 100% correct. It was an excellent guess, but um... No. They needed to be sure of the layout of the house to prevent making an undue amount of noise before surprising the man in the middle of the night.

Well... We may have to blame the unreliable viewpoint of Dr. Trevelyan here. Perhaps he put it down to the language barrier or was too busy being interested in the patient with his pet neurological disorder to really pay attention properly.
( In other words, author!fail, yet again. Poor ACD, he never intended us to be so picky, did he?) oh well.

Very excellent points for discussion.

Saturday, 15 September and Sunday, 16 September 2012

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