The Inner Room: Editorial (ACD Journal vol. 7)
The Inner Room: Editorial [Vol. 7] is an article written by Christopher Roden published in the A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (Vol. 7, 1996/7).
This editorial reflects on Conan Doyle's medical writings, then highlights major efforts to preserve and expand Doyle collections in North America, especially at the Newberry Library and the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library. It also points to a promising moment in Conan Doyle studies, with new archives, exhibitions, a biography, and the possible reopening of family papers to researchers.
Editorial
A great deal has happened since I last sat down to write editorial comment for this Journal. From a personal point of view, Barbara and I moved half-way around the world, from England to British Columbia, Canada, in January, and just a few days ago (in mid-September) our first son joined the family. I should like to thank everyone who sent us good wishes on the latter occasion. Perhaps because we had formed such a good relationship with our G.P. in the months leading up to the birth, or perhaps because I was present when Timothy Paul arrived in the world-an experience I would not have missed for anything or perhaps even because I just felt the need to relax and unwind a little, I found myself turning the pages of Round the Red Lamp a few evenings ago. Not unnaturally at this time, 'The Curse of Eve' was the story to which I turned. Things have, I can say from first-hand experience, changed somewhat, but both the story and the volume reminded me of the quality of what Al Rodin has referred to as Conan Doyle's 'medical humanism' — that ability to show care for a patient, to treat him or her with the respect that every human being deserves. As Rodin writes in his Introduction to [ Round the Red Lamp ] Conan Doyle's Tales of Medical Humanism and Values (Malabar, Fl: Krieger, 1992), in these stories Conan Doyle was sending significant messages to the medical practitioners of a century later: 'the need to counteract the sterility of rampant medical technology with a humanistic orientation to patients, the need to balance humanism and science, and the need to develop a bonding with patients'.
Conan Doyle's tales of medical life make a splendid collection, but they did not meet with particularly favourable reviews at the time of their publication. The Nation considered the stories to be 'disgusting'. The Catholic World commented, 'If we are not easily nauseated, we may wade through professional horrors so ghastly in their way as anything that the feverish imagination of Edgar Allan Poe conjured up in a less sickening school'. The Speaker asked whether 'the tragical and the painful commonplaces of the sick-room and death-bed [ought] to be made the theme of fiction'.
We are almost certainly less squeamish about things today. Television has brought live operations into our homes and medical programmes are a feature of TV schedules-not, perhaps, conveying as worthy a message as Round the Red Lamp, but attempting some measure of reality nonetheless.
This very special handful of Conan Doyle stories shows what an understanding and progressive doctor ACD was, and it is not surprising that others of his profession should find him so interesting a man.
One of those who finds ACD a particularly fascinating character is Dr C. Frederick Kittle of Chicago. Fred began his collection of Conan Doyle material in the mid '50s and subsequently acquired the manuscript of The Romance of Medicine, the medical lecture given at St Mary's Hospital Medical School on 3 October 1910. Other manuscripts, including the recently-acquired The White Company, followed and final arrangements are now being made to donate the entire collection to Chicago's Newberry Library, where it will be known as 'The C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana'. Fred hopes that his collection will become the heart for Doyleana and be expanded by other donors over the years.
It is difficult to find words adequate to express our gratitude to Fred for his generosity. There can be little doubt that this collection will hold an extremely important group of manuscript material which will be of benefit to Doyle scholars for years to come. Those readers who have internet access may like to read more of Fred's plans by accessing <http://www.caxtonclub.org/reading/doyle.html>.
When the Newberry Library collection is in place, the north-east of North America will have some of the finest material available at the present time. Major holdings also exist in New York, Minneapolis and Toronto — and it is to Toronto that we now turn our attention.
The Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library's Arthur Conan Doyle Collection was begun in 1969 with the purchase of a number of volumes from the estate of Toronto collector Arthur Baillie. The holdings were supplemented by the Mortlake Collection, the acquisition of which enabled the library to obtain most of the key editions that represent the literary life of Arthur Conan Doyle. Under the guidance of Cameron Hollyer, the collection was developed and consolidated, with its most prestigious acquisition, ACD's unpublished manuscript of Angels of Darkness, being added as a bequest from the late Anna Conan Doyle. Unfortunately, other material also covered by the same bequest has still not been delivered to the library, some four or so years later.
In order to protect and expand the holdings of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, the first steps in forming The Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection have been taken and a major announcement regarding this new group is expected shortly.
This Society welcomes any moves which will give protection to the collections which are already in place, and we have already expressed a wish to be involved as closely as possible with the activities of 'The Friends'. Anyone wishing to lend their support to this new venture should contact The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4W 2G8. Further information may be obtained from Doug Wrigglesworth (905) 836-0464 or e-mail <[email protected]>.
Angels of Darkness was one of the exhibits on display at Images of Sherlock Holmes, a splendid exhibition mounted at the Library to coincide with Lasting Impressions, the 25th Anniversary celebrations of The Bootmakers of Toronto. As for Lasting Impressions itself, an event held in the sweltering, non-air-conditioned surroundings of Toronto's Arts & Letters Club, ACD was very prominent, with the key-note presentation of the weekend being a detailed look by Michael Doyle at the man and his motivation. There was also a fascinating look at ACD's sporting interests by Mark Alberstat.
As this issue goes to press, a new biography of ACD has just been published. Titled The Doctor, The Detective & Arthur Conan Doyle: A Biography of Arthur Conan Doyle, it has been written by Martin Booth, whose previous work includes a biography of Jim Turner, tiger hunter turned conservationist, and a history of opium. Booth's book will be assessed by a panel of reviewers in the next issue of ACD.
We are entering a very interesting period: major new collections, a new biography, and the possibility that the Conan Doyle family archives may, within a year or so, be available to researchers once more.
The memory of ACD is still very green.
Christopher Roden
- Article courtesy Christopher Roden, founder of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (1989-2003).
