Resumen de Estudio en escarlata

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A wounded doctor needs a flatmate

The story is told by Dr. John Watson. He has just been invalided out of the army after being wounded in Afghanistan, at the battle of Maiwand. He returns to London with poor health, little money and no family, and he drifts around the city living in a cheap hotel. His savings are shrinking, and he knows he must find a cheaper place to live.

One day, at the Criterion bar, he runs into an old acquaintance named Stamford, who once worked with him in a hospital. Watson mentions that he wants lodgings and a companion to share the cost. Stamford hesitates, then says he knows a man in a laboratory who is looking for exactly that. He warns Watson that the man is odd. He is a brilliant chemist, but he is cold, and he is capable of testing poisons on his friends just to see the result.

At the hospital laboratory, they find Sherlock Holmes in the middle of an experiment. He has just found a way to detect blood with a chemical test, and he is delighted about it. He shakes Watson's hand and, within seconds, tells him that he has been in Afghanistan. Watson is amazed and wants to know how he knew. Holmes does not explain yet.

The two men agree to share rooms at 221B Baker Street, and they move in together. Watson soon finds that his new friend keeps strange hours and has odd habits. He plays the violin at moments that suit no one, and he disappears for days. Watson, who is bored and recovering, decides to work out what his flatmate actually does for a living.