The Hound of the Baskervilles, Chapter 1 summary
Chapter 1 of 15 · 9 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 1, Sherlock Holmes and Watson examine a forgotten walking stick and use its marks to infer details about James Mortimer, a country doctor who then arrives. Mortimer confirms some deductions, corrects the occasion of the gift, and asks Holmes for help with a serious problem whose details remain unstated.
What happens
- Watson examines a visitor’s abandoned stick and proposes that its owner is an elderly country doctor rewarded by a local hunt.
- Holmes links the inscription to Charing Cross Hospital and infers a younger man who owns a dog.
- Watson consults the Medical Directory, which confirms Mortimer’s hospital service and country practice.
- Holmes sees Mortimer’s spaniel outside, and Mortimer enters and eagerly reclaims his stick.
- Mortimer explains that the gift marks his marriage and displays a scientific interest in Holmes’s skull.
- Mortimer requests practical help, briefly offends Holmes by ranking Bertillon above him, and receives a demand to explain his problem.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Holmes explains that Watson’s errors help his reasoning. The remark corrects Watson’s belief that Holmes’s praise confirms his deductions.
Quick check
What occasion does Mortimer say the stick commemorates?
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