What Madness Is This?

[redrooster1977]

The intention, i suppose, is to portray him as excentric, indifferent to luxury and not stuck in society's norms of behaviour.

Exactly. Well said.

 

[Jacob74]

In A Study in Scarlet, Watson makes this statement in response to Holmes:


Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted at the idea of sharing his rooms with me. "I have my eye on a suite in Baker Street," he said, "which would suit us down to the ground. You don't mind the smell of strong tobacco, I hope?"

"I always smoke 'ship's' myself," I answered.

Presumably "ship's" is plug or rope?

Here is an interesting discussion on the very thing...https://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/dr-watsons-ships/

 

[solideogloria86]

Here is an interesting discussion on the very thing...https://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/dr-watsons-ships/

He was smoking Gawith and Hoggarth ?

 

[marlinspike]

In A Study in Scarlet, Watson makes this statement in response to Holmes:


Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted at the idea of sharing his rooms with me. "I have my eye on a suite in Baker Street," he said, "which would suit us down to the ground. You don't mind the smell of strong tobacco, I hope?"

"I always smoke 'ship's' myself," I answered.

Presumably "ship's" is plug or rope?

I never really looked into it, but I long assumed what Watson was referring to was a rope-style tobacco of the kind sailors received as part of their daily ration (which some chewed instead of smoking it). This also seems to be the conclusion of several of the posters in the site you linked.

BTW, some sailors made pipe stems from dried and hollowed birds' legs, which probably added to the stench of life aboard (at least until they cured completely!).

 

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

Hmm.... myself, I tend to appreciate more the pipe smoking proclivities of Watson (speaking of the Nigel Bruce version of Watson). His semi-befuddled, generally congenial but absent-minded personality and pipe smoking habits always rang truer to me and was also easier to aspire to, since I have similar “attributes” innately.

 

[telescopes]

I always enjoyed Holmes and the stories. I doubted Doyle and when it came to the dottle and took it as literary license about something he knew nothing. I just could comprehend someone with means smoking dottle. I still don’t believe it.

 

[TN Jed]

I just could comprehend someone with means smoking dottle.

Opium might have that affect on a person.

 

[Servant King]

Only a pure psychopathic freak of nature could smoke dottle on an empty stomach.

 

[Mike N]

The greatest quote from any mystery book ever:

Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”

Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”

Gregory: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.”

Holmes: “That was the curious incident.”

—Hound of the Baskervilles

 

[HRPufnstuf]

I was enjoying a nice relaxing read, and then happened upon this passage. The world will never be the same folks. Sherlock was a dottle hoarder. -sob-


View attachment 41075

You didn't know? Spoiler, he's a junkie,too.

Sorry CE, you got this. I responded before I read on...my bad.

 

[HRPufnstuf]

If tobacco was as expensive and as it was in his time, you might save the dottle too. Its like when we look at older pipes, the bowls are generally on the small side, as they cost so much to fill.

Oh, I thought newer briar varieties were GMOs developed to produce bigger pipes. Good to know.

 

[HRPufnstuf]

I remembered the dottle but not the mainlining. Poor old Sherlock. Moriarty may have been a bad dream he was having when he o.d.'ed.

Don't forget the opium dens...