Sherlock Holmes¡¯ frequent use of anatomy, toxicology and mathematics to crack cases has seen him regarded as the quintessential Victorian man of learning.

But his ¡°madman¡¯s approach to science¡±, which rejects scholarly convention, is also an early example of anti-university sentiment that has since filtered into the popular imagination, a new study argues.

In a collection of essays exploring how the depiction of fictional characters has influenced the public perception of academia, the German scholar Jochem Kotthaus states that Baker Street¡¯s famous consulting detective should be considered as one of a ¡°first wave of superheroes¡± thanks to his use of science to fight crime, but his popularity is also firmly rooted in a now-familiar tradition that scorns ¡°academic knowledge¡±.

While his sidekick Dr Watson once reports that his roommate has undertaken ¡°eccentric experiments with blood tests and beating of corpses in the laboratories of University College London¡±, writes Professor Kotthaus, from Dortmund¡¯s University of Applied Sciences and Arts, his creator Arthur Conan Doyle is deliberately vague about Holmes¡¯ academic background.

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¡°Holmes might have studied chemistry at Oxford or Cambridge, but¡­he is far from being a classically bred academic,¡± says Professor Kotthaus in , noting that he is ¡°not even entirely sure if Holmes even graduated with a degree¡±.

Instead, he is the ¡°perfect example of the Victorian dilettante scientist¡±, who uses his ¡°scientific upbringing, his expertise in various academic disciplines¡­to battle the same evil conjured by those perpetrating the crime¡±.

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¡°Holmes¡¯ lack of a doctorate or any degree brings him closer to the readers, who need someone to identify with,¡± explains Professor Kotthaus, who connects the character to a familiar trope found in Hollywood movies in which street smarts are lauded above traditional learning.

¡°A supporting character might utter a line about ¡®extensive training¡¯; the faithful companion may remark that the protagonist spent years in the wilderness or on ¡®the streets¡¯, strengthening body and mind,¡± he writes, adding that this ¡°very blue-collar attitude¡± towards learning regards academic learning as ¡°boring¡±.

Holmes is someone, writes Professor Kotthaus, who, ¡°considering all his intellectual prowess, [still] gets down and dirty.¡± ¡°His madman¡¯s approach to science, the field trips to the morgue, the chemical and medical self-tests suggest that Sherlock is still learning,¡± he adds.

Recent film and TV versions ¨C Sherlock (2010-17) and the New York-set Elementary 2012-19) ¨C have pushed this ¡°devaluation, phasing out or gross misinterpretation of the university as an institution, academic knowledge and higher education¡±, he adds.

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¡°Benedict Cumberbatch¡¯s Sherlock uses a variety of tools at hand to solve his cases, often the internet. The same goes for Jonny Lee Miller¡¯s version of the character, a recovering addict, complete with his brownstone humongous wall of craziness and a variety of experiments of disputable usefulness,¡± he says.

¡°These are the postmodern iterations of Sherlock Holmes, as imperfect and as far removed from any academic knowledge as they can be.¡±

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com