"You know my methods, Watson..."
Holmes's pluses and minuses

"A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to need, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it."

Vasily Livanov was awarded the  OBE for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the Soviet TV series.

 

In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson assesses Holmes's abilities thus:

  1. Knowledge of Literature.—Nil.
  2. Knowledge of Philosophy
  3. Knowledge of Astronomy—Nil.
  4. Knowledge of Politics.—Feeble.
  5. Knowledge of Botany.—Variable. Well up in poisons generally. Knows nothing of practical gardening.
  6. Knowledge of Geology—Practical, but limited. Tells at a glance different soils from each other. After walks, has shown me splashes upon his trousers, and told me by their colour and consistence in what part of London he had recieved them.
  7. Knowledge of Chemistry.—Profound.
  8. Knowledge of Anatomy—Accurate, but unsystematic.
  9. Knowledge of Sensational Literature.—Immense. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century.
  10. Plays the violin well.
  11. Is an expert singlestick player, boxer and swordsman.
  12. Has a good practical knowledge of British law.