Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle is best known for creating the beloved fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in his series of books. Before becoming a world famous author of exciting detective stories, he was on the path to establishing himself as a physician. Oddly enough, his mentor in medical school, Dr. Joseph Bell, would play a large role in his life though not in the area of medicine. The following looks at the life of author Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle.
Arthur Conan Doyle graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1881 and started his medical practice. He worked as a physician on a steamship that traveled to the continent of Africa. Though he was a physician by training, Doyle worked to perfect his writing skills with short stories. He even published a few of these short stories along the way. After opening up a medical practice of his own with little success Doyle decided to focus his efforts on writing.

The Mystery of Sasassa Valley was one of Doyle’s early stories.
Doyle worked on a steamship that traveled to the Arctic Circle. He based one of his stories on his experiences.
Early in his writing career, Doyle became interested in ‘spiritualistic’ matters. He later wrote about his beliefs.
Sherlock Holmes first appeared in Doyle’s novel A Study in Scarlet (1887). This began a collection of 60 stories with that beloved character.
Dr. Joseph Bell of the University of Edinburgh was believed to be the inspiration for the character of Sherlock Holmes.