The
application of the scientific method is one of the most significant ways
through which to ensure that there is the development of accurate measurements
and deductions. It creates a situation where there is a greater understanding
of the world around us while at the same time promoting the advancement of knowledge
that ensures the acceptance of the facts that are presented at a given time.
The use of the scientific method is one that is extremely relevant when it
comes to matters concerning investigations, as seen in detective stories. They
result in the creation of means through which entire mysteries, which were
believed to be hidden, are revealed to the readers in such a way that it is
backed up with convincing evidence. The use of deduction is an important aspect
of the scientific method because it helps the investigator use the available
evidence to come up with conclusions concerning the various aspects of an
investigation. Using this method in mystery or detective stories is important
because it takes the reader through various events that lead to unexpected
results. In this paper, there will be an analysis of the manner through which
the scientific method is important in the attainment of answers in the
mysteries within two stories, The Stolen
Bacillus and The Adventure of the
Bruce-Partington Plans.
The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
is a murder mystery that is solved by the famous character, Sherlock Holmes. It
involves the theft of some extremely important documents that are essentially
plans for the construction of a submarine, and the murder of an individual, Arthur
Cadogan West, who is believed to be the one behind the theft (Doyle 3).
However, Holmes is determined to solve the mystery through the use of
scientific methods and makes deductions concerning the motives that Cadogan West
might have had in having some of the stolen documents in his possession at the
time of his death. Through the use of scientific methods, where the evidence
that is found at various locations is made use of to come to some extremely
useful conclusions, it becomes possible to discover the real culprit behind the
theft as well as the murder of Cadogan West. In the end, through the use of
deductions based on the evidence at hand, Holmes uncovers the culprit as Colonel
Valentine Walter, the brother of Sir James Walter, who had been in charge of
the stolen plans (Doyle 15).
Therefore, the scientific method is an important aspect of the solution to the
mystery involved in the story because it allows Holmes to make use of the
evidence at hand to not only make conclusions, but also educated guesses,
concerning where the case is heading. A consequence is that the use of this
method is essential in solving the mysteries of some events that happen in
daily life and this in such a way that it promotes the idea that nothing is
ever as it seems.
The Stolen Bacillus is another story
that involves the use of the scientific method, and this is especially
considering that one of the main characters within it is a scientist. It is a
story that, despite describing a serious matter is full of comical moments. It
describes the scientist receiving a visitor who is interested in a particular
vial that the scientist is working on. The scientist, realizing the interest
that his visitor has in the vial goes to great lengths to explain how such a vial
that is filled with the bacteria that causes bacteria has the power of
contaminating an entire water source (Wells 1).
When the scientist is called away by his wife for a moment, the visitor takes
the vial and declares his intention to leave. It is only after he has left that
the scientist realizes that the vial has been stolen and goes after the
visitor. The scientist follows the visitor in a cab, with the visitor having taken
the same mode of transport. The vial in the visitor’s possession ends up
breaking and the latter consumes what remains of the contents in order to
become a human vector, with the hope that it will make him famous. However, it
is later discovered, through the scientist, that the vial did not contain
cholera but was rather a bacillus extraction that if consumed made the subject
blue either completely or in patches (Wells 4).
Therefore, the visitor, who is revealed to be an anarchist, because of his
failure to carefully consider the contents of the vial assumed that it
contained the cholera bacillus. The story, which is essentially about the
scientific method, ends with a comic turn because it leaves it to the reader to
imagine the rude shock that the visitor was going to get.
In
conclusion, these two stories, while considerably different in setting, reveal
the importance of the scientific method. They suggest that science is an
important tool when it comes to the advancement of human society as a whole. It
is an extremely neutral subject which can be used in making sure that there is
the creation of a better world for all people. The neutrality of science can be
understood in such a way that it depends on the individuals that use it.
Therefore, if an individual has malicious intentions, like the anarchist in The Stolen Bacillus, the products of the
scientific method can end up being used for evil purposes. However, when used by
benevolent individuals, in the way that Sherlock Holmes uses it to investigate
the mystery in The Adventure of the
Bruce-Partington Plans, the scientific method can bring about good results.
Consequently, science should not be looked upon as being either good or evil
but as a neutral subject that has great potential in making the world a better
place if used wisely. The two stories discussed above are examples of the
different ways through which the scientific method can be used and they provide
lessons the importance of the scientific approach when it comes to finding
solutions to problems.
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