JOHN THORNDYKE'S CASES
RELATED BY CHRISTOPHER JERVIS, M.D.
AND EDITED BY R. AUSTIN FREEMAN
AUTHOR OF "THE GOLDEN POOL," ETC.
WITH SIX ILLUSTRATIONS BY H. M. BROCK, ANDNINE FROM PHOTOGRAPHS, ETC.
TO MY FRIEND
FRANK STANDFIELD
IN MEMORY OF MANY A PLEASANT EVENINGSPENT WITH MICROSCOPE AND CAMERATHIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED
PREFACE
The stories in this collection, inasmuch as they constitute a somewhatnew departure in this class of literature, require a few words ofintroduction. The primary function of all fiction is to furnishentertainment to the reader, and this fact has not been lost sight of.But the interest of so-called "detective" fiction is, I believe, greatlyenhanced by a careful adherence to the probable, and a strict avoidanceof physical impossibilities; and, in accordance with this belief, I havebeen scrupulous in confining myself to authentic facts and practicablemethods. The stories have, for the most part, a medico-legal motive, andthe methods of solution described in them are similar to those employedin actual practice by medical jurists. The stories illustrate, in fact,the application to the detection of crime of the ordinary methods ofscientific research. I may add that the experiments described have inall cases been performed by me, and that the micro-photographs are, ofcourse, from the actual specimens.
I take this opportunity of thanking those of my friends who have invarious ways assisted me, and especially the friend to whom I havededicated this book; by whom I have been relieved of the veryconsiderable labour of making the micro-photographs, and greatlyassisted in procuring and preparing specimens. I must also thank Messrs.Pearson for kindly allowing me the use of Mr. H. M. Brock's admirableand sympathetic drawings, and the artist himself for the care with whichhe has maintained strict fidelity to the text.
R. A. F.
Gravesend,
September 21, 1909.