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64-480: It was part of a general boom of detective stories in the wake of Arthur Conan Doyle 's creation of Sherlock Holmes . Morrison had previously written stories about an honest private detective Martin Hewitt, but with Dorrington he created a more cynical character who does not hesitate to commit armed robbery or murder to suit his ends. 1) The Narrative of Mr. James Rigby 2) The Case of Janissary 3) The Case of

128-678: A 21st-century murder investigation. Doyle was the doctor on the Greenland whaler Hope of Peterhead in 1880. On 11 July 1880, John Gray's Hope and David Gray's Eclipse met up with the Eira and Leigh Smith . The photographer W. J. A. Grant took a photograph aboard the Eira of Doyle along with Smith, the Gray brothers, and ship's surgeon William Neale, who were members of the Smith expedition. That expedition explored Franz Josef Land , and led to

192-578: A book on the war, The Great Boer War , as well as a short work titled The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct , in which he responded to critics of the United Kingdom's role in that war, and argued that its role was justified. The latter work was widely translated, and Doyle believed it was the reason he was knighted (given the rank of Knight Bachelor ) by King Edward VII in the 1902 Coronation Honours . He received

256-427: A booklet Is Spiritualism Based on Fraud? , in which he laid out evidence refuting Doyle's arguments and claimed that Doyle had been duped into believing in spiritualism through deliberate mediumship trickery. Preparatory school (United Kingdom) A preparatory school (or, shortened: prep school ) in the United Kingdom is a fee-charging private primary school that caters for children up to approximately

320-622: A combination. They fall into the following general categories: The Independent Association of Prep Schools is a prep schools heads association; one of seven affiliated associations of the Independent Schools Council . Pre-prep schools are generally associated with prep schools, and take children from reception to Year 3. Provision for younger children is generally called a nursery school or kindergarten . Prep schools were originally developed in England and Wales in

384-517: A contemporaneous report by the Sunday Express quoted Doyle as saying "I should have to see it again before passing a definite opinion on it" and "I have my doubts about the whole thing". In 1920, Doyle and the noted sceptic Joseph McCabe held a public debate at Queen's Hall in London, with Doyle taking the position that the claims of spiritualism were true. After the debate, McCabe published

448-670: A goalkeeper for Portsmouth Association Football Club , an amateur side, under the pseudonym A. C. Smith. Doyle was a keen cricketer, and between 1899 and 1907 he played 10 first-class matches for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He also played for the amateur cricket teams the Allahakbarries and the Authors XI alongside fellow writers J. M. Barrie , P. G. Wodehouse and A. A. Milne . His highest score, in 1902 against London County ,

512-509: A level intended to discourage them, but found they were willing to pay even the large sums he asked. As a result, he became one of the best-paid authors of his time. In December 1893, to dedicate more of his time to his historical novels, Doyle had Holmes and Professor Moriarty plunge to their deaths together down the Reichenbach Falls in the story " The Final Problem ". Public outcry, however, led him to feature Holmes in 1901 in

576-668: A man", and in his 1924 autobiography, he remarked, "It is no wonder that after the study of such a character [viz., Bell] I used and amplified his methods when in later life I tried to build up a scientific detective who solved cases on his own merits and not through the folly of the criminal." Robert Louis Stevenson was able to recognise the strong similarity between Joseph Bell and Sherlock Holmes: "My compliments on your very ingenious and very interesting adventures of Sherlock Holmes. ... can this be my old friend Joe Bell?" Other authors sometimes suggest additional influences—for instance, Edgar Allan Poe 's character C. Auguste Dupin , who

640-531: A medical practice at 1 Bush Villas in Elm Grove, Southsea . The practice was not successful. While waiting for patients, Doyle returned to writing fiction. Doyle was a staunch supporter of compulsory vaccination and wrote several articles advocating the practice and denouncing the views of anti-vaccinators . In early 1891, Doyle embarked on the study of ophthalmology in Vienna. He had previously studied at

704-518: A member of the Portsmouth Literary and Philosophical Society, Doyle began a series of investigations into the possibility of psychic phenomena and attended about 20 seances, experiments in telepathy, and sittings with mediums. Writing to spiritualist journal Light that year, he declared himself to be a spiritualist, describing one particular event that had convinced him psychic phenomena were real. Also in 1887 (on 26 January), he

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768-531: A platonic relationship with her while his first wife was still alive, out of loyalty to her. Most of Doyle's family including his mother were aware of the relationship, but it appears to have remained unknown to Louisa. Jean outlived her husband and died during wartime on 27 June 1940. Doyle fathered five children. He had two with his first wife: Mary Louise (1889–1976) and Arthur Alleyne Kingsley, known as Kingsley (1892–1918). He had an additional three with his second wife: Denis Percy Stewart (1909–1955), who became

832-694: A search for poltergeists in Devon. Doyle was also a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn . Doyle and the spiritualist William Thomas Stead (who would die on the Titanic ) were led to believe that Julius and Agnes Zancig had genuine psychic powers, and they claimed publicly that the Zancigs used telepathy . However, in 1924, the Zancigs confessed that their mind reading act had been

896-501: A trick; they published the secret code and all other details of the trick method they had used under the title "Our Secrets!!" in a London newspaper. Doyle also praised the psychic phenomena and spirit materialisations that he believed had been produced by Eusapia Palladino and Mina Crandon , both of whom were also later exposed as frauds. In 1916, at the height of the First World War, Doyle's belief in psychic phenomena

960-730: Is mentioned, disparagingly, by Holmes in A Study in Scarlet . Dr. (John) Watson owes his surname, but not any other obvious characteristic, to a Portsmouth medical colleague of Doyle's, Dr. James Watson. A sequel to A Study in Scarlet was commissioned, and The Sign of the Four appeared in Lippincott's Magazine in February 1890, under agreement with the Ward Lock company. Doyle felt grievously exploited by Ward Lock as an author new to

1024-623: Is overseen by Ofsted on behalf of the Department for Education . Boys' prep schools are generally for 8–13 year-olds (Years 3 to 8), who are prepared for the Common Entrance Examination, the key to entry into many secondary independent schools. Before the age of 7 or 8, the term "pre-prep school" is used. Girls' independent schools in England tend to follow the age ranges of state schools more closely than those of boys. Girls' preparatory schools usually admit girls from

1088-531: The British Library and the Library of Congress treat "Doyle" alone as his surname. Steven Doyle, publisher of The Baker Street Journal , wrote: "Conan was Arthur's middle name. Shortly after he graduated from high school he began using Conan as a sort of surname. But technically his last name is simply 'Doyle'." When knighted, he was gazetted as Doyle, not under the compound Conan Doyle. Doyle

1152-643: The Napoleonic Wars and features a character Gregory Brewster, written for Henry Irving ; The House of Temperley , the plot of which reflects his abiding interest in boxing; The Speckled Band , adapted from his earlier short story " The Adventure of the Speckled Band "; and an 1893 collaboration with J. M. Barrie on the libretto of Jane Annie . While living in Southsea , the seaside resort near Portsmouth , Doyle played football as

1216-564: The Spiritualists' National Union to accept an eighth precept – that of following the teachings and example of Jesus of Nazareth . He was a member of the renowned supernaturalist organisation The Ghost Club . In 1919, the magician P. T. Selbit staged a séance at his flat in Bloomsbury , which Doyle attended. Although some later claimed that Doyle had endorsed the apparent instances of clairvoyance at that séance as genuine,

1280-716: The University of Edinburgh Medical School ; during this period he spent time working in Aston (then a town in Warwickshire , now part of Birmingham ), Sheffield and Ruyton-XI-Towns , Shropshire. Also during this period, he studied practical botany at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. While studying, Doyle began writing short stories. His earliest extant fiction, "The Haunted Grange of Goresthorpe",

1344-410: The "Mirror of Portugal" 4) The Affair of the "Avalanche Bicycle and Tyre Co., Limited" 5) The Case of Mr. Loftus Deacon 6) Old Cater's Money The 1970s British television series The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes featured two episodes based on Dorrington stories, with Peter Vaughan portraying the detective. This article about a collection of mystery short stories published in

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1408-435: The 1890s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle KStJ , DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet , the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson . The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in

1472-610: The English Amateur billiards championship in 1913. While living in Switzerland, Doyle became interested in skiing, which was relatively unknown in Switzerland at the time. He wrote an article, "An Alpine Pass on 'Ski ' " for the December 1894 issue of The Strand Magazine , in which he described his experiences with skiing and the beautiful alpine scenery that could be seen in the process. The article popularised

1536-630: The Holmes oeuvre, The Lost World . His historical novels include The White Company and its prequel Sir Nigel , set in the Middle Ages . He was a prolific author of short stories, including two collections set in Napoleonic times and featuring the French character Brigadier Gerard . Doyle's works for the stage include Waterloo , which centres on the reminiscences of an English veteran of

1600-600: The Irish Easter Rising , Casement was found guilty of treason against the Crown, and was sentenced to death. Doyle tried, unsuccessfully, to save him, arguing that Casement had been driven mad, and therefore should not be held responsible for his actions. As the First World War loomed, and having been caught up in a growing public swell of Germanophobia , Doyle gave a public donation of 10 shillings to

1664-575: The Jesuit school Stella Matutina in Feldkirch , Austria. His family decided that he would spend a year there in order to perfect his German and broaden his academic horizons. He was raised Catholic but later rejected the faith and became an agnostic . One source attributed his drift away from religion to the time he spent in the less strict Austrian school. He also later became a spiritualist mystic . From 1876 to 1881, Doyle studied medicine at

1728-559: The London Times . He also wrote The Doings of Raffles Haw . After visiting Venice and Milan , he spent a few days in Paris observing Edmund Landolt, an expert on diseases of the eye. Within three months of his departure for Vienna, Doyle returned to London. He opened a small office and consulting room at 2 Upper Wimpole Street, or 2 Devonshire Place as it was then. (There is today a Westminster City Council commemorative plaque over

1792-555: The Pole-Star" and " J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement ", both inspired by Doyle's time at sea. The latter popularised the mystery of the Mary Celeste and added fictional details such as that the ship was found in perfect condition (it had actually taken on water by the time it was discovered), and that its boats remained on board (the single boat was in fact missing). These fictional details have come to dominate popular accounts of

1856-636: The Portsmouth Eye Hospital in order to qualify to perform eye tests and prescribe glasses. Vienna had been suggested by his friend Vernon Morris as a place to spend six months and train to be an eye surgeon. But Doyle found it too difficult to understand the German medical terms being used in his classes in Vienna, and soon quit his studies there. For the rest of his two-month stay in Vienna, he pursued other activities, such as ice skating with his wife Louisa and drinking with Brinsley Richards of

1920-572: The Rifle Clubs Committee of the National Rifle Association . In 1901, Doyle was one of three judges for the world's first major bodybuilding competition, which was organised by the "Father of Bodybuilding", Eugen Sandow . The event was held in London's Royal Albert Hall . The other two judges were the sculptor Sir Charles Lawes-Wittewronge and Eugen Sandow himself. Doyle was an amateur boxer. In 1909, he

1984-699: The accolade from the King in person at Buckingham Palace on 24 October of that year. He stood for Parliament twice as a Liberal Unionist : in 1900 in Edinburgh Central , and in 1906 in the Hawick Burghs , but was not elected. He served as a Deputy-Lieutenant of Surrey beginning in 1902, and was appointed a Knight of Grace of the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in 1903. Doyle

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2048-461: The activity and began the long association between Switzerland and skiing. In 1885 Doyle married Louisa (sometimes called "Touie") Hawkins (1857–1906). She was the youngest daughter of J. Hawkins, of Minsterworth , Gloucestershire, and the sister of one of Doyle's patients. Louisa had tuberculosis . In 1907, the year after Louisa's death, he married Jean Elizabeth Leckie (1874–1940). He had met and fallen in love with Jean in 1897, but had maintained

2112-651: The age of 13. The term "preparatory school" is used as it prepares the children for the Common Entrance Examination in order to secure a place at an independent secondary school, typically one of the English public schools . They are also preferred by some parents in the hope of getting their child into a state selective grammar school. Most prep schools are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate , which

2176-528: The age of 4, who will then continue to another independent school at 11 (Year 7), or at 13 (Year 9 if the school is co-educational (as most secondary schools now are). However, as more girls now go on to formerly single-sex boys' schools that have become co-educational, the separation is less clear. There are 130,000 pupils in over 500 prep schools of all types and sizes. Prep schools may be for boys or girls only, or may be co-educational. They may be day schools, boarding schools, weekly boarding , flexi-boarding, or

2240-444: The anti-immigration British Brothers' League . In 1914, Doyle was one of fifty-three leading British authors—including H. G. Wells , Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy —who signed their names to the "Authors' Declaration", justifying Britain's involvement in the First World War. This manifesto declared that the German invasion of Belgium had been a brutal crime, and that Britain "could not without dishonour have refused to take part in

2304-524: The aunt of a friend, at Liberton Bank House on Gilmerton Road, while studying at Newington Academy. In 1867, the family came together again and lived in squalid tenement flats at 3 Sciennes Place . Doyle's father died in 1893, in the Crichton Royal , Dumfries , after many years of psychiatric illness. Beginning at an early age, throughout his life Doyle wrote letters to his mother. Many of them were preserved. Supported by wealthy uncles, Doyle

2368-615: The basic medical qualification in the UK) with a dissertation on tabes dorsalis in 1885. In 1882, Doyle partnered with his former classmate George Turnavine Budd in a medical practice in Plymouth , but their relationship proved difficult, and Doyle soon left to set up an independent practice. Arriving in Portsmouth in June 1882, with less than £10 (£1300 in 2023 ) to his name, he set up

2432-410: The classics. Doyle commented later in his life that this academic system could be excused only "on the plea that any exercise, however stupid in itself, forms a sort of mental dumbbell by which one can improve one's mind". He found the school harsh, noting that, instead of compassion and warmth, it favoured the threat of corporal punishment and ritual humiliation. From 1875 to 1876, he was educated at

2496-508: The early 19th century as boarding schools to prepare boys for leading public schools, such as Eton College , Radley College , Harrow School , Charterhouse School , Oundle School , Rugby School , St Paul's School , Westminster School , Tonbridge School and Winchester College . The numbers attending such schools increased as many parents were overseas in the service of the British Empire . Prep schools are now found in all parts of

2560-478: The field of crime fiction. Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger , and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard , as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, " J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement " (1884), helped to popularise

2624-461: The front door.) He had no patients, according to his autobiography, and his efforts as an ophthalmologist were a failure. Doyle initially struggled to find a publisher. His first work featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, A Study in Scarlet , was written in three weeks when he was 27 and was accepted for publication by Ward Lock & Co on 20 November 1886, which gave Doyle £25 (equivalent to £3,500 in 2023) in exchange for all rights to

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2688-560: The incident, and Doyle's alternative spelling of the ship's name as the Marie Celeste has become more commonly used than the original spelling. Between 1888 and 1906, Doyle wrote seven historical novels, which he and many critics regarded as his best work. He also wrote nine other novels, and—later in his career (1912–29)—five narratives (three of novel or novella length) featuring the irascible scientist Professor Challenger . The Challenger stories include his best-known work after

2752-534: The mutilations continued after their suspect was jailed. Apart from helping George Edalji, Doyle's work helped establish a way to correct other miscarriages of justice, as it was partially as a result of this case that the Court of Criminal Appeal was established in 1907. The story of Doyle and Edalji was dramatised in an episode of the 1972 BBC television series, The Edwardians . In Nicholas Meyer's pastiche The West End Horror (1976), Holmes manages to help clear

2816-473: The mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste , found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard. Doyle is often referred to as "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" or "Conan Doyle", implying that "Conan" is part of a compound surname rather than a middle name. However, his baptism entry in the register of St Mary's Cathedral , Edinburgh, gives "Arthur Ignatius Conan" as his given names and "Doyle" as his surname. It also names Michael Conan as his godfather. The catalogues of

2880-614: The name of a shy Parsi Indian character wronged by the English justice system. Edalji was of Parsi heritage on his father's side. The story was fictionalised in Julian Barnes 's 2005 novel Arthur and George , which was adapted into a three-part drama by ITV in 2015. The second case, that of Oscar Slater —a Jew of German origin who operated a gambling den and was convicted of bludgeoning an 82-year-old woman in Glasgow in 1908—excited Doyle's curiosity because of inconsistencies in

2944-596: The naming, on 18 August, of Cape Flora, Bell Island , Nightingale Sound, Gratton ("Uncle Joe") Island, and Mabel Island. After graduating with Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery (M.B. C.M.) degrees from the University of Edinburgh in 1881, he was ship's surgeon on the SS Mayumba during a voyage to the West African coast. He completed his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree (an advanced degree beyond

3008-649: The novel The Hound of the Baskervilles . Holmes's fictional connection with the Reichenbach Falls is celebrated in the nearby town of Meiringen . In 1903, Doyle published his first Holmes short story in ten years, " The Adventure of the Empty House ", in which it was explained that only Moriarty had fallen, but since Holmes had other dangerous enemies—especially Colonel Sebastian Moran —he had arranged to make it look as if he too were dead. Holmes

3072-512: The poor showing of British troops in the Boer War had led him to believe that the general population needed training in marksmanship. He was a champion of "miniature" rifle clubs, whose members shot small-calibre firearms on local ranges. These ranges were much cheaper and more accessible to working-class participants than large "fullbore" ranges, such as Bisley Camp , which were necessarily remote from population centres. Doyle went on to sit on

3136-485: The present war". Doyle was also a fervent advocate of justice and personally investigated two closed cases, which led to two men being exonerated of the crimes of which they were accused. The first case, in 1906, involved a shy half-British, half-Indian lawyer named George Edalji , who had allegedly penned threatening letters and mutilated animals in Great Wyrley . Police were set on Edalji's conviction, even though

3200-496: The prosecution's case and a general sense that Slater was not guilty. He ended up paying most of the costs for Slater's successful 1928 appeal. Doyle had a longstanding interest in mystical subjects and remained fascinated by the idea of paranormal phenomena, even though the strength of his belief in their reality waxed and waned periodically over the years. In 1887, in Southsea, influenced by Major-General Alfred Wilks Drayson ,

3264-666: The publishing world, and so, after this, he left them. Short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes were published in the Strand Magazine . Doyle wrote the first five Holmes short stories from his office at 2 Devonshire Place. Doyle's attitude towards his most famous creation was ambivalent. In November 1891, he wrote to his mother: "I think of slaying Holmes, ... and winding him up for good and all. He takes my mind from better things." His mother responded, "You won't! You can't! You mustn't!" In an attempt to deflect publishers' demands for more Holmes stories, he raised his price to

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3328-626: The second husband of Georgian Princess Nina Mdivani ; Adrian Malcolm (1910–1970); and Jean Lena Annette (1912–1997). None of Doyle's five children had children of their own, so he has no living direct descendants. Doyle served as a volunteer physician in the Langman Field Hospital at Bloemfontein between March and June 1900, during the Second Boer War in South Africa (1899–1902). Later that year, he wrote

3392-636: The story. The piece appeared a year later in the Beeton's Christmas Annual and received good reviews in The Scotsman and the Glasgow Herald . Holmes was partially modelled on Doyle's former university teacher Joseph Bell . In 1892, in a letter to Bell, Doyle wrote, "It is most certainly to you that I owe Sherlock Holmes ... round the centre of deduction and inference and observation which I have heard you inculcate I have tried to build up

3456-433: Was E. W. Hornung , creator of the literary character Raffles ), as well as his two nephews, also died shortly after the war. His second book on spiritualism, The Vital Message , appeared in 1919. Doyle found solace in supporting spiritualism's ideas and the attempts of spiritualists to find proof of an existence beyond the grave . In particular, according to some, he favoured Christian Spiritualism and encouraged

3520-540: Was 43. He was an occasional bowler who took one first-class wicket, W. G. Grace , and wrote a poem about the achievement. His captaincy of the Authors XI lasted from 1899 to 1912, during which time his cricket scores were by far the most common entries in his diary. In 1900, Doyle founded the Undershaw Rifle Club at his home, constructing a 100-yard range and providing shooting for local men, as

3584-470: Was a supporter of the campaign for the reform of the Congo Free State that was led by the journalist E. D. Morel and diplomat Roger Casement . In 1909 he wrote The Crime of the Congo , a long pamphlet in which he denounced the horrors of that colony. He became acquainted with Morel and Casement, and it is possible that, together with Bertram Fletcher Robinson , they inspired several characters that appear in his 1912 novel The Lost World . Later, after

3648-401: Was born on 22 May 1859 at 11 Picardy Place, Edinburgh , Scotland. His father, Charles Altamont Doyle , was born in England, of Irish Catholic descent, and his mother, Mary (née Foley), was Irish Catholic. His parents married in 1855. In 1864, the family scattered because of Charles's growing alcoholism. The children were temporarily housed across Edinburgh. Arthur lodged with Mary Burton ,

3712-400: Was initiated as a Freemason at the Phoenix Lodge No. 257 in Southsea. (He resigned from the Lodge in 1889, returned to it in 1902, and resigned again in 1911.) In 1889, he became a founding member of the Hampshire Society for Psychical Research; in 1893, he joined the London-based Society for Psychical Research ; and in 1894, he collaborated with Sir Sidney Scott and Frank Podmore in

3776-610: Was invited to referee the James Jeffries – Jack Johnson heavyweight championship fight in Reno, Nevada . Doyle wrote: "I was much inclined to accept ... though my friends pictured me as winding up with a revolver at one ear and a razor at the other. However, the distance and my engagements presented a final bar." Also a keen golfer, Doyle was elected captain of the Crowborough Beacon Golf Club in Sussex for 1910. He had moved to Little Windlesham house in Crowborough with Jean Leckie, his second wife, and resided there with his family from 1907 until his death in July 1930. He entered

3840-590: Was prompted by the death of his son Kingsley, but Doyle began presenting himself publicly as a spiritualist in 1916, and Kingsley died on 28 October 1918 (from pneumonia contracted during his convalescence after being seriously wounded in the 1916 Battle of the Somme ). Nevertheless, the war-related deaths of many people who were close to him appear to have even further strengthened his long-held belief in life after death and spirit communication. Doyle's brother Brigadier-general Innes Doyle died, also from pneumonia, in February 1919. His two brothers-in-law (one of whom

3904-430: Was sent to England, to the Jesuit preparatory school Hodder Place , Stonyhurst in Lancashire, at the age of nine (1868–70). He went on to Stonyhurst College , which he attended until 1875. While Doyle was not unhappy at Stonyhurst, he said he did not have any fond memories of it because the school was run on medieval principles: the only subjects covered were rudiments, rhetoric , Euclidean geometry , algebra , and

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3968-523: Was strengthened by what he took to be the psychic abilities of his children's nanny, Lily Loder Symonds. This and the constant drumbeat of wartime deaths inspired him with the idea that spiritualism was what he called a "New Revelation" sent by God to bring solace to the bereaved. He wrote a piece in Light magazine about his faith and began lecturing frequently on spiritualism. In 1918, he published his first spiritualist work, The New Revelation . Some have mistakenly assumed that Doyle's turn to spiritualism

4032-416: Was ultimately featured in a total of 56 short stories —the last published in 1927—and four novels by Doyle, and has since appeared in many novels and stories by other authors . Doyle's first novels were The Mystery of Cloomber , not published until 1888, and the unfinished Narrative of John Smith , published only posthumously, in 2011. He amassed a portfolio of short stories, including "The Captain of

4096-425: Was unsuccessfully submitted to Blackwood's Magazine . His first published piece, " The Mystery of Sasassa Valley ", a story set in South Africa, was printed in Chambers's Edinburgh Journal on 6 September 1879. On 20 September 1879, he published his first academic article, " Gelsemium as a Poison" in the British Medical Journal , a study which The Daily Telegraph regarded as potentially useful in

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