By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Inspiration
Doyle was an admirer of Edgar Allan Poe and Emile Gaboriau and often
said that they inspired many of the aspects of his Sherlock Holmes stories

Doyle based Sherlock Holmes on Doctor Joseph Bell, a surgeon and

teacher he had studied with while attending Edinburgh University
Dr. Bell had the uncanny ability to reveal a patient's symptoms, diagnose
patients and report on their origins before they would speak a word to
him about their afflictions
Sir Henry Littlejohn, who taught forensic medicine
to Doyle also made a large impression and
contributed to the development of Holmes'
character

 As far as Holmes' name, his last name is rumored to have been based on
American jurist and fellow doctor Oliver Wendell Holmes
His first name is credited to Alfred Sherlock, a prominent violinist of his
time
Dr. John Watson, a fellow South-Sea doctor and Portsmouth Literary and
Scientific Society member who served time in Manchuria, received the
honor of having Holmes' partner named for him

 Doyle worked backwards from the solution of a case to create his stories
A Study in Scarlet (1887) was his first story and novel and introduced the
characters of Holmes and Watson and included how they met
The Sherlock Holmes short stories were a popular feature in Strand
Magazine from 1889 to 1893 when Doyle had tired of Holmes and killed
him off in the story, The Final Problem
Due to public outcry and financial trouble, Doyle brought Holmes back
and he appeared in new stories until 1927