Hot dog? Toxicological concerns and the hound of the baskervilles

Abstract

The terrifying dog in the Hound of the Baskervilles is described as having ‘blazing eyes’ and a ‘luminous muzzle’, appearances attributed by Watson and Holmes to the application of phosphorus. Review of the toxicity and flammability of white phosphorus make this improbable. It is suggested that Conan Doyle's description was probably influenced by knowledge of the recent and much publicized discovery of luminescence due to the radioactivity of uranium salts.

Keywords :

• Baskervilles
• History
• Luminous paint
• Phosphorus
• Radioactivity
• Toxicity
• Uranium

Notes

*Page numbers refer to Doyle AC. The Hound of the Baskervilles, Puffin Classics edition; London, UK: Puffin Books. 2004.