Sherlock Holmes' character was inspired by Dr. Joseph Bell, for whom Arthur Conan Doyle had worked as a clerk at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Dr. Bell was also known for drawing large conclusions from the smallest observations. He was also interested in law and crime and actually even worked with the police in helping to solve a few crimes. Dr. Bell was not a fictional character, he was a real, living person and served as a working prototype for the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes.