Because everything has to do with Sherlock Holmes.

I'm used to finding connections to Sherlock Holmes in the minutiae of all sorts of fields of knowledge. The sixty stories have and incredibly wide array of references to bits and pieces of their time, and have the fun of that thing we call "Sherlockian scholarship" is following those trails out of the Canon to see where they lead.

But my new favorite pet peeve is history buffs using Sherlock Holmes to tout their favorite minor historical figures via Conan Doyle. It's like Sherlockian scholarship for people who don't believe in Sherlock Holmes. (And I don't mean "don't believe he was real." I mean "believe that he's really the cool thing worth focussing on and not some he's-popular-I-guess link to their blessed history.)

Latest example: "The Strange Connection Between Sherlock Holmes and Germs" on wired.com.

"Wow, Conan Doyle probably knew about this guy who we can draw parallels to Sherlock Holmes from! Yay!"

Yeah, Conan Doyle was an educated fellow and probably had heard of a lot of people who used the scientific method. And unlike a lot of modern hoople-heads, Conan Doyle knew the scientific method to be a Good Thing. (Unless spiritualism was involved.) And it shows in Sherlock Holmes.

I guess I'm glad Holmes is so popular now, but popular enough to be used like cleavage on a YouTube video cover pic, just to get a few more pageviews?

Ah, well, enough cranky morning rant for one A.M. I suppose I'll start just reading the articles about Sherlock Holmes plays at distant local theater groups that also seem to be popping up more than ever.