| John Evelyn Thorndyke | |
|---|---|
_for_John_Thorndyke%27s_cases_(1908-9)_by_R._Austin_Freeman_(1862-1943)-p286_Superintendant_Miller_Rises_to_the_Occasion_07.jpg) John Thorndyke as drawn by H. M. Brock in 1908 | |
| First appearance | The Red Thumb Mark (1907) |
| Last appearance | The Jacob Street Mystery (1942) |
| Created by | R. Austin Freeman |
| Portrayed by | Anthony Nicholls (radio) Peter Copley (television) John Neville (television) Barrie Ingham (television) Tim McInnerny (radio) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Dr |
| Occupation | Detective |
| Nationality | British |
Dr. John Evelyn Thorndyke is a fictional detective in a long series of 21 novels and 40 short stories by British author R. Austin Freeman (1862–1943). Thorndyke was described by his author as a 'medical jurispractitioner': originally a medical doctor, he turned to the bar and became one of the first — in modern parlance — forensic scientists. His solutions were based on his method of collecting all possible data (including dust and pond weed) and making inferences from them before looking at any of the protagonists and motives in the crimes. Freeman ensured that his methods were practical by conducting all experiments mentioned in the stories himself.[1]
- ^ Freeman, Richard Austin (1909). "Preface". John Thorndyke's Cases. London: Chatto and Windus.