Today’s detectives owe much to Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional sleuth revolutionized crime-solving techniques, beginning with his first appearance, in 1887’s A Study in Scarlet. Holmes was the first to cordon off a crime scene to prevent contamination, to look for fingerprints, and to look at blood spatter. He even pioneered ballistics. Audio recordings of Doyle reveal how the author got such ideas, while modern detectives share how they’ve used Holmesian methods to solve some of their toughest crimes. Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
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