Conversation so far:
Who was the inspiration for the Holmes?
Edgar Allan Poe's C.
Auguste Dupin is generally acknowledged as the first detective in fiction and served as the prototype.
How did Poe inspire Holmes?
Conan Doyle once wrote, "Each [of Poe's detective stories] is a root from which a whole literature has developed...
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
Other inspirations have been considered.
What other inspirations have been considered?
Conan Doyle repeatedly said that Holmes was inspired by the real-life figure of Joseph Bell.
Who was Joseph Bell?
a surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, whom Doyle met in 1877 and had worked for as a clerk.
Is there anything else you can tell me about Bell?
Like Holmes, Bell was noted for drawing broad conclusions from minute observations.
Did he have any other inspirations?
Sir Henry Littlejohn, Chair of Medical Jurisprudence at the University of Edinburgh Medical School.

Question: How did LittleJohn inspire Holmes?
Self-contained rewrite: How did LittleJohn inspire Sherlock Holmes?