Sherlock means that murder isn't a new thing and has been around since man itself began. In all this time, there are so many ways these people could have been killed and that by knowing the history of the death or knowing another similar murder, finding out the killer could be relatively easy. I think that it is true, especially nowadays because its so frequent and the people who murder tend to see monkey do, like the Newton shooting and the man at McNair who barely got talked down from doing the same.

Although both Holmes and Watson are very intelligent men, Sherlock is much more observant while lacking in basic literature, philosophy, and politics. When Watson brings up that the Earth travels around the sun, he is dumbfounded when Sherlock has no knowledge of the subject. While Watson's moods are more constant and stable, Sherlock's moods are really wild. In one moment he is eccentric and lively while in another, he's thoughtful and dazed. Both men have an appreciation for music, while Sherlock plays the violin and Watson only listens. Both men were in search of a home that has comfortable rooms at a reasonable price. Sherlock Holmes is described as being too scientific to the point of cold-bloodedness and having a passion for definite and exact knowledge. Watson is described as being a man of the medical type but with the air of a military man. Both have an unarguably respect for the other.