“The Greek Interpreter” In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1893 story “The Greek Interpreter,” Doyle introduces Sherlock Holmes brother Mycroft Holmes to display Sherlock Holmes’s exceptional skill of observation and deduction to be more a result of his heredity than of his environment and early training. In the story Sherlock believes that his gifts are strongly attributed to his ancestry, Mycroft’s presence in “The Greek Interpreter,” validates Sherlock Holmes’ belief through similarities in their skill set and behavior. The display of Mycroft’s similar skills of deduction and observation to Sherlock prove that the unique skillset is a family trait and not an acquired skill. By displaying Sherlock’s skills as a hereditary trait, the author displays how rare and unique Sherlock’s talents are through Mycroft’s similarities to Sherlock. Mycroft’s presence also explains the inability of Dr. Watson to observe what Sherlock can in other stories even after years of closely working with Sherlock. This essay will prove that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle displays a belief that a person’s abilities are directly attributed to his or her heredity. Early in the story a discussion between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson takes place, in which the topic of, as stated in the story ,“how for any singular gift in an individual was due to his ancestry and how far to his own early training.” Dr. Watson believes Sherlock’s talents come from his own training. Sherlock agrees to some extent, but believes his skills are hereditary, he goes on to say, “but none the less, my turn that way is in my veins, and may have come with my grandmother, who was the sister of Vernet, the French artist. Art in the blood is liable to take the strangest forms.” Watson replies, “But how do you know that it is hereditary?” “Because my brother Mycroft possesses it in a larger degree than I do.” The author is showing