I'm writing a Sherlock Holmes fic/pastiche, set in an AU in which superpowers have become somewhat common. I intend to expand it into a series, hopefully spanning the entire run of 1881-1914-ish.
The first story, set in 1881, involves Holmes visiting a patient in the Bethlem Royal Hospital. He has visited this patient before with reasonable frequency, and will continue to do so. The patient is a young male schizophrenic (diagnosed at the time as demence precoce, if my research is correct) who is not prone to violence. He is a valuable resource, so Holmes is willing to bend a few rules if need be in order to get access.
So, my first series of questions: What would be the procedure? Did 1881 Bethlem have particular visiting hours? Would Holmes have to claim to be a relative? Did he have to sign in at a front desk? Would he be escorted by a nurse? Would anyone object to Watson coming in with him on some visits? Similarly, would the patient be allowed to write to him? Would the letters have to go through a third party, like a nurse or doctor?
Also, are there any resources that describe or show what Bethlem looked like on the inside? I can find pictures of the outside, but I'd like to have something to describe once they head in, as well. I know Melancholy and Raving Madness was in the vestibule at that time, but that's about it.
My own search attempts include the strings 'Bethlem Royal Hospital', 'Bethlem 1881', 'Bethlem 19th century', 'Bethlem reforms', etc. I'm currently looking through the Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum online, and reading something from the Royal College of Physicians, London, but most of the information seems to deal specifically with treatment of patients, particularly pre-reformation.
Now for my Biology question:
I have two named characters in this setting who are shape-shifters. One of them is a prevalent but fairly minor secondary character, who studied veterinary medicine for a time but is now a nurse. The other is a major villain, who has studied zoology and physiology professionally for most of his life.
Unfortunately, I don't go about shape-shifters the normal way, that is, I don't just go the Beast-Boy route and have them take the form of existing animals. Instead, I pick and choose, crafting each alternate form for a given purpose without regard for ecosystems or evolution. These two characters are both quite knowledgeable about both human and animal physiology, therefore they should be capable of some pretty BAMF stunts, after a little trial and error.
That's the theory, anyway. The problem is, I'm used to living in a period of history where information about animal and human physiology is just a click away, and it's not only convenient but in-depth and generally reliable. Just how much of that would learned individuals in the late Victorian period know? Would they understand *how* the eyes worked, thus allowing them to give their vision an upgrade into the UV spectrum? How about the other senses? Did they know that cheetahs were the fastest land animal, and did they know why? Did they know about the ridges on gecko's feet?
I've tried searching 'Victorian Biology', 'animal anatomy 19th century', 'zoology victorian', and a few other variations, but mostly what comes up for the period is Darwin and Evolutionary Theory.
