Dr. James Mortimer
A local doctor and friend of the Baskerville family.
Core Belief
"Science and reason are important, but there are mysteries in the world that cannot be explained by them."
Worldview
Mortimer holds a worldview that blends scientific inquiry with a fascination for the unexplained. He is torn between his rational training and his belief in the Baskerville legend.
Personality
Well-meaning, amiable, and somewhat eccentric, Mortimer is a devoted friend and a man of science with an interest in the supernatural. He is the one who seeks Holmes's help.
In Their Own Words
"I am telling that which I have not confided to anyone. My motive for withholding it from the coroner’s inquiry is that a man of science shrinks from placing himself in the public position of seeming to indorse a popular superstition."
"I find that before the terrible event occurred several people had seen a creature upon the moor which corresponds with this Baskerville demon, and which could not possibly be any animal known to science."
"You interest me very much, Mr. Holmes. I had hardly expected so dolichocephalic a skull or such well-marked supra-orbital development. Would you have any objection to my running my finger along your parietal fissure?"
Other Characters from The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sherlock Holmes
Consulting detective investigating the Baskerville case.
Dr. John Watson
Sherlock Holmes's loyal friend, biographer, and assistant.
Sir Henry Baskerville
The heir to the Baskerville estate, threatened by the family curse.
Jack Stapleton
A naturalist and neighbor of the Baskervilles, secretly a descendant and the main villain.
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