Dr. Watson's Neglected Patients

04/27/2026

"And then suddenly in the silence I heard a sound which sent my heart into my mouth. It was the clank of the levers, and the swish of the leaking cylinder." - Victor Hatherly, in "The Engineers Thumb".

All this and a suspenseful death trap, which (I believe) gave George Lucas the idea for the trash compactor scene in Star Wars.

This coming Sunday, May 3rd, is the first Sunday in May, which means of course that The Outpatients, the Sherlock Holmes discussion group, meets at Pints Pub (pintspub.com) in beautiful downtown Denver, right around the corner of the Denver Art Museum. Once you get there it is easy to spot, since it's the only place in Denver with a British phone booth standing on the street right by the entrance. Once inside, you will climb the seventeen steps to the second level to visit with the Master Detective, just as Dr. John Watson did so many decades ago.

The Outpatients are a subgroup of Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients, the Denver Scion Society, where we celebrate and educate about Sherlock Holmes. We begin gathering there around noon, with the meeting called to order sharply at 12:30PM. At that time, food and drink will be ordered from the Pub's unique British style menu. While awaiting our food, all will be invited to participate in a trivia quiz on this month's focus story from the Sherlock Holmes Canon. After lunch is served, and we've had some time to eat, we will begin our scholarly discussion regarding that same story. We usually adjourn at around 2:00PM.

This month, the focus story is "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", which can be found in the collection THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and elsewhere. Attendance is open to all, though we ask that if you plan to attend that this week you read (or reread) the story before the meeting, so the details will be fresh in your mind, both for the quiz and the discussion. We also ask that you let us know by Thursday that you plan to attend, by replying to this email or by phone, so we can adequately prepare the room.

As I do every month, I wait in anticipation of hearing from you!

Larry Feldman
Patient in Charge
The Outpatients
Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients
[email protected]
303-349-9671

03/03/2026

Young Sherlock Holmes based on a book series I came across sometime ago. Knowing the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes films, it probably will not be according to the Sherlock Canon, but it still might be fun.

In Prime Video’s dynamic thriller directed by Guy Ritchie, rebellious 19-year-old Sherlock Holmes stumbles on his inaugural investigation.

03/02/2026

19 Members of Denver's Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients gathered yesterday at Pints Pub for our monthly meeting of The Outpatients, where we lunch together and discuss a Canonical Sherlock Holmes story. Up this month was The Blue Carbuncle. We had a quiz on the story written by our acting quizmaster, author Daniel Ginsberg. Our group discussion of the story was lively and surprising, as it usually is. We had a new member join us, and a good time was had by all.

02/23/2026

"My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don't know." - Sherlock Holmes, in "The Blue Carbuncle".

February is a notoriously short month, so it won't surprise you to learn that the first Sunday in March is (already) this coming Sunday, March 1st. The target story this month is the now slightly out of season "The Blue Carbuncle" found in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and elsewhere.

As usual, we will start gathering for the meeting at noon, though the meeting will be called to order at 12:30PM. After ordering from Pints Pub's (pintspub.com) British style menu, we will immediately begin the story quiz composed by one of our top members, and, after lunch, we will continue with the usual lively and dynamic story discussion. We will adjourn at approximately 2:00PM.

We ask that you let us know by Thursday if you plan to attend, so that we can be sure to provide a seat for everybody. We ask also that, if you plan to attend, that you read (or reread) "The Blue Carbuncle" this week before Sunday so the story details will be fresh in your mind, for the quiz and story discussion which are the highlights of our gathering.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Larry Feldman
Patient in Charge
The Outpatients
Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients
[email protected]

01/26/2026

"It is, of course, a trifle, but there is nothing as important as trifles." - Sherlock Holmes in The Man with the Twisted Lip.

Whew! We just had a great Annual Sherlock Holmes Birthday Dinner last Saturday, so rest up during the week, because THIS Sunday, besides from being the first day of February, is also the first Sunday of the month. And THAT means it is also the date of the February monthly meeting of The Outpatients, the scholarly discussion group of Denver's own Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients, the famous Sherlock Holmes scion society.

We will be meeting on the second level of Pints Pub (www.pintspub.com) located in the resplendent downtown Denver, right around the corner of the Denver Art Museum. We will begin gathering there at 12:00PM, but the meeting will be called to order sharply at 12:30PM. There we will order lunch off the Pub's British style menu, enjoy an entertaining trivia quiz on the focus story of the month, and have a far ranging discussion on that same story from the Sherlock Holmes Canon.

The story this month will center around a professional mendicant (as opposed to the membership of the "Amateur Mendicant Society" we briefly discussed last month) in the story "The Man With the Twisted Lip". The story can be found in THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES collection, and elsewhere.

All are welcome. All we ask is that, between now and then, you read or reread "The Man With the Twisted Lip" so the details are fresh in your mind for both the quiz and the discussion. Also, it would greatly help if you could let us know by email if you plan to be there, so the restaurant staff and I can do our best to have a seat ready for everybody.

Please let us know by Thursday if you plan to attend.

I look forward to seeing and hearing from you all!

Larry Feldman
Patient in Charge
The Outpatients
Dr Watson's Neglected Patients
[email protected]

12/29/2025

"And yet I question, sir, whether in all your experience, you have ever listened to a more mysterious and inexplicable chain of events than those which have happened in my own family." - John Openshaw to Sherlock Holmes in 'The Five Orange Pips".

I hope everyone had a fun and restful holiday, because January 4th is the first Sunday of the new year, and is therefore time to go back to work on our Sherlockian Scholarship. So, The Outpatients (subgroup of Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients of Denver, CO) are once again due to meet at Pints Pub (pintspub.com) for a British themed lunch, and some great conversation regarding a story in the Sherlock Holmes Canon. Those of us attending should target to arrive about 12:00PM, though the meeting won't be called to order until 12:30PM sharpish. At which time we commence our usual agenda consisting of (1) ordering lunch off the Pub's unique British style menu, (2) a friendly though challenging trivia quiz on the targeted story, (3) some down time to eat, drink, and visit with our fellows, and (4) a discussion of the facts revealed, themes, tropes, and questions raised by that same story.

The story under our magnified glass this month will be "The Five Orange Pips", to be found in the collection THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and elsewhere. This seventh story in the Canon introduces some new information and elements into the Sherlock Holmes mythos, notable among them, an extreme atmospheric disturbance (weather), a secret criminal organization, and as many as six "unrecorded cases", all designed to tease and tingle the imaginations of all readers and students of the Great Detective. All will be detailed and featured in our monthly quiz, so the wise and wary among you will take note of same.

We ask only that you arrive before the meeting is called to order, and that you reread the said Canonical tale this week, so that its details are fresh in your mind for both the quiz and discussion.
As always and if possible, I ask that you let me know by Email if you are planning to attend by Thursday, so that we can do our best to prepare seating for everyone. If you've been to our meetings lately, you know they've been growing with new members, so knowing in advance who is or is not coming is more important than ever.
Having said that, our policy remains "everybody is welcome". I look forward to hearing from you.

Larry Feldman
Patient in Charge
The Outpatients
DWNP
[email protected]

12/08/2025

17 Sherlockians climbed 17 steps to the upper level of Pints Pub for a lunch and a discussion regarding the Master Detective. Another great meeting of The Outpatients, the subgroup of Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients, the premier Sherlock Holmes society of Colorado. Every month we meet at Pints Pub in downtown Denver, and study and discuss a story from the Sherlock Holmes Canon. Here we are at our latest meeting where The Boscombe Valley Mystery was the story up for discussion.

12/01/2025

"It is entirely a question of barometric pressure." - Sherlock Holmes, in The Boscombe Valley Mystery

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact." - Sherlock Holmes, in The Boscombe Valley Mystery

Well, here we are in December, with the first Sunday coming up (Dec 7th), which means, as we have for more than a decade, The Outpatients of Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients (DWNP) will gather again at Pints Pub (pintspub.com) for a couple of hours of Sherlockian celebration and scholarship. The address is 221 (no kidding) West 13th Avenue. Just as Watson did so many times, upon entering the establishment, you will need to climb the 17 steps (again, no kidding) to the Pub's upper level. It is there that we will begin to gather at around noon, with the meeting starting promptly at 12:30PM. We usually end around 2:00PM.

First item on the agenda is ordering lunch off the Pub's British style menu, which has changed little over the years. While waiting for our food, we will have a quiz on the details of this month's focus story from the Sherlock Holmes Canon. We will then have a break to eat and visit with each other. And finally, and most importantly, I will lead our deep and scholarly discussion of that same tale of mystery and suspense.

The story this month is "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," which can be found in the collection THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and elsewhere. We ask that you reread this story during the week before attending, so you will have the details of the story fresh in your mind for both the quiz and the discussion. While reading, you might want to note memorable moments and any questions that occur to you, which you can volunteer to enhance our discussion.

Our meetings lately have been packed, so it is more important than ever that you let me know by Thursday, if at all possible, if you will be attending, so the staff there can make sure there's a place at a table for all.

As you wait and anticipate our fun and fellowship, I leave you here with a riddle. Why is this particular story referred to as "The Only Mystery in the Canon?" You can either provide or be informed of the answer at the meeting!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Larry Feldman
Patient-in-Charge
The Outpatients
DWNP
[email protected]
303-349-9671

10/27/2025

"My dear fellow, life is infinitely stranger than anything the mind of man could invent."

"Depend upon it, there is nothing so unnatural than the commonplace." - Sherlock Holmes in "A Case of Identity".

November starts this week, which means this coming Sunday (November 2nd) will be the first Sunday of the month. That means that The Outpatients will meet again to celebrate and study the writings of John H. Watson. The Outpatients is a subgroup of Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients (DWNP), Colorado's first and foremost Sherlock Holmes society. As per usual, we will be meeting at Pints Pub (pintspub.com), located in beautiful downtown Denver, just around the corner from the Denver Museum of Art. As is our practice, our members will begin to gather at around noon, but the official meeting will start at 12:30PM sharpish and adjourn around 2:00PM. When you enter the establishment, you will need to climb the seventeen steps to the second level to join us in our designated meeting spot.

True to our tradition and practice, we will begin by ordering lunch off the pub's British style menu. While we await our food and drink's arrival, we will participate in a trivia quiz designed to test your knowledge of the focus story, led by this month's Quiz Master. As the food arrives, we will take a break to eat and visit, but soon we will begin our scholarly discussion of the story.

The story this month is "A Case of Identity", which can be found in the collection THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and elsewhere. As usual, we ask that you read (or reread) the story sometime this week, so your memory of the details is fresh in your mind, adding to everyone's enjoyment of the quiz and the discussion. As you reread the adventure, you will want to note down questions, thoughts and comments on the tale. All are fodder for our discussion.

The only other thing we ask of you is to let me know if you plan to attend or to bring a guest. As you know if you have attended meetings lately attendance has grown to the extent that setting up for the right amount of people has become more important than ever. Please reply to this E-Mail or call me by Thursday, so that I can let the good people of Pints Pub know how many for which to set up.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Larry Feldman
Patient-in-Charge
The Outpatients
Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients
[email protected]

09/29/2025

"I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside conventions and the humdrum routine of everyday life." - Sherlock Holmes, from The Red Headed League.

Odds are that, if you are reading this, the above quote applies to you as well!

Happy fall, everybody! The Outpatients are the scholarly subgroup of Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients, which is the top Sherlock Holmes club of Colorado. As it is our practice to meet over lunch on the first Sunday of the month, this Sunday October 5th, we shall gather once more, at Pints Pub (pintspub.com), for the monthly Outpatients meeting. As per usual, we will begin to gather at noon, with the official meeting called to order at 12:30PM.

We shall begin by ordering lunch off Pints Pub's never changing British style menu. After ordering we will immediately begin our fun trivia quiz on this month's targeted story. After some down time to eat, drink, and visit, we will commence our scholarly discussion of the story. As usual, we will plan to adjourn around 2:00PM.

The story under our magnifying glass this month will be the beloved tale "The Red Headed League," which may be found in the collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and elsewhere. In honor of Jabez Wilson, those that attend with the right shade of red hair, will eat for free.

Again, we ask that you reread the story sometime this week before the meeting, so the details are fresh in your mind, both for the quiz and discussion. Also, I ask if you can let me know by Thursday if you plan to attend, by phone or Email.

All are welcome. I look forward to hearing from you!

Larry Feldman
Patient in Charge
The Outpatients
Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients
[email protected]

09/01/2025

"I only caught a glimpse of her at that moment, but she was a lovely woman, with a face that a man might die for." - Sherlock Holmes, from "A Scandal in Bohemia".

Another month and another chance to have lunch with your fellow Sherlockians. A great time to get in on the ground floor, as we begin the collection entitled The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starting with story favorite "A Scandal in Bohemia". A great time to invite friends to join you that have an interest in The Master Detective.

As usual, we meet at Pints Pub (pintspub.com) located in beautiful downtown Denver, just around the corner from the Denver Art Museum. Once entering the establishment, you will need to climb the 17 steps to the second level where we will begin to gather around noon. The official meeting will be called to order sharply at 12:30PM. At which point you will have the opportunity to order food and drink from the "Pub's" British style menu. After which we will have our fun trivia quiz on the targeted story, "A Scandal in Bohemia". After a break for visiting and eating, we will begin our discussion of that same story, including a review of its scholarly issues. We usually adjourn around 2:00PM.

All we ask of those attending to take a fresh reading of the afore mentioned targeted story this week, so its details and nuances are fresh in your mind. While doing so take note of questions, comments, points of note, favorite or unusual bits, to share with the group and help guide our discussion.

Other than that, all I ask is that you let me know if you plan to attend by somewhere around Thursday, so that I can let the staff there know how many places to set up.
I look forward to seeing you all there!

Larry Feldman
Patient in Charge
The Outpatients
Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients
[email protected]
303-349-9671

07/28/2025

"I cannot live without brain work. What else is there to live for?" - Sherlock Holmes, in "The Sign of the Four."

This Sunday, August 3rd, the Outpatients of Doctor Watson's Neglected Patients, will meet for lunch and discussion of the sensational novel entitled "The Sign of the Four" or, "The Sign of Four", depending on the edition you happen to be using. Personally, I prefer the former title, since Jonathan Small consistently refers to his group of treasure hunters as "The Sign of THE Four" within the story. This was also the original story title from when it first appeared in print. However, in its first printing as a novel, the second "the" was left out for undisclosed reasons. No matter the title, I would request those attending to have reviewed (read) the novel this month, so details will be fresh in everyone's mind. It is also a good idea to note questions, comments, and features of interest to bring forward during our discussion and analysis.

As usual, we will meet for lunch at about noon on the upper level of Pints Pub (pintspub.com), located in downtown Denver at the address 221 W. 13th Avenue, just around the corner of the Denver Museum of Art. The official meeting will be called to order at 12:30PM sharpish. At this time, attendees will have a chance to order lunch from pub's British style menu. Afterwords, this month's designated quiz master will administer a trivia quiz on the some of the details of the Canonical tale. After this there will be time to eat, drink, and visit among the membership. After this, we will discuss, critique, and examine the story itself.

All are welcome. I ask you to reply to this reminder by Thursday (if possible) so that we can instruct the staff how many to set up for by the week's end.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Larry Feldman
Patient in Charge
DWNP
[email protected]