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The conclusions weren't drawn from the behavior of Holmes, but I agree in that I found the metaphor kind of distracting. Especially the lines:

>A quick survey will show that the paradox is illusory: Holmes is depressed when there is no target for his mental faculties. Give him a project, and balance is restored.

Perhaps I'm not familiar enough with the books.

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I was confused by the extended metaphor, too, until I saw the notice at the bottom that the author is writing a book about how to think like Sherlock Holmes. It's useful when reading this kind of essay to find out what the author is selling, although it usually isn't this obvious.

The reference there is that when he wasn't on a case he had a sort-of mini breakdown during which he would use heroin (remember, it was thought to be a beneficial drug in the late 19th century) to calm himself.

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