In Sherlock Holmes’s “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb,” what is the engineer’s name?

In Sherlock Holmes’s “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb,” the injured engineer is named Victor Hatherley.

Victor Hatherley arrives at Dr Watson’s surgery with a badly damaged thumb and tells Holmes and Watson how the injury occurred. A mysterious client hires him to inspect machinery at an isolated house, but Hatherley soon realizes that the work is connected with a criminal operation.

The case is notable because Hatherley is an engineer rather than a traditional society client. His technical expertise helps him recognize that the machinery is being used for an illegal purpose, yet he is still outmatched by the men who brought him to the site. His missing thumb provides the story’s memorable title and opening image.

Doyle published the story in 1892. It is sometimes grouped with Holmes’s more mechanical or industrial cases, alongside stories involving forged documents, telegraphy, and specialized scientific knowledge.