Bubble Pipes and Sherlock Holmes

Those familiar with pipe smoking and Sherlock Holmes are aware of the association between these two. The famous fictional detective popularized the calabash pipe by smoking tobacco during his investigations and adventures. Today, several pipes have a water pipe design which resembles that old fabled calabash pipe popularized by stage representations of the famous detective.

A type of Sherlock pipe which is fairly inexpensive is available. Sherlock pipes are water pipes that have similar physical characteristics to the original calabash pipe. These can be easily spotted due to the “S” shaped curve depicted by the whole pipe. While traditional pipes commonly look like a spoon, the Sherlock pipe curves downward from the mouth piece to the chamber and goes up again to form the letter “S.”

Glass Sherlock bubblers, however, are definitely collectors’ items. These pieces can be on par with the most expensive of pipe collectibles. They actually look like two glass pipes that can stand alone against each other with the bowl connecting them both in the middle. The opposite ends feature the different parts. One is where the stem is located while the other has the mouth piece. Bubbler pipes are different from other water pipes because of the material used for their construction as well as their size. Bubbler pipes are significantly larger than the average pipe. Certainly larger than anything Sherlock Holmes would have carried around. They are also made from a specific kind of glass material, Pyrex. Like other types of pipes made from glass, bubblers are full of style and are often collected and displayed.

The function of a pipe is also a consideration when one is in the market to buy a pipe. Some pipes include the presence of a water element. A chamber is present which is filled with water. Tobacco or cigar smoke passes through this area before being released. The water filters the smoke and some claim this is able to lessen the ill effects of cigar and tobacco smoke. Another type of pipe, the steamroller pipe, does not include such a water element and is thought to be more harmful. Critics of the steamroller pipe argue that the smoke is unfiltered by water and is inhaled more directly. Some studies, however, have reported that regular pipe smoking poses the same level of danger to one’s health, regardless of the pipe type.

To be sure Sherlock Holmes would be disappointed to learn the steamroller pipe has its detractors. While the stage portrayals of Holmes have increased the myth that he smoked a calabash pipe that notion is inconsistent with the Holmes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books. Several actors used a calabash pipe in the stage portrayals of Holmes in order to ensure the audience understood the prop to be a pipe. The Sherlock Holmes of literature preferred harsh and strong tobaccos and would have avoided a calabash pipe that provides a cooling effect to the tobacco. A modern literary Sherlock Holmes would embrace the steamroller pipe even though the water bubblers bear his name.