Agatha Christie: Doctors, Death and Deception Quiz

Answer: Miss Jane Marple

Dr Haydock appears in four Miss Marple novels ("Murder at the Vicarage", "The Body in the Library", "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side", and "Sleeping Murder"), as well as two short stories ("The Case of the Caretaker" and "Death by Drowning").

Dr Haydock doubles as the police surgeon in the village of St Mary Mead. He has a partner, Dr Sandford. He is described as an old friend of Miss Marple's and is quite aware that she only takes his advice when it suits her. Miss Marple accuses him of being a "a regular old fussbudget" when Dr Haydock insists that she should not be living alone at her age.

Answer: Hercule Poirot

In "Sad Cypress", Elinor Carlisle is the niece of Laura Welman. Roddy Welman is Laura's (late) husband's nephew and he and Elinor are engaged to be married. While visiting their aunt, Roddy falls in love with Laura's companion/protege, Mary Gerrard. When Mary dies of poisoning, Elinor is accused of the murder and the motive is said to be jealousy.

Dr Peter Lord is the attending physician to Laura Welman. Dr Lord falls in love with Elinor and appeals to Hercule Poirot to prove her innocence. Poirot manages to do this, despite Dr Lord lying to him and planting evidence.

Answer: Psychiatrist

Dr John Stillingfleet is described as "a highly qualified and reputable sychiatrist" in "Third Girl. He also appears in the short story, "The Dream", and is mentioned in "Sad Cypress".

Dr Stillingfleet is a friend of Hercule Poirot. He speculates that Poirot could commit a crime and get away with it. "I wonder if you'll ever commit a crime, Poirot?...I bet you could get away with it all right. As a matter of fact, it would be too easy for you - I mean the thing would be off as definitely too unsporting." "That," said Poirot, "is a typical English idea."

Answer: Henrietta Savernake

Dr John Christow is a Harley Street doctor. He is married to Gerda, whom he treats with impatience and irritability. Poor Gerda is submissive and lacks confidence. The more Gerda caters to him, the more annoyed Christow gets with her, despite realising that he is being quite unreasonable in doing so.

His secretary describes him as thoughtless and inconsiderate. Christow is cheating on Gerda with Henrietta. So perhaps it is no surprise that he ends up being murdered.

Answer: Sarah King

Sarah King, a newly graduated doctor, meets up with the Boynton family in Jerusalem and immediately notices the strange family dynamic. Emily Boynton, the matriarch of the family, has them all firmly under her thumb. Despite being utterly miserable, none of them have the courage to break away. Sarah, who is attracted to Raymond Boynton, confronts Emily and tells her she is pathetic and ludicrous. To Sarah's surprise, Mrs Boynton does not react to her words but instead looks away and laughs "a horrible laugh".

Answer: Dr Tanios

Drs Grainger, Donaldson and Harding are doctors mentioned in this novel. The elderly victim, Emily Arundell, is murdered by poison but Dr Grainger, her personal physician, misdiagnoses and declares her death to be due to "yellow atrophy of the liver". Dr Donaldson is Dr Grainger's partner and is engaged to Emily's niece, Theresa Arundell.

Dr Jacob Tanios is married to Arabella, known as Bella, another niece of Miss Arundel's. He is described as a very good doctor, however, the fact that he is Greek did not sit well with the Arundell family. "In Miss Arundell's prejudiced mind a Greek was almost as bad as an Argentine or a Turk. The fact that Dr Tanios had a charming manner and was said to be extremely able in his profession only prejudiced the old lady slightly more against him. She distrusted charm..."

The murderer set Jacob up so that he appears to be the killer.

Answer: septicaemia

At the beginning of the novel, Luke Fitzwilliam meets an elderly lady, Lavinia Pinkerton, on the train. Miss Pinkerton confides in him that she is on her way to Scotland Yard because there has been a series of suspicious deaths in her village. She told Luke that she very much fears Dr Humbleby will be next.

At first Luke thinks that Miss Pinkerton just has a vivid imagination. But when he reads in the newspaper that she was killed after being hit by a car the same day that he met her, and then a week later he sees a notice in the newspaper that Dr Humbleby has died, he decides to investigate. Dr Humbleby died of sepicaemia after the murderer deliberately infected a cut on his hand with discharge from Miss Pinkerton's cat's ear.

Answer: he is already married

Dr Quimper (we never learn his first name) is the Crackenthorpe family physician. He wants to marry Emma Crackenthorpe - but whether he was truly in love with Emma or merely in love with her prospective inheritance isn't quite clear. However, he cannot marry Emma because he already has a wife, Anna Stravinska, and Anna will not divorce him because she is a devout Catholic.

Answer: killed a patient by performing surgery whilst drunk

Ten people are lured to an island and left stranded there. After dinner, on the first evening, a recorded voice accuses each of the ten in turn of having caused the death of other people. The voice accuses Dr Armstrong of causing the deaths of Louisa Mary Clees on 14th day of March, 1925, by operating on her whilst intoxicated.

To the group, Dr Armstrong denies reponsibility and claims the accusation is false and "a complete mystery" to him. But in his head, he acknowledges his responsibility: "Drunk - that's what it was - drunk. And I operated! Nerves all to pieces - hands shaking. I killed her, all right. Poor devil - elderly woman - simple job if I'd been sober".

Answer: Dr Sheppard

Hercule Poirot has retired to the country to grow vegetable marrows. He meets his neighbour, Dr James Sheppard, when he throws a marrow over the fence in a fit of temper, almost hitting the doctor.

Just as Dr Watson assisted Sherlock Holmes, so does Dr Sheppard assist Poirot during his investigation of the murder of Roger Ackroyd, Dr Sheppard's friend. And just as Watson related most of Holmes' cases, so does Dr Sheppard narrate this story.