"between cocaine and ambition..."See in text(A Scandal in Bohemia)
Holmes uses cocaine regularly when he is not engaged in intense detective work, and his use of cocaine is a constant matter of concern for Watson, who, as a physician, condemns Holmes' use of the drug throughout the Holmes stories. In the late 19th century, in England and America, the use of cocaine, which was generally available in drugstores, was a concern for politicians and the medical community.
"Bohemian soul..."See in text(A Scandal in Bohemia)
Bohemian, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, referred to those who followed an unconventional lifestyle. Anyone who did not follow a socially accepted path in life might be characterized as bohemian. Holmes qualifies because he follows a new and largely unknown profession.
"In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex..."See in text(A Scandal in Bohemia)
Throughout the Sherlock Holmes canon, Holmes is depicted as having a very negative view of women in general. The one exception is Irene Adler, for whom he shows an almost romantic affection.
"But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental results..."See in text(A Scandal in Bohemia)
Holmes consistently refuses to allow emotion of any sort to interfere with his deductions. Although, as the stories progress, the reader gradually learns that Holmes is helpless against the emotion of boredom, reaching his "long fingers" toward the mantel for "the cocaine bottle" if he lacks sufficient mental stimulation.
