# Superstition vs. Rationality in The Murders in Praed Street

> Theme guide for The Murders in Praed Street by John Rhode.

The book contrasts the persistence of superstition and occult practices (herbalists, fortune tellers, astrology) with modern rationalism and police investigation, suggesting that superstition thrives even in a materialistic age.

## Where it surfaces

- [II: The Herbalist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/chapters/ii-the-herbalist): The chapter opens with a reflection on the persistence of superstition despite modern education, exemplified by the herbalist's trade and the neighborhood's reliance on fortune tellers.
- [IV: The Poisoned Pipe-Stem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/chapters/iv-the-poisoned-pipe-stem): Copperdock interprets the numbered counters as omens of murder, while Ludgrove warns against reading presages after the event.
- [IX: A Strange Affair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/chapters/ix-a-strange-affair): The neighborhood's superstitious horror contrasts with Whyland's rational investigation, as he dismisses the black sailor as a myth.
- [XI: The Sixth Counter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/chapters/xi-the-sixth-counter): Mr. Copperdock's superstitious fear of the black sailor contrasts with Ludgrove's and Whyland's rational attempts to explain the counter's appearance through locked-room logic and forensic examination.
- [XIII: Enter Dr. Priestley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/chapters/xiii-enter-dr-priestley): The numbered counters are associated with sudden deaths, creating an air of superstition, but Dr. Priestley approaches the case with rational analysis.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/themes/superstition_vs_rationality
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_murders_in_praed_street_se/themes