Review: Life in London's Great Prisons
| Published date | 01 April 1931 |
| Date | 01 April 1931 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X3100400225 |
REVIEWS
of crime, such as neglect, abortion, and infanticide, are very fully set forth.
with warnings as to procedure and avoidance of partizanship, which should
be specially valuable to any young practitioners (and possibly policemen)
who might be inclined to act as detectives or ' common informers.'
Some 250 pages are devoted to the consideration of poisons, among which
arsenic, carbolic and lysol, opium, and carbon monoxide are described in
great detail, with illustrative cases and useful directions for treatment (in-
cluding that of suffocation by petrol
and'
exhaust'
vapours).
Among the many other matters dealt with are professional secrecy,
lunacy and criminal responsibility, industrial diseases, compensation and
insurance acts, and methods of personal identification with duties and
liabilities of police in such matters.
Besides a conveniently paged table of contents this book has a full
general and a special legal index, and many excellent illustrations.
As a mine of information it may be confidently recommended to all
concerned in medico-legal business, lawyers, doctors, students and police
alike.
LIFE
IN
LONDON'S
GREAT PRISONS. By
T.
WHYTE
MOUNTAIN.
5s. net. (Methuen & Co., Ltd., 36, Essex Street, London, W.C. 2.)
Up at six, a healthy if somewhat meagre breakfast, a stroll and chat with one's
friends, and then a job of work in well equipped and well lighted workshops.
In the evening after six a rest in a club-room, where may be enjoyed a game
.of draughts or for the more energetic a game of ping-pong. A splendidly
equipped library with unlimited borrowing. Lectures or classes are held
three times a week on English literature, French, German, mathematics, etc.
H tired of the company one can retire to one's room, which though austerely
furnished, is clean.
This is not oneof the famous settlements as is allegedto exist in some
foreign countries, but the life of a fourth stage (five months resident with
good conduct) prisoner at Wormwood Scrubbs as described in Mr.
T.
Whyte
Mountain's book.
Mr. Mountain's book is no dry-as-dust tome on prison organization.
It
is an understanding sketch of the two great London prisons, Wormwood
Scrubbs and Wandsworth. He takes us on a personally conducted tour
through the routine and life of
these-by
no means fearsome-places of
detention. We enter the prison on our first day and are taken through every
phase of the life of the prisoners there, until that blessed day when he receives
parting greetings from his fellows such as ' What ho Ithe bacon and eggs.'
Mr. Mountain explains that prisoners have an inordinate desire for bacon
and eggs.
Humour is not lacking, as for example the case of the rather simple-
minded fellow who on being granted a special interview with the governor,
demanded of that official' What did Napoleon give away when he got
married?'
One can sympathize with prison governors.
In the preface the author expresses a pious hope that the book may
interest the social worker, the legislator, the parson, and even the dramatist.
He can rest assured that each of these and many others will find his work
of absorbing interest.
Among the last New Year's Honours appears the name of Herbert
Layard Dowbiggin, C.M.G., on whom the title of Knight Bachelor
has
been
conferred. Sir Herbert Dowbiggin is the Inspector-General of Police in
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