Review: Ten Thousand Public Enemies
| Published date | 01 October 1935 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X3500800420 |
| Date | 01 October 1935 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
REVIEWS
5°9
A
POCKET
MEDICAL
DICTIONARY.
Compiled by
LOIS
OAKES,
S.R.N.,
D.N.,
assisted by
THOS.
B.
DAVIE,
B.A.,
M.D.,
M.R.C.P.
znd
edition. (E. and S. Livingstone, 16 Teviot Place, Edinburgh).
1935. Price 3s. 6d.
THIS book is no mere dictionary of medical terms.
It
gives
the
correct
pronunciation of these with explanatory notes on
the
more recent methods
and
treatments;
information on dietary, antidotes to poisons, weights
and measures with metric equivalents, calculation of dosage, and many
medical abbreviations which incidentally afford aid to
the
writing of
prescriptions.
It
can be heartily recommended as a multum in parvo to
students, nurses, and practitioners, and to any Police Officers who may
wish to better their understanding of
the
rather cryptic utterances of
medical men.
TEN
THOUSAND
PUBLIC
ENEMIES.
By
COURTNEY
RILEY
COOPER.
(Lovat Dickson). 8s. 6d.
ALTHOUGH
the
Division of Investigation of
the
United States Department
of Justice has been in existence since 1908, it is only recently, with
the
advent of such films as "
G-Men
",
that
this Federal organization has
gained prominence in this country.
The
Lindbergh Law of 1932, and
subsequent Acts have given new powers to
the
Division, and this book
describes how
its"
Special
Agents"
are fighting crime in
the
United
States.
In
his foreword, J. Edgar Hoover, Director of
the
Division of Investi-
gation, introduces
the
author as one of
the
best-informed writers on crime
in America.
Mr.
Cooper gives
the
histories of a large
number
of notorious
criminals, including Al Capone, Frank Nash, "Pretty
Boy"
Floyd, and
John
Dillinger; and consequently his book reads rather like a collection
of gangster film scenarios.
The
scientific methods now employed by
the
Bureau of Investigation,
which
the
author enthusiastically describes, will doubtless be of interest
to
the
general public, though Police Officers in this and other European
countries will learn nothing new.
From
the
cases quoted, it is noticeable
that
information gained from scientific investigation is largely used by
the
Police as a means of inducing
the
suspect to confess. Apparently, methods
of interrogation have not greatly changed since
the
National Commission
on Law Observance reported on "
Third
Degree"
in 1931-
The
most interesting part of
the
book to English readers is
the
chapter
in which
Mr.
Cooper compares the Bureau of Investigation with Scotland
Yard.
"If
Scotland Yard came to America in full control of the law
enforcement," he declares,
"this
entire country would
run
so wild with
lawbreaking
that
the
poor gentlemen from
London
probably would
jump
in the ocean through sheer frustration."
Mr.
Cooper's contention
that
America, with an entirely different crime problem, does not need an
imitation Scotland Yard, is
sound;
but
nearly every sentence in this
part
of the book is disputable.
For
example,
the
author's statement that
To continue reading
Request your trial