Reviews

RETURN OF THE CRIMINOLOGIST

Papers from the "Criminologist" Nigel Morland ( Wove Publishing Ltd., 1971; 318 pp., £3.50)

This is a book published in an uncommon form for it consists of twenty-nine separate articles written by men who have earned the right to be heard in the world of criminology. These papers have all appeared in the quarterly journal published under the editorship of Mr. Morland, at some time since 1966, and where necessary the information they contain appears to have been carefully updated for inclusion in the book.

The first paper, by Bernard H. Knight on "Sudden Death in Infancy", is one which no person who is likely to become involved with the distressed parents in one of these little tragedies should fail to read. The medical aspects are reviewed with the necessary detachment but the social problems, perhaps potentially more tragic than the death itself, are recognized and reviewed in a sensitive, wholly humane way.

The last article is one by Phillip John Stead, Director of Academic Studies at the Police College, scholar, editor of the Police Journal and authority on the French police systems. His contribution is a sketch of Louis Canler, one time head of the SiiretC, drawn from the master detective's own memoirs and brought to life by Mr. Stead's vast knowledge of SQretC history.

Between these two, selected only for their position in the book's pattern, there are twenty-seven others of equal authority from the pens of men who are masters in their own respective fields. Would anyone care to challenge the authority, for instance, of Robert Webster on the subject of jewellery; of Frank Elmes on the police; of Professors Simpson, Camps or Polson on pathology? They have all contributed papers of significance to the Criminologist during .. its life and some of those papers have found a worthy place in the collection.

This is a book which will be kept within fairly easy reach for apart from its reference value, there is much to be browsed throGgh for sheer enjoyment. For those who do not have the benefit of a complete set of magazines, this book will fill a considerable part of the void. One hopes that a further selection is made and published in similar form for it must surely be a delight to read and re-read, as the present volume has proved itself to be.

Donald Campbell

SECOND COMPRESSION

Practical Forensic Medicine Francis E. Camps and J. M. Cameron (Hutchinson, London, 1971; 2nd ed., 408 + xii PP., £4.50)

The second edition has been largely rewritten and little of the original format remains. This edition, like its predecessor, is written for a wide audience, not only for the doctor and medical student but also for the lawyer, police officer and criminologist. The second edition is over 130 pages shorter than the first and yet includes new sections on the Battered Baby Syndrome, drug addiction, iatrogenic disease, organ transplantation and the problems now associated with the definition of death. Some sections have been reduced to note form in order to contain the vast field within a reasonably sized book. The early chapters dealing with the General Medical Council and various aspects of the law and how it applies to the medical profession are clearly and succinctly written, and the various sections are easily located by the insertion of sub-titles in the wide margins.

The drop in quality of the paper is to be regretted as several excellent photographs used in the first edition have been reprinted with considerable loss of detail. There are a large number of typographical errors, especially in the chapter on drugs, and the captions relating to the illustrations of hanging and strangulation have been reversed.

In view of the large amount of subject matter covered it is not surprising to find some unevenness in content, but this has been largely remedied by references to additional reading. The entire book is more mature than the first edition, has been written with greater authority and has the added advantage of possessing an index, the absence of which precluded the first edition from becoming a book of reference for the doctor or lawyer.

This second edition will be of special interest to those medical practitioners who are occasionally called upon to perform medicolegal duties.

A. Keith Mant

THE CHEMISTRY OF COLOUR

Colour Chemistry R. L. M. Allen (Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1971; 336 pp., £5)

This book is designed for postgraduate students to bridge the gap between research paper and standard textbook and to give general information to others. There are twenty-one chapters on subjects including: colour and chemical constitution; all types of dyestuffs and pigments; dyestuff retention in fibres; fluorescent brightening agents; colour photography: and there is also an extensive list of references and bibliography.

Bearing in mind that the book has not been written especially for forensic scientists, I feel, however, that many will find it interesting reading and I am sure that it could prove to be a useful reference book in forensic science laboratories.

Roger M. Kevern

ONE MAN'S WAR AGAINST CRIME

A Detective's Story George Hatherill, C.B.E. (Andre Deutsch, London, 1971; 224 pp., £2.50)

Mr. Hatherill has written a human and easily readable account of his long service with the Metropolitan Police, much of it on the Continent of Europe. The bulk of his time was in the C.I.D. and, as one expects in this kind of book, a large proportion of it is devoted to serious crime and its investigation. Murder takes up a good deal of space, and there is much in the book of technical interest to members of this Society. However, less spectacular yet quite interesting crimes are also found within its pages. One of these, the story of Harry Clapham, Vicar of St. Thomas's, Lambeth, is a case in point. The reverend gentleman appears to have been the forerunner of many modern charity fraudsmen and a user of that bane of modern times the subscription list purchased from an agency. His frauds varied widely in their execution but all had a basis in the kind of charitable contributions which a man of his calling might be expected to attract. One reads of the situation before Christmas 1939 when donations of toys and clothing intended for the poor were auctioned in an adjoining hall with the best of them being snapped up by dealers. Of the £40 collected at this particular sale Mr. Clapham was sufficiently unwise as to record in his books only £8 7s. 6d., and this among other matters led to his eventual conviction. - - - - . - - - - .

It is a little unusual in the Metropolitan Police for a senior detective to be transferred to the uniformed branch but this happened to the author and his account of preparations for Her Majesty's Coronation in 1953 is a brief and fascinating one. A gentle humour comes through in much of the book but