Willis: Anglo-American Law 
211 
and find later cases by examining the Annotations to Cyc or 
Corpus Juris-Cyc. Any cases which the searcher thus finds 
and expects to use should both be noted on his case card and 
examined in the original reports. 
American Digest System. The classification scheme of the 
American Digest System is practically identical with that of 
Corpus -Juris. It has seven categories which correspond 
exactly to the seven grand divisions of Corpus Juris-Cyc. The 
seven categories -are divided into thirty-four divisions. 'These 
divisions are subdivided into 413 titles, which is less than 
Corpus Juris has. Each title represents a separate topic in 
the digest, under which digest paragraphs are arranged in 
divisions, subdivisions, sections, and subsections, each intro- 
duced by a descriptive line. Preceding these paragraphs are 
a scope note, an analysis, and a list of cross-references. This 
system also has a Descriptive Word Index, made up of words 
and phrases alphabetically arranged, which constitute or de- 
note or describe each of the 413 topic titles and each descrip- 
tive line of divisions, subdivisions, sections, and subsections 
of the digest; legal mandates, concepts, and doctrines, per- 
sons, places, and things; wrongs and injuries; different 
grounds of defense ; various kinds of relief ; every step and the 
manner of taking it in* the conduct of a lawsuit; and every 
step in procuring the enforcement of an order or judgment. 
References are to the First Decennial Digest, but the para- 
graph numbers in the First Decennial Digest (key numbers) 
are identical with all subsequent parts of the system, that is, 
to all parts of the American Digest except the Century Edi- 
tion. The searcher for judicial precedents thru the American 
Digest System, therefore, has two methods which he may 
pursue. With his problem determined, he can proceed to find 
his materials by using the classification scheme, ever working 
from the larger to the smaller head until he finds his particular 
point treated; or, with his apposite words and phrases 
selected, he can look for them or synonyms of them in the 
Descriptive Word Index. In selecting his apposite words, the 
searcher should have analyzed his case as to parties, place, 
or thing; wrongful act or injury, relief asked, and steps in 
the action, so as to give him descriptive words for each point. 
The searcher should examine the Century Digest, the two 
Decennials, and the Cumulative Table of Key-number Sec- 
