The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

A wealthy NYC physician decides to study criminal behavior from inside the ring by becoming a criminal himself. He begins a spree of jewel robberies to collect physiological data: blood pressure, temperature, and pulse before, during, and after each act. His goal is a thorough, scientific profile of criminal minds.

From a patient, Inspector Lane, he learns the name of the city’s top fence, Joe Keller. He travels to Keller's circle and meets Jo, discovering that 'Joe' is a woman. Impressed by Jo and the gang’s daring, the doctor is invited to join.

The doctor accepts the invitation and adopts the alias 'The Professor' during a six-week vacation in Europe. He uses the trip to study the gang’s dynamics and to solidify his leadership in their operations. Jo grows more favorable toward him as the sabbatical ends.

Back from Europe, he overtakes Rocks as the gang’s leader and earns Jo’s admiration. Rocks resents the new hierarchy and tight control the Doctor imposes. The power struggle sets the stage for later internal conflict.

During a fur warehouse heist, Rocks locks the Doctor in a cold-storage vault to eliminate him as a threat. Butch, assigned by Jo to watch the Doctor, frees him, allowing him to escape. The incident underscores the danger within the gang.

After the close call, the Doctor announces he will quit and completes his data collection. He then steps back from leadership and hands control of the gang back to Rocks. The move is framed as a final pivot in his study of crime.

Rocks uncovers the Doctor's real identity and confronts him at his Park Avenue office. The threat is not just exposure, but the looming risk of publication which could destroy Rocks’ control. The Doctor tightens his resolve about his research.

Rocks attempts to blackmail the Doctor into using his office as a safehouse for robberies. He leverages the Doctor's position to secure a place for their next heist. The doctor finds the threat unacceptable and refuses to be coerced.

Realizing Rocks will not permit publication of his incriminating findings and never studied murder, the Doctor contemplates removing the obstacle. He shifts from data collection to considering the ultimate crime as the final chapter of his 'book'.

The Doctor administers a poisoned drink and studies his victim's symptoms as he dies. Jo assists in disposing of the evidence as the body is hidden along the river. The death completes the Doctor’s fatal experiment in crime.

Jo helps dispose of Rocks’ body in the river, but the riverbank discovery leads to police detection. The poison is identified, linking Rocks’ death to the Doctor and escalating the investigation. The crime now threatens to pull the Doctor into a legal storm.

The Doctor is arrested by Inspector Lane, who is both friend and ally in the pursuit of truth. He is brought to trial for the murders and racketeering, challenging the boundaries between science and criminality. The courtroom becomes the battleground for his defense.

During the trial, the Doctor argues that his actions were driven by scientific aims and claims a sane purpose behind his book. The jury accepts his argument, finding him not guilty by reason of insanity. He survives to publish his controversial work, in the eyes of the law, if not in public opinion.