Edition: U.S. / Global  Disregard Hippocrates  Published: August
8, 2004  To the Editor:  John Leonard's claim, in his review of
Dale Peck's ''Hatchet Jobs'' (July 18), that book reviewers
should follow the Hippocratic guideline and ''do no harm'' shows
a failure to appreciate the difference between medicine and
literary criticism. The job of a doctor is to help his patients,
which entails not harming them, but the job of a book reviewer
is to give an accurate assessment of a book, even if this harms
the writer.  Felicia Ackerman  Providence, R.I.