The English gentlemen officers could not cope with large revolvers so the .38/200 was invented. Today it is commonly known as .38 S&W although bullets are lighter in weight.
Going back to beloved round of retirees, life was simpler years ago where there were .38 Special police loads (famed FBI thumper) and target loads. That was when candy bar was 35c. Today when candy bar is about $2 to separate rubes from 💵 the +p concept was invented (from what I see that is the original police load). The modern 9milli honchos have even more complex choices: subsonic, standard, +P, +P+.😱 I freed myself of that BS by choosing .40 S&W.
