LITERARY NOTICES. 



277 



triets, provinces, and circles of Europe we 

 form five groups, which wc will call the 

 North, West, Central, East, and South, we 

 shall perceive the predominance of the cen- 

 tral over the other four according to the 

 method in which the countries indicated are 

 placed in the scale of averages per million. 

 In the center too thirds of the countries ex- 

 ceed the proportion of one hundred and fifty 

 on the million; to the North about (line 

 quarters stand between fifty and one hun- 

 dred and fifty, and in the South more than 

 three quarters do not exceed the proportion 

 of fifty suicides per million of inhabitants 

 in the year." 



But the influence of seasons over suicide 

 is powerful. It varies greatly in different 

 times of the year, and this variation is so 



regular that the number of those who will 

 destroy themselves in the different months 

 is predictable in each country. Many things 

 about suicide are difficult to ascertain and 

 more or less uncertain, but there is no doubt 

 about the time of year ; and it is entirely 

 established that the maximum of suicide 

 occurs in the hot season, and the minimum 

 in the cold season. Fig. 1 is a copy of one 

 of Morselli's diagrams showing the com- 

 parative monthly variation of suicide in five 

 countries. By tracing each line represent- 

 ing a country, its height at each month 

 indicates the proportion given in the left- 

 hand column. 



We can not say anything here of the in- 

 fluence of geology or of meteorology, or of 

 the moon, or of the days of the month, or 



Jan. Feb. Alar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 

 Fig. 1. Monthly Curve of Suicide in France, Italy, Norway, Belgium, and Denmark. 



(Maximum in June.) 



of the hours of day or night, by all of 

 which the rates of suicide are shown to be 

 affected. 



Under the title "Ethnological Influ- 

 ences," Dr. Morselli treats of races, stocks, 

 nationalities, anthropological characteristics, 

 and customs. As regards ethnic influences 

 it is shown that the Germanic race is most 

 addicted to suicide, while the two stocks, 

 German and Scandinavian, divide this su- 

 premacy ; the Jews, on the other hand, stand 

 lowest in the scale. There seems to be a 

 relation between suicide and anthropological 

 characters, of which the following example 

 is given : " The frequency of suicide in the 

 various parts of Italy generally is in a 



direct ratio with stature, and the inclination 

 to self-destruction increases from south to 

 north as the stature of the Italians gradu- 

 ally increases." 



The social environment, or social influ- 

 ences, affecting suicide are treated in a chap- 

 ter of the work of great interest and in- 

 struction. The topics dealt with are the 

 nature and effect of civilization ; the influ- 

 ence of different forms of religious worship 

 and creed ; the effect of culture and instruc- 

 tion ; the influence of public morality ; gen- 

 eral economical and political conditions; 

 the density of population ; and city and 

 country life. 



Chapter V is devoted to " The Influence 



