SUICIDE IN LARGE CITIES. 89 



extent, by the habits, tastes, and moral culture of the people, and, back 

 of this, by the national characteristics. For example, the French, no- 

 torious for their indiiference to life, their general volatility, frequent 

 political troubles, and exaggerated morbid sentimentality, are cele- 

 brated for the propensity to end life by their own Ijands. 



Paris has been, and always will be, celebrated for the prevalence 

 of this crime. The late Forbes Winslow, in his " Anatomy of Suicide," 

 called particular attention to this national failing of the French. They 

 pursue it as an agreeable mode of getting relief from their troubles, 

 and, from the statesman, who blows his brains out to escape political 

 disgrace, to the grisette of former days, who shut herself up with her 

 little pan of cliarcoal, to seek oblivion from her ruin, the crime is a 

 general one, Montesquieu, on the other hand, asserted that the Eng- 

 lish are notably a suicidal race, and that London, with its fogs and 

 cheerlessness, is more of a city for suicides than Paris. Forbes Win- 

 slow denied this, and demonstrated that fogs had no influence what- 

 ever upon suicides ; or, at least, that there were fewer suicides in 

 foggy months than in more pleasant ones. Our own statistics sub- 

 stantiate this, as will be shown further on, and the months of April, 

 May, June, July, and August, really the most pleasant of the year as 

 regard sunshine, are those in which more people kill themselves. 



The gravity and stolidity of the English people would rather show 

 in their favor as regards this crime. In the year 1810 the number of 

 suicides in London amounted to 188. Comparison with French statis- 

 tics of the same year proved that five times as many Parisians as 

 Londoners took this means for ending their days. French statistics 

 show the excessive mortality from this cause. In the year 1806, GO 

 suicides were reported in Rouen, an extremely small city; in 1793, 

 1,300 in Versailles. Paris, from 1827 to 1830, furnished 6,900 suicides, 

 an average of nearly 1.8 per year. In recent years, we have better 

 statistical returns to work upon. 



In the year 1858 the population of Loudon was 2,720,607, and the 

 number of suicides 283. The youngest of these was ten years, and 

 the oldest eighty-five. In Paris, in 1853, the population was 1,053,262. 

 There were 463 suicides, an immense number in excess of London sev- 

 eral years later. In Turin, from 1855 to 1859, there were 108 suicides, 

 making an average of 21 a year. In Rome, in 1871, there were only 

 15 suicides, showing that self-murder is very uncommon among the 

 Italians. In the city of New York, between the years 1866 and 1872, 

 there were 678 suicides, being an increase of 100 in the last year over 

 the first ; 511 males, 167 females. For the three years, 1870, 1871, and 

 1872, there were 359 suicides, 132 being Germans, a very large per- 

 centage. As regards matrimonial condition during these years, I find 

 there were 17 married persons, 118 single, 43 widows and widowers, 

 and 27 whose condition was not stated; 275 were males and 84 were 

 females ; the age of the oldest was eighty-six, and that of the young- 

 est ten. 



