CHAPTER XIX. 



HEREDITY, HOMICIDE AND SUICIDE. 



In this chapter I desire to show the relation 

 bad heredity and prenatal influences bear to 

 crime; to point out some of the causes of the 

 rapid increase of high crime in America; and to 

 emphasize the fact that moral and even religious 

 parents, who practice criminal abortion, often 

 produce offspring that manifest pronounced hom- 

 icidal or suicidal tendencies. 



Of the rapid increase in crime I have already 

 made mention in a former chapter. According 

 to the most reliable statistics obtainable, there The Increase of 

 was in 1850 in the United States one criminal 

 for every 3,400 persons, while in 1900 there 

 was one criminal for every 560 persons. Sander- 

 son Christison, M. D., in his recent publication, 

 "Crime and Criminals," says : "Crimes are now 

 nearly five times as numerous as forty years ago." 

 The reports of the state prisons show one-third 

 more convictions for high crime in proportion to 

 the population than there were twenty years ago. 



According to the report of the Board of City 

 Magistrates of New York City of 1897, the popu- 

 lation of the city had increased 33 1-3 per cent 

 in the last ten years, while crime had increased 

 over 50 per cent. Nine magistrates tried 1 12,160 

 cases and held 73,537 defendants. 



