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read in the daily press of suicides and the means by which they
have taken place. I can see very little justification for this
publicity. Many years ago, writing on this subject, I referred
to suicide as a "mentally infectious disease". When the Sidney
Fridge was first opened in Australia a number of suicides
followed, and I believe the same thing happened after the
erection of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The repeated readings in newspapers of deaths by
coal gas poisoning or drugs, very often with the actual drug
stated, may act as an inducement to the would be suicide to
terminate his life rather than to seek help and advice from
doctors, psychiatrists and friends. To this I would add that
these reports often cause great distress to relatives.
I have also seen press reports of cases of attempted
suicide. These I think are of no advantage to the public and
make it extremely difficult to cure and rehabilitate the would
be suicide, once his friends, relatives and social contacts
have become aware of the occurrence.
Summary
From this statistical analysis on the incidence of
suicides in Hampstead it is shown that:
1. There is an excess rate of suicides in the Borough of
the order of about 60 per cent. over the average for
London as a whole.
2. This excess seems to be evenly distributed between the
age groups and between men and women, with the
exception of an excess number of suicides in the ages
55 - 59 in men.
3. The other Metropolitan Boroughs which have an excess
suicide rate (with the exception of Wandsworth) adjoin,
forming a large section of the north-western area of
London.
4. It is not possible to attribute the excess suicides in
Hampstead to the population structure, i.e. an excess
of females, or to the residence in Hampstead of large
numbers of students and elderly people.
5. It would appear that the cause for this excess of
suicides lies more in personal factors and may be