STATISTICAL AND GRAPHIC DATA INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT REFLECT CHANGES IN THE ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, OVER A 22-YEAR PERIOD (1956-1978); THEY ARE DESCRIBED AS BEING HIGHLY RELEVANT TO THE CHANGING PATTERNS OF VIOLENT CRIME AND UNNATURAL DEATH. THE DATA ALSO PRESENT ALL SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS OF TRENDS IN VIOLENT DEATH, AND CURRENT AND PAST (FOR THE PERIOD UNDER STUDY) FIGURES, COMPARED WITH CORRESPONDING FIGURES FOR THE REST OF THE SOUTH (WITH THE CAUTIONARY COMMENT THAT DADE IS NOT A TYPICAL SOUTHERN COUNTY, BECAUSE OF THE PREDOMINANCE OF HISPANICS IN ITS POPULATION), AND THE UNITED STATES AS A WHOLE. THE INCREASE IN VIOLENT CRIME INCIDENCE DURING THE YEARS FROM 1958 TO 1978 IS PARALLELED BY A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE THREE MAJOR LOCAL ETHNIC GROUPS (POPULATION INCREASE IS GIVEN AS ALMOST 3,000 PERCENT FOR HISPANICS, 258 PERCENT FOR BLACKS, AND 85 PERCENT FOR WHITES). STATISTICAL TABLES AND GRAPHS INCLUDE ALL SIGNIFICANT DATA, CLASSIFIED BY A LARGE NUMBER OF DESCRIPTIVE VARIABLES, ON HOMICIDES, SUICIDES, AND OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENT/UNNATURAL DEATH IN DADE COUNTY, SUCH AS VICTIMS WITH CONSIDERATION OF HOW MANY WERE TOURISTS AND ELDERLY PERSONS); OFFENDERS (E.G., BY ETHNIC BACKGROUND, RACE, AGE, SEX, ECONOMIC STATUS); TYPES OF VIOLENT DEATH (E.G., THE SURPRISINGLY POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN HOMICIDES AND SUICIDES). THE COMMENTARY ARGUES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THAT THE SOUTHERN VIOLENT SUBCULTURE THEORY IS NOT VALID, AT LEAST AS FAR AS THE LOCALE UNDER STUDY IS CONCERNED. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS APPENDED.