The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-24
THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUICIDE.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUICIDE.
From the ST. Louis Republican.
If there is one incident of the drama of
human life that seems to be utterly lawless
wanton, and capricious, ii is that of suicide.
Remorse, love. melancholy, and rage are the
agents to which we usually attribute acts of
self-destruction, and all these human passions
are thought to be above and outside laws aud
controlling authority. But an age noted for
its disposition to reduce all phenomena to
empirical formulas, and which does not de-
spair of expressing even the vital processes
in chemical nomenclature, has laid hold on
suicide and sought to subject it to stable
laws. The results are curious and interesting,
if they are not convincing. If they do
nothing else, they prove the value of statistics
and comparisons. Professor Won Oettingen
in a recent work on ethicl statistics, which
is admitted to embrace the most complete
collection Of facts connected with the subject
of suicide ever presented, proves, or seems
to prove, not only that suicide is increasing
in all the civilized nations of Europe,
but that the increase is characterized
by a remarkable uniformity. The grow
ing frequency of sef-destruction has
long been generally admitted, and a sup
posed explanation of 1t found in the tendency
of populations to concentrate in cities where
the records of it are more carefully preserved;
but the statistics here given show that the in
crease is as great in rural districts rs in
cities, and that the ratio of increase everv-
where is greater than the ratio of increase of
population. Thus from the year 1920 to 1865
the reports of suicides for every five years in
Prussia exhibit steady and uniform increase
of cases from 792, in the first named year, to
2219 in the last named-the number Of cases
nearly trebling in forty-five years, which is
two and half times as rapid as the growth
| of population. In France the increase is even
more marked In 1880 there were 1899 cases
of suicide; in 1910 there were 2574 cases; in
| 1850, BAG; in 1860, 1902; and in 1865, 400
| showing q ratio of increase nine times as
| great as that of the population.
One of the least explicable features of
| these curious statistics is the fact that the
number of cases in any given year increases
| with the length of the days. There are more
suicides in the long days of June and July
than in the short days of December and Janu-
airy. OF every thousand cases in Europe it is
| shown that GA take place in January 6S in
| February, 70 in March, S8 in April, 10G in
| May, and 119 in June; this is the crisis, for
the number decreases to 100 in July, % in
August, 70 in September, 76 in October, 66
in November, and it reaches its minimum of
60 in December. Whether this difference is
the effect of the growing heat of the longer
days, or the greater length of daylight, is
a question which the compiler does not
answer. His object is to furnish the facts,
and allow others to speculate upon them as
they can.
Even the mode of committing suicide ap-
pears to be governed by some mysterious and
unknown influence, for, year after year, the
same proportions of self-des'royers choose
the same methods of taking their life. In
France, for every 100 male suicides, 26 resort
to drowning, AZ to hanging, II to shooting,
to stabbing, to charcoal fumes, to
poison, and to jumping from height. OF
the same number of females who kill them
selves, Al choose drowning, 30 hanging, Ia
charcoal fumes, poison, and 6 jumping
from height. The only disturbance in the
uniformity of what seems to be the rule
governing the manner of self-destruction Is
the gradual growth of drowning and
shooting into disfavor within the last
thirty years, and the growth of hanging
into greater favor. Hanging is the most
common method in rural regions shooting
with soldiers and mobiles, and drowning with
servants. 1t is commonly supposed that the
French are more addicted to suicide than any
other people, because of the great number OF
cases that Paris affords, and that the passions
and excitements of Paris life, no doubt,
prompt; but the greatest proportion OF
suicides in Europe is found amongst the
Scandinavians, who furnish annually l2t
cases to every million of population; the
Germans furnish 112; the French 105; the
Latin nations about so; and the SclaVes
of Austria AZ. The greatest proportion II
= the German States is found in Saxony
Large cities go far beyond these hgures
Paris alone yielding GAG suicides, annually,
J to every million of population. In all ooun
tries males are more prone to seif-destruc-
tion than females, in the proportion OF tC
1; but the disposition in both sexes increases
r with age, and is greatest in extreme old age
Marriage would appear to be partial safe
: guard against self-murder, as the proportion
. of unmarried persons who kill themselves Ii
i decidedly greater than that of married per
sons; the proportion of widowed persons Il
8 greater still, but that of the divorced ant
r separated is far greatest of all.
S OF the causes of suicide, mental disorder il
: the most active, one-third of all cases tina
h occur being traceable to it; one-ninth t'
. physical suffering; one-eighth to loss OF pro
t pertyi one-tenth by remorse, shame, or fea