, 1870-07-17
SUICIDAL STATISTICS.


Uf3Iefcn1 Modes OF Quitting the
World.
Professor Van Oettiuger, OF Prussia, hss
recently published curious work on Moral
Statistics aud CLr7stian Manners, in which be
has treated the subject Of suicide in an ex-
haustive style. The Philadelphia Ledger IS OF
the opinion that it il 10 ho regretted that tho
same suffice, has not BEEN SO fully haudled ~
regards this country, for the conditions Of life
here ltGer in sasne yert important sezlsects
from those OF life III EurnPe, especially among
,he laborug caasses. E1tIome wr1tchedness,
with no hope Of ercape from it, such a
mas be daily Witnessed iii European
committees, and which il 30 fruitful a
cause OF suicide there, is almost un-
known here, and ths very lew examples OF it
We NEE, with are those wAoes own folly and
nsscohdnct have brought il upon themselves.
TIC Statistic. OF Professor Won Oettinger arc
based mainly upon the tables OF France and
Prussia, Which are, perhaps, tue mos: accurate
communal administrations there being very
careful in making up their reports. The re-
suits which be tloluces are remark able. The
filnt fact, which il striking IL that tie ratio Of
suicide to population appears to increase faster
than the population itself. Thus in Prussia.
1,1G7, aud in 1865 it was 1,2l9, which wAs two
and u half times greater than tho ratio OF in-
c1e1rs Of ,hc population In France, tho
numbers during the same Year, wefe re-
sFtct'e!S 1.t"S nno 4,'oo wn'en ~ more
population. part Of this npparent
increase is doubtless duo to tho more
accurate reports nowadays. In Norway the
Eatio oi incresse Of suicides to population has
long been per cent, and in SaIony per cont
creased faster than X per cent. Buckles
theory of constant Averages would eeen to ba
realized n regards the periodical commission
OF ruiciae, for pEoSeas&E Van Dcttinger has
found that tho frequency Of suicide in any
given soar increases and decreases with tho
length or tho dayn, and that there is general
uniformity as regards the proportions Of tho
di1Tcr,a1t molee Of Reif-dcstfurtion rcsortea to;
alHo, tlat those selected ly the two sc1cs at
different ages arc recn1ia1iy marked. Thus.
| everywhere, there arc mora suicides in Juno
! and July, md fewer in November. December,
| aud January, than in my other months. In
the former, the proportion is II per cent. and
| in tho latter unly Gtl.
As rcgnrds modes Of sclf-deakuct;on, it ap-
\ peara tGat lllring The l4.t thirty yeara shoot-
ing and drowning have rather gone out OF
fashion, and given place to hanging and pois-
0uiuE, but drowning il uoEn frequently re-
sorted to by women than by men, and AZ FOX
shooting, it is only one woman In two hnn;
.asul GLat cnlf,loyH It, The difference il still
moro ren2.kabic in casea OF 1ricids 1t NJ
carly age. or children under Is, it il founG
that ou, of ONO hundred suicides Among hoy
eighty-hi1 hang themselves, whilo out OF on.
hundred suicides Among Ei1la seTeuty-on
throw themselves into the water. I1:n,
ncu generally shoot themselves, and youn{
Women take poison. Malrr OF M4sure aB
: often resort 10 the razor, aai women to th
, | rope. Ii il a CURIOUS fact that hanging l.
; more cutumon III the country than in th'
town. And when any great sensation liz
bccn created by particular case OF suicide
theze it frequently manifested tendency Il
initiate it. hut this is also the caso with reGart
| 10 other crimes.
The Professor noticea tho influenza OF ract
on this subject He found that among tho in
habitants Of Sweden. Norway and Denmark tn
yearly number Of suicldcs IL l2G out Of ever,
million: among the Germans it il liz; th
French, 105: Spain and Italy, 50; the slayoui
Try th1ce-foutths OF all tho suicides are OF Ii
uaale Sc, and that IN both scxes the dispositol
10 commit this crime Increases with advancing
yeatr. aud is always greatest in extreme oil
nEe. This last conclusion seems open +
/ doubt, for the tenAeity with which old pcopl
, found that the proportion Of unma,
, | ried persons who kill thcmscive
! il decidedly greater than tlzs OF the married
] the proportion Of widowed persous il create
still: but that Of the divorcel and separate
is the largest, il being uniformly i've times .
great as that Of the married AS regards th
I | causes OF suicide, tho Professor thinks tn
one-thlrd OF the casoa Of self-murder ar
8 caueed by mental disease, aud tlis claas IN
, clndc nearly half Of tbose committed b
women; one-ninth arc caused By physical su,
, (neaIly all these are men); one-tenth by ii
: fear Of punishment, shame, or a morbid cor
| science about as many By family quAttell
{ and onc-ninth By drunkenness, gambling, an
other sices; the number caused by grief {
) disappointed love is exceedingly small