Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-06-28
STATISTICS OF SUICIDE.

subject OF suicide In an exhaustive
style. 1t is to be regretted that the
same subject has not been 50. fully han
died as regards this country, for the
conditions of life here differ in some
very important respects from those Of
life in Europe, especially among the
laboring classes. Extreme wretched-
ness, with no hope of escape from 1t,
such as may be daily witnessed in Eu-
ropean countries, and which is so fruit
full Il cause of suicide there, is almost
unknown here, and the very few ex-
amples of 1t we meet with are those
whose own folly and misconduct have
brought it upon themselves. The sta
tistics Of Professor Won Oettenger are
based mainly upon the tables Of France
and Prussia, which are, perhaps, the
fullest and most accurate Of any ma
lions in Europe, the municipal and
communal administrations there being
very careful in making up their re-
ports. The results which he deduces
are remarkable. The first fact, which
Is striking, is that the ratio Of suicide
to population appears to increase faster
than the population itself. Thus, In
Prussia, in 1880, the number of sui
cides reported was 1,167, and in 1865
it was 3,2l9, which was two and a half
times greater than the ratio Of increase
Of the population. In France, the
numbers during the same years were
respectively 1879 and 400, which is
more than nine times the increase of
the population. A part of this appa-
rent increase Is doubtless due to the
more accurate reports nowadays. In
Norway the ratio of increase of sui
eides to population has long been three
per cent, and in Saxony five per cent.
per annum, while the population has
not increased faster than n and a
half per cent. Buckles theory of con-
slant averages would seem to be real
lied as regards the periodical commits
sion of suicide; for Professor Won
Oettinger has found that the frequency
of suicide in any given year increases
and decreases with the length Of the
days, and that there is general uni
formity as regards the proportions of
the different modes of self-destruction
resorted to; also, that those selected
by the two sexes at different ages are
peculiarly marked. Thus, everywhere,
there are more suicides In June and
July, and fewer in November, Decem-
Der and January than In any other
months. In the former the proportion
Is II per cent; In the latter, only six
and a half. As regards modes of self
destruction, it appears that during the
last thirty years shooting and drown
ing have rather gone out Of fashion,
and given place to poisoning and hang
ing, but drowning is more frequently
resorted to by women than by men,
and as for shooting, it Is only one wo-
mar in every two hundred that en-
ploys it. The difference Is still more
remarkable In cases of suicide at an
early age. Of children under fifteen,
1t Is found that out Of one hundred sui
cides among boys eighty-six hung
themselves, while out of every one
hundred suicides among girls seventy
one threw themselves into the water.
Young men generally shoot themselves
aud young women take poison. Males
of mature age often resort to the razor,
and women to the rope. 1t Is q curl
Gus fact that hanging Is more common
in the country than in the town. And
when any great sensation has been Gre
ated by a particular case Of suicide,
there is frequently manifested a ten
dency to initiate it, but this Is also the
case with regard to other crimes. The
Professor notices the Influence Of race
on this subject. He found that among
the inhabitants of Sweden, Norway
and Denmark, the yearly number of
suicides Is l26 out of every million;
among the Germans it IS 1l2; the
French, 105; Spain and Italy, so; the
Slavonians, In Austria, A. Also that
in every country three-fourths of all
the suicides are of the male sex, and
that in both sexes the disposition to
commit this crime increases with ad-
vancing years, and is always greatest
In extreme old age. This last conclu-
sion seems open to doubt, for the te-
nacity with which old people on the
verge OF the grave cling to life is fire.
quently very remarkable. Lastly, he
found that the proportion of unmarried
persons who kill themselves Is greater
than that of the married; the proper
ton of widowed persons is greater
still ; but that Of the divorced and
separated Is the largest, 1t being uni
formly five times n great as that of
the married. AS regards the causes OF
suicide. the Professor thinks that one
third of the cases of self-murder are
caused by mental disease, and this
class includes nearly half Of those
committed by women; one-ninth are
caused by physical suffering; one
eighth by losses OF property tnearly all
of these are men); one-tenth by the
fear Of punishment, shame, or a morbid
conscience; about as many by family
quarrels, and one-ninth by drunken
ness, gambling, and other vices; the
number caused by grief or disappointed
love is exceedingly small.