The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-04-16
Curious Fact. about Suicide

- b.
ters that suicide increases with the in
tellec,ual growth of q people, and is un-
known to the savage and uneducated ra-
ces-in fact might be used to measure
the intellectual capacity Of . people A
mong the aborigines Of this country
and Africa, suicide is almost unknown.
1t is also yer rare among ~ ho'nedans
DR.. Oppey yHeim, aedistinguished German
traveller, and author Of wor7 on Tur-
KEY, met with only three cases If suicide
during his, extensive tfavels through the
Ottoman empire; and two of these were
Christians, the third a renegade Chris
Fan: European countries do, indeed, af-
lord some color to the intellectual theo-
y of suicide. Spain, far Behind all 9th
g EufPean Countries in modern pro
gress, shows very few cases of suicides;
while among the Italians suicide which,
previous to the late revolution, was
thing Amost unknown, has now become
comparatively speaking, quite frequent.
This does not surprise US, as it Is we'll
known that suicide beconN common af
ter revolutions. .a.. ..~..~- q. r,.;..r ....t J.
During the great Revolution in France
u7s9-1s00), the number who commit
ted suicide was enormous, especially a.
mong the nobility and better classes
When we rec ,llect the torture of the
reig2 of terror the intense mental suffer
ingteaused by, the, loN of relatives and
friends as well as fortune, it becomes
easy to account for the frightful increase
of snicide. This is equally true, but not
to the same extent, # all revolutions.
Statistics show the Germans to be the
most suicidal people in Europe; France
comes next on the list; England third,
while the Irish are the least suicidal
people in Europe The late Professor
Graves, of Dublin, many years ago drew
attention y 9the influence Of seasons oil
crime, the periodical recurrence of Ger
tain crimes with certain seasons, as wei
as the greater, prevalence of the greatest
Of crimes-ssiesde--duripg the summer
mon hs, while crimes. against property
prevailed during the wiuier aud spring.
The investigations of Esquirol at the
Saltpetriere, aud those of other Europe
an ilquirers, show this statement to b.
in the main correct. To account for this,
many theories have been advanced, d
few Of which we will mention and dis
cuss in the order il which they are now
generally accepted. The physical cohd-
tidnsofstlsa air. including the quantity OF
moisture and drought. terrestrial magne-
tism. and the, electrical condition, tend
to react on the mind, render us ,ess ca
pab@ Of resis ing immoral inautncetss--- :
whichs PEI haps, in our own day derive
additional support from the theory now
generally received that nervous force is
;.u oNotropie conditi"n of electricity--as
OZONE il Of oxygen--and cause very
frequent cause, II epidemics. Should
this theory prove to be correct, it viii
explain great deal in ines past, and
afford doctors an excellent opportunity
to rid themselves OF the bsten enotze Of their
profession. Few, if any, now doubt the
important part terrestrial magnetism and
the electrical condition Of, the air play
in the cause Of disease in plants as well
40 animals. The influence Of imitation
has also had at ali times a wonderful in-
faency in Increasing or diminishing the
numDer of suicides, and very many Gu
rious facts are adduced to prove the cor.
.rectness of this statement. 1t was no.
fticed 10 England, after the death Of the
Conservative statesman. Lord Castle
rsagh, by suicide. that very many per-
sous destroyed themselves in the same
way. Aud, in Paris, at the l6tel des
Inyalides, one Of the pensioners commit
ted suicide, aud was followed by seven
others. The dark corridor was lighted,
the post from which the hanging took
place removed, when no more suicides
took place. aInthis case. no doubt, imi-
tation was the principal cause. ~ E4G
y Among cities, London has by far the
largest number of suicides ID proportion
to its population: in the Westminster
district--and we now copy from Englisl,
sta,i.tics-ths proportion was ons in
every six thousand three hundred and
seventy-nine of,the population. "A care.
full study Of European statistics shows
the curious fact that married men are
less liable to commit suicide than siagze,
while the reverse holds good Of females,
q fact that might be used with some
force against thoss who advocate celiba-
cv. d In proportion to the population,
suicide 10 shown 10 be more common in
iargs cities than in towns or country:
but this can be readily accounted for
when we recollsct that cities are the hi
ding places of those who commit crime;
and we know the msssing together OF
large, numbers Of people tends to demo
ralise; also. that. Of those. who commit
suicide, many. coming from hecounlry
with bright hopes, meet with disappoint
ment. and end their lives in disp..ir. Th.
stalenents Of French, and English vri
asrs go to prove that greatest num-
Der Of suicides take place in june, July.
and August, while November, December,
aud January, have the lowest numbers.
A careful study OF the statistics publish
ed BY hescity Of Bostoa proves the cor
rectness Of this statement. The safi>-
ties we're first published in l849 and
have been issued annually since, with
the exception Of the pears 1885, -6l--
in all, nineteen years but. asthsre WAS
no slistinct registration Of males and IT,
males till 1854, we have inifsaiity only
fourteen years 10 draw our conclusions
from. The register does not furnish u
Information as to married or single, an
omission which prevents rs from plovine
the relative frequency of suicide in the
two conditions Of lifs The Number OF