The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-11-04
\ Suicidal Epidemic.

A recent number of Chambers Jou .dl
gives an entertaining article on suicides,
from which we copy:
Sometimes" says the writer, "aperson
determined to destroy himself will wait
months and years for an opportunity of
executing the deed in the particular man
ner he has marked out for himself, and
the very inclination to suicide may be
removed by withdrawing the particular
objects that would awaken the idea.-
Thus man who has tried to drown him
self will be under no temptation to cut
his throat Example, it is we'll known,
is a powerful cause of excitement to the
suicidal act. We were once told by a
physician that a hypochondriacal patient
used to visit him invariably the day after
reading the report of a suicide in the
daily papers, possessed by a morbid fear
of initiating the act of which he read
Sir Charles Bell, surgeon of Middlesex
Hospital, was one day describing, to a
barber who was shaving him, patients
unsuccessful attempt to cut his own
throat, and, on the BARRIERS request,
| pointed out the anatomy of the neck,
showing how easily the deed might be
accomplished Before shaving operations
were completed, the barber had left his
shop and cut his own throat according to
Sir Charles Bells exact Instructions
Sometimes there is an epidemic of sui
cides, as at Versailles, in 1893, when out
of small population 1900 persons de-
stroyed themselves in one year or as in
the Hotel des Invalides in Paris, when
six of the inmates hanged themselves on
| a certain crossbar within a month. Very
often the disease is hereditary, and at a
certain age the members Of one family
will all in turn evince the suicidal tenden-
cy, while even children of very tender
years have been known to end their OWN
short lives by their own act, from force
of example. Curious, too, are the meth
DDS of sclf-destruction, but they are too
painful to bear description. A French
man once attempted to ring his own
death knell, by tying himself to the clap
per of the church bell, which thereupon
began to swing, and alarmed the villagers
by its unwonted tones. All cases of de-
termined suicides are characteristic of
confirmed insanity; whereas, in case OF
impulsive INSANITY, the perpetrator will
often regret the act before it is completed
and endcavor to save his life, as did Sir
Samuel Romilly, thus demonstrating that
the very attempt may effect the cure OF
the disordcrcd brain. The months of
March, juno, and July are the farorites
with men, September, November, and
January for women, in which they vol
unfairly end their lives. In youth men
hang themselves, in the prime of life use
firearms, and, when old revert to hanging.
Women usually prefer Ophelia's muddy
DEATH Poisoning is a method adopted by
the very young of both sexes. We have
the consoling reflection that, prevalent as
brain disorder is in our country, at least
eighty per cent of cases of insanity are
curable if treated at an early stage /;
| while it is to be noted that it is notpleas-
urable, productive brain work that does
the mischief, but rather the mental strain
which results from the high pressure of
| our artificial life.