The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-05-21

Interesting Cancellation Drawn by Scientist
Concerning the Mania for Self-Destruc
ton. $1,000,

rN.Isn '.|
Interesting Conclusion Drawn by Scientists
Concerning the Mania for self-Destruc-
tion- $3.50.
boston Journal of Chemistry] -
Suicide has been made the subject of
scientific analysis and investigation, and
certain points in its PHILOSOPHY may be
considered to have been definitely settled.
These are summed up by DIR. Gray Is fol-
lows:
l. Suicide, both In health and disease. is
violation of Natures laws.
81 2. SUICIDE, though always an unnatural
act is, in large proportion, II not the ma
Jorify OF cases, committed by persons who
are entirely sane.
8. Education and custom being powerful
influences in overcoming the instincts of
nature, and inducing suicide, the wide
spread publication of the names of suicides
the age, the sex. the mode, and the reasons,
promotes suicide by inducing imitation, and
by lessening the horror OF the act through
familiarity with it.
4. The teaching of any So called ph1loso-
ply and sensationalism which tend to the
disregard of the truths of religion lead to
suicide, breaking down the moral barrier,
and compromising the wrong of suicide by
expediency with each individual whether he
will live or die.
5. Suicide is In no true sense an impulse
but in the sane and insane it is the result of
elaboration OF more or less duration, and il
is an act determined upon in the mind of
the Individual, from causes accepted by his
judgment as sufficient, whether real or i'm
aginary.
6. Suicide by the sane and insane is fire.
quently the result of hnsty or wrong inter
pretatlon- of facrs, both In their magnitude
and consequences-merely defective reason
ing from true premises.
Z. The great and essential distinction be-
tween suicide by the sane and the insane is
not in the motive, method, time or place
but Is the mental state in which the act is
committed. The insane man commits SUI
eide under delusions, or delusional state
of mind.
s. The strongest safeguard against suicide
is the sense of mans responsibility to the
Creator for all human conduct, including
the keeping of our lives. If the sense Of
accountability to the future be gone, no con-
sideration of ones duty to family, to society
or self can ever answer the arguments of
the suicide. 1t is, indeed, conscience which
makes towards of US all J" but it is also the
voice which points us to the higher respon-
Utility for all our acts, and which, if we
heed, makes us strong to bear the ills of life.
DR.. Moret has recently published some in
teresting statistics concerning suicide In
France. They cover period of 40 years.
and show q steady increase in the successive
five years periods. The annual number
which was 8, 317 in 1S31-35, rose to 6, 107 in
ISl-I5. Inc numbers are more remarkable
if the ratio per 100 900 inhabitants be taken.
This was about six for the first five years
period, seven for the second, eight for the
third, and so on, until in 1S71-75 it reached
at a bound $50, or nearly IL suicides per
100 600 Inhabitants. This is explained by
The terrible events of which France was the
theater in that period. After political COM
plicstIons, age is one of the causes which
seems to have most influence Tin France) on
the suicide. The suicides increase regularly
with the age, and the maximum is found
between 20 and so. This result
is contrary to an opinion expressed by
EsquIrol, that the old man, strongly attached
to life, commits suicide rarely. It Is more
difficult to comprehend the increase of sui
cides among children under Is. DIR. Moret
further shows that men kill themselves four
times more frequently than women, and
that, eliminating the two extreme seasons,
winter and summer, which act IN nelrly the
same way on both sexes, the suicide of men
are more frequent In spring, those of women
in autumn. Married men commit suicide
half as often as bachelors and one-third as
often as widowers.
Whether these proportions are the same
in other countries we are unable to say. The
steady increase in the whole number of sui
cides is true, we believe, of all civilized coun-
tries, though the rate of increase is not
everywhere SO rapid as in France.