The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-06-26
Philosophy Of Suicide.
Boston Journal of Chemistry,


Suicide has been mSde the subject of
scientific analysis and investigation and
certain points in its philosophy" NAV
be considered to have been definitely
settled. These are summed I'D by
DR.. Gray, as follows: l. Suicide, both
in health and disease, is a violation of
natures laws 2. Suicide, though al
ways an unnatural act, is, in a large
proportion, if in not the majority 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 widespread 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 teachings OF any So
called philosophy and sensstioDalism
which tend to the disregard of the
truths of religion lead to suicide, break
ing down the moral barrier and com.
promising the wrong of suicide, by rem
dering it mere question of choice and
expediency with each individual whethe,
he will live or die. 5. Suicide is in no
true sense an impulse, but in the sane
and the insane 1t is the result of de-
liberation of more or less duration,
and it is an act determined upon in
the mind of the individual, from
causes accepted by his judgment as suf.
ficient, whether real or imaginary. 6.
Suicide by the sane and insane is fire.
quently the result of hasty or wreng
Interpretation of facts, both in their
magnitude and consequences-merely
detective reasoning from true premises.
7. The great and essential distinction
between suicide by sane and the insane
is not in the motive, method, time or
place, but in the mental state in which
the act is committed. The insane man
commits suicide under delusions, or a
delusional state of the mind. s. The
strongest safeguard against suicide is the
sense OF mans responsibility to the Gre
ator for all human conduct, including
the keeping of our lives. II the sense
of accountability to the future be gone,
no consideration of ones duty to family,
to society or self can answer the argu-
ments of the suicide. 1t is, indeed, con-
science which "makes towards of US
ALL" but it is also the voice which
points us to the higher responsibility
for our acts, and which, if we heed,
makes us strong to bear the ills of lie.
DR.. Moret recently published some
interesting statistics concerning suicide
in France. They cover a period of
forty-fve years, and show a steady ins
crease in the successive fve.year periods.
The annual number. which was 81 in
1831,35, rose to 6,107 in 187l-75. The
numbers are more remarkable if the ratio
per 100000 inhabitants be taken. This
was shout six for the first fve.ye8r
period, seven for the second, eight for
the third, and so on, till in 187l-75 il
reached at q bound 16 so, or nearly II
suicides per 100000 inhabitants. This
is explained by the terrible events of
which France was the theatre in that
period. After political complications,
age is one of the causes which seems to
have most influence Gin France) on the
suicide. The suicides increase regularly
with the age, and the maxim is
found between 20 and 80. TIE result is
contrary to an opinion expressed by
Esquirol, that the old man. strongly at
tached to lie, commits suicide rarely.
1t is more difficult to comprehend the
increase of suicides among children under
sixteen. DR.. Moret further shows that
men kill themselves tour times more fire.
quently than women, and that, eliminat-
ing the two extreme seasons, winter snd
summer, which act in nearly the same
way on both sexes, the suicides of men
are more frequent in spring, those of
women in autumn. Married men COM
nit suicide halt as often as bachelors,
and one>third as often rs Widowers.
Whether these proportions are the
same in other countries we are unable to
say. The steady increase in the whole
number of suicides is true, we believe,
OF all civilized countries, though the
rate of increase is not everywhere so
rapid as in France.