Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-07-21
INVOLUNTARY STARVATION.
Statistics that DIR. Tanner Night Pr0Jftabfy
Ponder and Remember.
London Morning Post.l


Statistics that DIR. Tanner Night Prostabis
Ponder and Remember.
London Morning Post.l
A parliamentary return is annually pub
lished of the ''deaths from starvation" in
the Metropolitan district, and looking over
those of the last few years it will be seer
that the number given varies considerably
Last year it was eighty. Now, these returns
are of cases in which inquests have been
held and the verdict of coroners' juries re-
corded, and even if we take the lowest num-
Der given for the last ten or twenty years, it
is painful enough to reflect that any approx
imation to such number should be possible.
At the same time, however, there is hardly
justification in these returns for the sensa-
tional articles which are constantly written
on these "deaths from starvation" as q
scandal to our Christianity and civilization,
and as hideous examples of the richest
city in the world. The returns them
selves distinguish between those from
actual starvation" and those "acceler-
ated by priyation," though the relative num-
Der of each are not given. But the distinction
is an important one, as the expression GAG
celerated by privation" covers very wide
and indefnate field, and certainly reduces
the deaths from actual starvation" to a
very small proportion of the total returned.
That deaths from sheer want of the absolute
necessaries CT life do occur, both in London
and in the provinces, it would be idle to
deny; but it may be denied that any great
proportion of these, or of those "accelera-
tod hx, fol ho oh
against our civilization and humanity, the
laws of the country, or society in gener-
al. Privation is relative term, and doubt
less many lives might yearly be saved if e1-
pensive medicines and expensive nutritives,
combined with skilled and assiduous nursing,
were at hand but as long as the world lasts
there will be in every community large
number of poor persons who, when suffering
from illness or debility, cannot command
what they really require, and their deaths
may be said to be more or less accelerated
by privation. And there are many cases in
which disease has made such progress that
no amount of what may be called the luxur-
les of illness would prevent its being
fatal. The coroners' returns too often
show that ''drink and want" "bad air."
"bad attendance" Exposure to cold" Sim
proper food" and variety of other con-
comitants contribute the total of 'starva-
tom deaths, while large proportion of in
fantile deaths come under the same heading,
fact which of course materially affects the
significance of the statistics considered from
an ordinary point of view. There is another
deduction to be made from the deaths we
are considering in the cases of poor persons
who absolutely refuse to let their poverty be
known or to take advantage of the provi-
sions made by law, and gradually succunb
to the privations they undergo. We should
be very sorry to say word against the hon
orable spirit of independence which prevents
many persons from applying for relief, even
in the greatest necessity, but when death
directly or indirectly results from the refusal
to make application it is unjust to charge
the law of society with the fatality. There
is yet another class of ''starvation" deaths
which every year contribute to the totals of
the returns, and may be referred to a certain
obliquity of mind on the part
of sufferers. The number of such cases may
not be very great, but every year there are
some of the persons who, through perversity
of temper, obstinacy, imbecility, quasi mad
ness, or misery penuriousness of habits,
deny themselves to great extent of the
proper necessaries of life, refuse to take
medicine, or utterly neglect themselves as
regards the laws of health, and so eventually
compass their own destruction; and yet
these cases, when inquests are held, are con-
stantly associated with the returns we are
speaking of, and are quite as rejecting on
the constitution of modern society. And
yet, once more, there are the cases Of those
who do not refuse to accept the outdoor re-
lief, yet cannot be induced to enter the
workhouse or infrmary when they have az
rived at time of life or stage of health
when the outdoor relief in money OF kind
is absolutely inadequate to keep body and
soul together. At length nature fails, and
if suddenly at last death overtakes them and
an inquest becomes necessary, the starvation
or semi-starvation verdict is given, whereas
these deaths may really be said to have been
as voluntary as those of the persons above
mentioned, which have suicidal character
attached to them.