River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-07-29
INVOLUNTARY STARVATION.
STATISTICS that DIR. Tanner Might Pro
htabfy Ponder and Remember.
London Morning Pos

A parliamentary return IS annually
published of the deaths from starva-
ton in the metropolitan district, and
looking over those of the last few years
it will be seen that the number given
varies considerably. Last year it was
eighty. Now, these returns are of
cases i'll which inquests have been held
and the verdict of coroners luries rec
orded, and even if we take the lowest
number given for the last ten or twenty
years, it is painful enough to reflect
that any approximation to such num-
Der should be possible. At the same
time, however, there is hardly justifica-
ton in these returns for the sensational
articles which are constantly written on
these deaths from starvation" as a
scandal to our Christianity and ciyiliza-
ton, and as hideous examples of the
richest city in the world The returns
themselves distinguish between those
from actual starvation and those
accelerated by privation," though the
relative number of each are not given.
But the distinction is an important one,
as the expression accelerated by pri-
walton" covers a very wide and lndefl-
mite field and certainly reduces the
deaths from actual starvation" to
very small proportion of the total re-
turned. That deaths from sheer want
of the absolute necessaries of life do
occur, both in London and in the pro-
vinces, it would be idle to deny; but it
may be denied that any great proper
ton of these, or of those accelerated
by priyation," can fairly be charged
4
the laws of the country, or society i'll
general. Privation is relative term,
and doubtless many lives might yearly
be saved if expensive medicines and
expensive nutritives, combined with
skilled and assiduous nursing, were at
hand; but as long as the world lasts
there will be III every community
large number of poor persons who,
when suffering from illness or debility,
cannot command what they really re-
quire, and their deaths may be said to
be more or less accelerated by priva-
ton. And there are many eases IN
which disease has made such progress
that no amount of what may be calico
the luxuries of illness would prevent its
being fatal The coroner's returns too
often show that drink and want,
bad air, chad attendance" exposure
to cold, Improper food" and var
iety of other concomitants contribute
to swell the total of starvation" deaths,
while q large proportion of infantile
deaths come under the same heading,
a fact which of course materially affects
the significance of the statistics consid-
cred from an ordinary point of view.
J0fI n EA III
from the deaths we are considering i'll
the eases of poor persons who absolute
ly refuse to let their poverty be known
or to take advantage Of the provisions
made by law, and gradually succumb to
the privation they undergo. Weshould
be very sorry to say word against the
honorable 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 appli-
cation 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 re-
ferred to 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 per
sons who, through perversity of temper,
obstinacy, imbecility, quasi-madness, or
a misery righteousness of habits, de-
ny themselves to u 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 destruc-
ton; and yet these cases, when inquests
are held, are constantly 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 out door relief, yet can
not be induced to enter the work-house
or inhrmary when they have arrived at
a time of life or stage of health when
the outdoor relief in money or kind is
absolutely inadequate to keep body
and soul sogether. At length nature
fails, and if suddenly at last death over
takes them and an inquest becomes
necessary, the starvation or semi-star-
walton verdict is given, whereas these
deaths may really be said to have been
as voluntary us those of the persons
aforementioned, which have a suicidal
character attached to them.