Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-05
Revival of Suicide.

1t has been remarked that a signal
revival of suicide has occurred during
the last hundred years. It's rate. calcu-
lated as an average on the entire popu-
lation OF Europe, without distinction
of nationality or local variations,
seems to have more than quintupied
since the middle of last century. Exact
returns are not obtainable from every
country, but the information is sufff-
ciently complete TO enable us TO perceive
that Europeans are now killing them
selves nj an annual average rate of one
in 5000; and, that consequently, a
total OF somewhere about 60, 600 persons
are dying by their own hand each year
on the continent and in the British
isles. One-fourth of them, in round
figures, are mad, the rest act know
ingly, with view TO some presumed
advantage. And it must not be forgot
ten that the numbers are constantly and
regularly increasing, and also that they
include only the suicides which are
officially known and those which sue
coed; neither those which are concealed
by families nor the unsuccessful at
tempts are counted anywhere. Conse-
quently, If we wish TO correctly value
the force ofthe present distinctly marked
tt1H hhNbAhk vi bHG btnutnCY,
we must add n good deal for undetected
cases and for failures. Intellectual ven
lures especially would seem, from
private information, TO be considerably
more abundant than is commonly i'm
agined. IL would probably be quite
safe to suppose that these two unap-
pended elements increase the European
annual total by one-half, so carry
ing IL to about 10000. The rates
vary, however, very largely in different
countries, with local conditions, With
race. with latitude, with education
The figures are immensely higher. as a
general rule, in the North Excepting
only Russia) than in the South, and in
towns than in the country. 1t Is not
easy to collect absolutely reliable re-
turns from each separate land; but ii
we may trust NJ. Maurice Block, who is
the safest statistician of our time, the
Danes kill themselves the most, and the
Portuguese the least, the difference be-
tween the two extremes reaching the
scarcely creditable proportion ofthirty-
five to one. Saxony, Prussia, France
and Norway follow next to Denmark.
and after these come successfully Be-
aria, England, Belgium, Austria, Rus
sia, Italy and Spain. Throughout the
continent. with few exceptions, the rate
of suicide diminishes with latitude. The
causes of this unconformity have been
keenly discussed, and their main out
lines have been approximately traced
but the subject Is 50 full OF complications,
of details, and OF intermixing and coun-
teracting agencies, that we are still far
from complete general view of the
laws which guide It, We do know poe
itively that climate has nothing what
ever to do with it, but that is only :
discovery. No author has yet collected
data as % the comparative influence or
the suicidal disposition of the specia
conditions of life, of health, OF character
In each district of Europe. 80 as TO en-
able him TO point with certainty to tbs
precise reasons why good many Of ths
inhabitants Of one province should cleo
10 kill themselves, while almost al
those of another province should pre-
fer natural. deaths. BIacksUOods Mdca
stss.