Huntsville gazette., 1882-04-15
Statistics of Suicide.

A work of an extraordinary character
has recently been published in Italy by
Prof. Morselli, of the Royal University,
of Turin. 1t bears the title of "Com-
parative Moral Statistics of Suicide.n 1t
is throughout statistical, and claims to
embody the most complete results with
reference to the somber and melancholy
subject of suicide that could be obtained
from every available quarter. ~ u
Assuming that figures, carefully col
lected and collated, as those in this
work profess to have been, can not lie,
the results are singularly interesting and
inexplicable upon any ordinary moral
or philosophical theory. From notice
in Nature of an English translation of
this work, we abstract some of the state
ments which are given as conclusive
results OF the investigation. 1t is inn
possible, of course, to gainsay these.
statements, or to explain the conclusion
reached from the statistics. 1t requires,
however, very considerable degree of
faith in figures to adopt the inferences
thus drawn from them.
In the first place we have, what is
held to be demonstrated from the sta
tistics gathered, the painful fact that
suicide has increased in almost all the
civilized countries of Europe and the
New World, from the beginning of the
present century. In France and Italy,
especially, there has been great in
crease. Suicide is said to be most fre-
quent in the temperate zone. Flat
plains and the courses of large rivers
are the most favorable localities for sui
eide. The transition period between
spring and summer, and especially the
month of June, exercises the most posi-
tive influence on suicidal tendency. So
far as concerns the influence of the sea-
sons,this is directly at variance with the
hitherto accepted opinion that suicide
is more frequent in damp, cloudy and
dark weather, like that not uncommon
in November. tfs
Suicide, it is said, is everywhere COM
mitted with the greatest frequency dur
ing the first third of any given month,
and the first two days of the first third
yield the largest proportional number.
The highest proportion of suicides among
women is on Sunday. The Celtic race
are found to be the least addicted to sui
eide, and the Germans the most so. As
to religious influences. it is said that the
Jews display an habitual resistance to
suicide The Catholic nations stand on
the last step of the scale of suicides,
while those exclusively or chiefly Prot
estant take the first grade. In countries
of mixed religions the inclination to-
ward suicide diminishes in direct ratio
20 the predominance of Catholicism.
I'll f,,n n hinbn
standard of general culture furnish the
larger contingent of voluntary deaths.
Concerning sex, the proportion of sui
cides among women is one to three or
four men, except in Spain, where it is
one to two and half men. In England,
however, the number of young women
who commit suicide exceeds by more
than tenth the number of men. In re-
gard to the different occupations, the
following is the statement: "First of all
are the literary and scientific; all those,
in short, who make the greatest use of
their brain power. Next come the mill.
tary, the statistics in regard to whom
are very remarkable. In Prussia the
average of suicide in the whole popula-
ton is 394 per million, while in the army
ton is still higher. In the English army
the suicidal tendency is more than triple
that of the civilian population" Con-
cerning the methods and places chosen
by suicides, the rope is the favorite in
strument; next the water; then fire
arms; and finally, falling from height.
In Russia hanging is the favorite mode,
md in Italy, drowning.
We have given these facts-for they
are set down as facts-as matter OF
curious interest, and not that we believe
them to possess any permanent or abso-
lutte importance or moral significance
Boston Traveller.