, 1884-07-16
SELF-DESTRUCTION.
Sane and Insane SuIcides-Hypo-
ehondrin, HeredIty, Incompetence
and Other Causes-Seasons
when Suicides Abound.


"a n " IA
1t Is a very prevalent, but erroneous. boz
lief that suicide is invariably preceded by
insanity. Self-destruction is always an un-
natural act, and a violation Of the laws OF
nature, but 1t is not, therefore, necessarily an
insane act On the contrary, a large
minority-some authorities say the majority
of suicidal acts are perpetrated by persons
who can not DO called other than sane,
though their mental state is indisputably
more or less abnormal at the time, and the
organic action of the brain and nervous sys-
TEN sometimes in a state Of excitement boT-
dering on roal pathological irritation. DIR.
Wynter afilrms the suicidal impulse to DO
ian inexplicable phenomenon on the
borderlands Of insanity" the power of
the will to conquer any impulse
is the sole difference between a healthy and
an unsound mind. But Redistribution is
not, as a rule, the outcome of mere impulse,
but an act of shorter or longer elaboration,
and brought about by some cause, which
may be either real or imaginary; and here
W. have the simple test for distinguishing
between sane and insane suicides, namely.
the absence or presence of delusions. Out
side OF insanity, the passions and emo
tions are generally at the root of self-mur
der; remorse, dread OF exposure and punish
ment, long wearing sorrow or dis
ease, or hopeless poverty are the
NNa N@ AN NH W FLA1A
is generally regarded with too great
equanimity, and occasionally even
with commiseration, being looked upon as u
catastrophe rather than a crime,n although
condemned by the religion and the laws Of
the land. With ~lunatics, the causes melting
to the act are mainly, if rot wholly, imagin-
airy or delusional; they often fancy they hear
voices perpetually urging them to destroy
themselves, and these supposed supernatural
c1rnupanda thav uanara1Iv ohav, afthar snanar
or later. Men in prosperous circumstances
have frequently been known to make
away with themselves from fear of
poverty and want; others have
perhaps committed some trifing act
Of delinquency, which they magnify into an
objectionable offense, only to be e1piated by
death. Some insane persons will kill those
dear to them, especially their own children,
before destroying themselves, probably with
the view Of preserving them from 50
wretched a lot as they conceive their own to
be. There is usually previous ill-health and
depression, with great desire for solitude, in
these cases of suicide by the insane, many OF
which could be prevented by the timely ex-
ercise of proper care and supervision, as is
clearly shown by their mostly occurring
among those lunatics who are not under
proper restraint
Melancholia is the name given to that form
VI ue.uhlOnhl INSANITY, or PARTIAL moral
mania, which chiefly manifests itself in II
desire for self-destruction. Hypochondriacs
may be said to be in the first stage of this,
and in the first stage very fortunately most
of them remain. They feel death would be u
blessing, and are constantly talking about
killing themselves; but they are very irreso-
lutte, and If they do summon up courage
enough to make the attempt it is generally
ubortive, and is not repeated.
Contrary TO the generally received opinion,
tho spring and summer are the seasons when
suicides do most abound. The months of
March, June and July are those chiefly
affected by males for this purpose, while
females seem to prefer September, the much
abused November and January. The time
of day chosen for the deed is usually either
early morning or early evening. The tend
ency to suicide varies with the occupation,
and is said 10 be twice as great among arti-
sans as it is among laborers; it is certainly
much greater in cities than in rural dis
tricts, and increases with the increase OF
civilization and education. The fact that
married people are much less prone to self
destruction than the unmarried, may be
accounted for by the theory of natural
selection, as it is usually, and especially
with women, only the more healthy both in
mind and body who enter the married state;
while the fact of suicides among males being
always so much more numerous than among
females, is perhaps, to n certain extent to be
explained by the former having a wider
choice of means at their disposal, and ready
at hand. Women, as a rule, prefer to put an
end to their lives by drowning; and as they
may have to travel a long distance before be-
ing able TO accomplish their design, it is not
unlikely that they may sometimes repent and
hitter their minds before their journeys end.
Again, people who throw themselves
into tho water are not untre
quently rescued before life is ex-
tinct, and restored. Unless insane.
they are probably cured by the attempt, and
will not renew it, the mind having regained
its self-coutrol. Suicide is but rarely met
with i'll I'D people, and it is also very uncom-
mon in children. although instances are re-
corded of quite young children hanging or
drowning themselves on being reproyed or
punished for some venial fault.
The heredity OF suicide, though not uni
versally conceded, is admitted by most
authorities, and according to some the ten
dency to self-destruction is more disposed TO
be hereditary than any other form OF in
sanity. Certainly "A great number OF those
who put an end to their own lives are menu
bers of families in which instances of
suicide or insanity have previously
occurred, and the propensity is
usually most strong ut some particular nge.
DIR. Gall mentions the case of n Frenchman
Of property who killed himself, leaving a
large sum of money to be divided among bis
seven children. None of these met with any
real misfortunes in life, but all succumbed,
before attaining their fortieth year, to the
mania for suicide.
Intemperance, the root of half the idiocy
and a considerable percentage of the insanity
of the country, is also largely contributory
to the. rapidly increasing number of cases of
self murder. In the French classification,
which is generally admitted to be pretty
true of all countries" 10 per cont. are put
down to drink, while "a per cent. are at
tributed to insanity, u per cent to grief and