St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-05

1884, to 1902 in 1885, and to S,1S7
in 1856. This means a rate of
twenty-One suicides for every 100000
Inhabitants. The Department of the
Seine appears for Is per cent of the
total, 454, OF forty-nine per GOO in
habitantS.
Women have recourse to suicide in a
far less degree than men-1,716 (21 per
cent?, instead of 6,471 90 per cent)-and
yet the census returns snow that the
two sexes are about equally divided in
this country. The frequency of suicide
increases with age, as the following ia
BILE will show:
Under Is years of age. 62 or per cent
IL to y years Of age. 324 or 5 per cent
u to % years of age..... 42S or per cent
% to 30 years of age. 591 or per cent
80 to 40 years of age. los or II per cent
40 to 80 years of age. ,433 or Is per cent
90 to 60 years of age. $50 or p per cent
1t has been impossible to fix the age
of lis suicides. Information was in
complete with respect to $50 individuals
but the other suicides are classified as
follows: Bachelors, 1885, or 81 per
cent; married, without children, 1910,
or Is per cent; married, having chill
dren. 2, 446, OF 81 per cent; widowerS,
having children, $50, or II per
cent; widOwers. without children,
476, or per cent. AS to the
dOmicileS of the suicides, it has been
proved at the inquests Or in connection
with judicial proceedings that 1888, or
50 per cent, lived in the country, and
1888, or 4S per cent. in towns; there
were 116 cases in which no particulars
are forthcoming. 1t must not be for
gotten, however, that the population of
the cities amounts to barely third of
the entire DOpul atiOO nf Franco
The S,1S7 suicides were of the follow
ing professions: Agricultural, 1921, or
81 per cent; industrial workmen, 2,35S,
or % per cent; shOpkeeperS and manu-
facturers, 1,030, OF Is per cent; landed
proprletOrS, persons of independent
means, or members of the liberal pro-
LESSONS, 9S5, or IL per cent; servants,
514, or & per cent; without any known
occupation, go, or s per cent.
But the general results of the census
of 1885 not having yet been published,
it is impossible to determine in what
proportion each of these classes attains
the average length of life. Suicides are
always more numerous in spring 81
per cent? and in summer (26 per
cent than in winter (22 per
cent?, and in autumn (21 per
cent?. AS is always the case,
the greatest number of suicides were by
hanging-42 per cent; then follow
drowning. % per cent; deaths by fire
arms, 13 per cent; cases of asphyXia by
charcoal, s per cent; cases of voluntary
falls from high buildings, per cent;
poison, 2 per cent; the employment of
sharp instrument, 2 per cent, and every
other cause, 2per cent.
AS to the presumed causes of suicide,
to judge from the legal inquiries which
are held, they may be divided into
eight principal groups: Poverty Is
per cent; family troubles ID per
cent; disappointment in love, jealousy,
ETC., 4 per cent; drunkenness, II
per cent; desire TO escape judicial in
quiries, per cent; physical suffering,
Is per cent; various causes, per cent;
mental attacks, % per cent. 1t is for
the doctors and mental physicians to
draw conclusions from the foregoing
and to tell us the true significance of the
above figures relating to suicide.