Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-09-06
SUICIDES IN FRANCE.
Women Less Inclined to Destroy Their
Lives Than Men.

SOlSiOES IN HANC6.
Women Less Inclined to Destroy Their
Lives Than Men,
1t is solely in the criminal statistics
that the doctors and mental physicians
are able to find detailed indications a.
TO the circumstances under which sui
cldes take place. Unfortunately, the
number of self-murderers in this coun-
try increases from year to year without
interruption. After having been, as
an annual average, 5,276 from 1871 to
1875 and 6,25S in 1S76-1SS0, the number
rose to gal in 1881, to 1928 in 1882,
to 1857 in 1888, to 1872 in 1884 to
1902 in 1885, and to S.1S7 in 1886. This
means rate of q suicides for every
100000 inhabitants. The department
OF the Seine appears for Is per cent. OF
the tOtal-1,454, or 40 per 100000 in
habitants.
Women have recourse to suicide in q
far less degree than men-1,716 (21 per
cent?, instead of 6,471 90 per cent.
and yet the census returns show that
the two sexes are about equally divided
in this country. The frequency of sui
eide increases with the age, as the fol-
lowing table will show:
Under rs years OF age... 81 or per cent.
16 to p years OF age. ....... 324 or per cent.
u 10 . years OF age. faS or per cent
% 70 ~ years of age-...--...- 59l or per cent
81 TO 40 years OF age. 153 or Il per cent.
~ 20 - years OF age 43} or IS per cent.
50 to 81 years of aye.......1 CSC or 81 per cent
90 years and over. 2l5 or - per cent
1t has been impossible to fix the age
of 115 suicides. Information was in
complete with respect to 280 individ-
uals, but the other suicides are classified
as follows: Bachelors. 1886, or 81 per
cent; married, having children, 2.446,
or 81 per cent; married, without chill
dren, 1,2l0. or ID per cent. widowers.
having children, $50, or II per cent. /;
widowers, without children, 476, or 6
per cent. As to the domicile OF the sui
cides, it has been proved at the inquests,
or in connection with judicial proceed
ings. that +, 233, or - per cent, lived
in the country and 1888. or 4S per
cent, in towns: there were 116 cases
in which no particulars are forthcom-
ing. 1t must not be forgotten, how
ever, that the population of the cities
amounts to barely third of the entire
population of France.
The 8, 1871 suicides were OF the follow
ing professions: Agriculture, 2,621, or
80 per cent. industrial workmen, 1858,
or 90 per cent; shopkeepers and man
ufacturers, 1,030, or - per cent; landed
proprietors, persons of Independent
means, or members Of the liberal pro-
fessions, 9S5, or u per cent; servants,
514, or per cent; without any known
occupation, 679, or 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
(31 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, p per
cent; deaths by fire arms, Is per cent. ;
cases of asphyxia by charcoal, per
cent; cases Of voluntary falls from
high buildings, per cent; poison,
per cent; the employment of a sharp
instrument, per cent; and every
other means, . per 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, ID
per cent. family troubles, 10 per cent. ;
disappointment in love. jealousy; etc,
4 per cent; drunkenness, II per cent.
desire to escape judicial inquiries, 3
per cent; physical suffering, Is per
cent. various causes 3 per cent; men,
tai attacks. % per cent. 1t is for the
doctors and mental physicians to draw
conclusions from the foregoing .tatis-
tics and to tell Us the true Specification
OF the above figures relating to suicide.
-COr Leeds NPrruYlj