Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-03-13
MILITARY SUICIDES.
Statistics Regarding The suicidal Mania In
Different Armies.

DralcneS III lnn government SERVICE is
the compilation of mortality statistics
for the war department. Human life,
which Tie poets are wont 10 character
ize as a hrici span of Woe or a
''dream of Disappointment or. by
some other lrrm which gives itaclar-
acter OF intangible sadness. is taken AS
a cold feet % basis Of mathematical
calculation. irpplcarc born aaI die &C
cording Ia fixed numerical laws which
can be determined by calculation. 1t
isn't "a particularly agreeable Thought,
but il Is true, nevertheless, that when
statistlcians have perfected their calcu-
lations in this line, aud there is reason
TO expect that they will be- perfected,
a man will be Obliged TO die by rule.
Even II he commits suicide, his de-
mise is tabUlgted among other eases
which show pnder what circumstances
self destruction Is mos likely 10 occur,
and what conditions are most condu-
Give Ia the suicidal epidemic that so
frequently sweeps the country.
During the u.scal year winch ended
in June. 1855. there were nineteen
suicides in the army, twelve IN the in.
fantry service, six in the cavalry and
one in the artillery. This gives a IA
ito of only 12-l0Oths in loo. Only
one case Was that Of M oilicer-a lieu
tenant of tie infantry.
The suicide ratio for various armies
whose reports were accessible was as
follows: Austria, Liz; Prussia and
Wurtembery, ~; Great Britain, As;
Italy. y; France, 81; Belgium, IS.
This illustrates the fact often ON
mented ON, that the phlegmatic Ger
man. with hi, ponderous philosophic
intellect, Is ggmarkably prone 10 end
his W existence. Ga the other hand
the mercHrial FfpnermaH bear, up UNI
der the Ills We have, aud presents next
To the best record IN the lot.
OF the eases referred toin the United
States army, nan selected drown
Ing as his mode % exit, two preferred
poison. one cut hi throat. one severed
the radial arteri ;, and fourteen shot
themselves. No bid dependency was
the cause in twu cases, suicidal mania
in Que. jealousy Ia two, losses by gam
bling in two, NceSslve drinking in
ten, and 40 Cav &c could be assigned in
two.
The, statiSti ian does not stop here.
He goes on l. show that the ages were
% years in cue case, % in two, % in
one, 80 in ole, 81 in three, IS in two,
80 ia two, 50 in two, IL in one, A in
one. and H. three cases the ages were
not stated.
The moath showing the greatest
number oi suicides six was Noycm-
Der. Three occurred in February, two
each ia January, March, April, Au-
gust and September, and non in the
remaining months Of the year.
In addition 10 the foregoing there
We're two attempted suicides without
fatal results.
From these facts the suicidal ten
dency is strongest during The winter.
On the other hand homicides are most
frequent during warm weather, the
cases being far more numerous during
summer than at any other time Of the
year.
The record referred TO above is but
for one year. of course, selected at ram
dom, but the variation from year TO
year is not especially marked. 1t has
been a pet idea of American lovers Of
statistical research to tabulate the facts
relating to mortality for the whole
United States, but the scheme presents
many obstacles owing to the difficulty
in getting accurate information. Ii has
been demonstrated that the highest
death rate is for children under 10
years of age. The cauScso Of death vary
from year To year.
The great difficulty in making or
rect calculations Of this kind arises
from the lnaccurJcy, unavoidable to a
great extent. in taking the ccnNg,. In
stead Of there b>lHg natural sequence
of conditions from year b yclr, there
are enormous jumps ia figures. The
census. FOR instance, will show that
there are 900 people alive at 10 years
of age. - uJJ 1T - and then drops to
5000 at II, when in TIE natural course
of ii. tugs there should he a gradual in
Grease. TINS, il is said, results from
the cagrllssucss of people IN giving
their ages.
The tendency in this country is to
count ~. aIc by decades only. Peo-
pie often ignorant of their exact ages
will. when asked how old they are,
reply inadvertently in round numbers.
II a mau las passed 30 years lac will
give lis s-r at 30 without troubling
himself 10 remember the odd years.
Forty ivu years will be the next stop
ping place. Of course these facts hold
good aaIuiy among people Of limited
education. bat there are enough of
these 10 very seriously disturb the cal
culatiDns OF mortality experts.
a life t1bin is q herculanean mathe-
matical effort, and its practical value
after 20 has been prepared Is limited,
except with insurance companies.
St|all.tciJIs are desirous Of preparing
a table or this kind for tie city Of
Washm-.1n, II would be an inter
eSting study. but probably Of little
practical usa except to show Just
when cHl,dnn are most likely 10 die,
and therefore require the greatest care.
Sufficient data could be obtained from
the health Office for a complete work
of this h~iud-Washington Post.
4 Famous Collection.
In Professor Edward S. Morse's ia
nous collection of Japanese pottery.