New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-23
SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS OF SI-TCTDF

SUICIDE AND INSANITY. \ Physiological and
Sociological Study. Ey ). \: X. Strahan. ". D..
PIP. vi, 22s. Swan, Sonnenschcin IL Co.. London.
Or. strahan maintains that legislation on tho
subject o. suicide IS needless. All persons who
wish to kill themselves are either sane or mad
To those who mad tn" penalty of the l1w has
no meaning To those who sane the definite
purpose with which the act is performed. or the
uncomfortable impulse that leads It. renders tho
terrors Of the law nugatory. lie calls attention 10
the fact that attempts at suicide are rarely pun
ished in England. though the law provides that
hey shall be- He argues that there IS no basis for
onactmcnts AGAINST suicide in the Bible ard that
the points usually made by the thcologian are not
well taken He suggests to IN" scientific man that
suicide is strictly In accord with the principle Of
the survival OF the nttcst ana that tho If self
destruction is perverted instinct Tho creature IN
whom the fear Of death has been abolished is ripe
for death Science forbids what IS rcpggnaut TO
nature; hence II cannot logically disnpprOVc Of the
results Of n perverted instinct any moro than Of 4
normal To the socioloeist's assertion that tn"
suicide innicts injury society by leaving It..
DR.. Strahan enters fat denial. ON the contrary.
he says. the self-dcstruction Of an Individual may
be a positive benefit TO society. He agrees with
Nine de Stael that the charge Of cowardce fire.
Guenty made against the suicide has no force. lie
points out that humanity, on the whole approves.
at least avoids ccnsurins. sef-saughtcr in BE-
half Of some high principle as I'm the case Of cato
ana OF SANITY women VINO Gl'N 10 save lhclr nNnOf.
In all such instances. whether they De admir-
able as that Of the Roman who would not survive
the liberties Of his country not the suicide may
be rational person who balances the good and
evil of life and chooses whether to I've or die
This sort Of suicide far more common pro-
portonatcy in ancient than In modern times on
the other hand. high civilization increases the
power of what may be called the instinct Of suicide.
This shown in the last ares Of Greek culture
and in the dccadence of Roman society. The most
startling symptom of effective humanity produced
by civilization is the increase in the number OF very
Of mental strain due to modern methods OF
education But important effect OF civilization,
with its anxetes and especially with It's vices, is
10 cause hereditary deterioration As Il physician,
the author had opportunities to trace the family
history OF many suicides. and he found an heredi-
tary faint in every where he got at the true
facts often what appeared madness Grim
inal impulse or alcoholism In generation took
the form Of suicide In another. pr Strahan is
strenuorsly opposed to narrowing the lines Of her
edity. He will not have II that suicide runs In a
family" the saying is but that II IS n re-
suit of family decay. Apparently he would replace
all present laws against suicide by efforts pre-
vent the reproduction OF tainted race To those
who say that the subject Is "A gloomy one. and per-
out that Of all those who have made a scientific
study Of II in recent times only one has deemed It
necessary to kill himself.