The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-31
INTEMPERANCE AND SUICIDE.

INTEMPERANCE AND SUICIDE.
The other day merchant tailor of this
City killed himself According to the ac-
counts steady loss of trade and heavy
drinking produced the dependency which
ended in suicide. No information is given
as to whether the drinking habit caused or
was the cause of falling off of trade, but
that is not very important question.
The rule is that the acquiring Of the drink
ing habit precedes and causes depression
in business. In any event, drinking tends
to produce dependency and this urges to
suicide.
DR.. Printing of Ulm, Germany, has re-
Gently published an important book on
this subject as the result of his investiga-
ton into the drinking habits of the Ger
man people. While there is no such thing
as a prohibition sentiment in Germany,
and while even the advocates of temper
ance would not think of advocating prohi-
bition, there has nevertheless grown up
recently in that country, as in France, a
strong movement against lntemperance
In the case of France the Government
proposes to put check upon the ruinous
extent to which absinthe and other dam
gerous spirituous liquors are consumed, as
the morgue, the insane asylums and the
prisons are furnishing eloquent proof OF
the dangers which invest the nation, but
in Germany the movement for temperance
is proceeding on the gentler lines of edu-
cation and moral influence. DR.. Printing
has now come forward with remarkable
showing of the evils which intemperance
is working in the Kaiser's realm.
He has shown that more than 80 per cent
of all suicides committed by men in the
prime of life are due to drunkenness. This
is startling news from nation so calm
and self-contained and SO little inclined to
nervous excitement as the German. After
quoting Aristotle's famous declaration that
'manv men commit suicide during a
drunken bout and others become nervous
and melancholy" he traces the connection
between intemperance and suicide, and
finds that it has always been closely init
mate. He attacks the validity Of statistics
and declares that many of the suicides re-
ported as being due to temporary insanity
are really the outcome of physical or
mental suffering from drunkenness. A
pernicious effect of liquor is to infiame the
Imagination and exaggerate into danger
Gus hallucination the ills that bring suffer
ing to so many.
LON broso, the great authority on ibsan
ity, has already produced instances of men
who attempted suicide while intoxicated,
and who when resuscitated and sobered
had no recollection of the attempt and
cherished an intense repugnance for the
act. 1t often happens in drunkenness and
delirium tremens that the diseased imagi
nation coniures up frightful monsters,
which cause the Sufferers to kill themselves
by Ieaping from a high window to escape
them. In addition to this is long train
of definite Authorizations which may &C
company drunkenness and lead to suicide,
such as a wife's unfaithfulness, insults and
sights never intended and impending
business disasters that have no existence.
AS rule, however, the chronic drunkard
commits suicide while sober, for it is then
that he realizes the degradation into which
he is falling, the loss of friends, business
and standing which his conduct has as,
sured. and a belief in the hopelessness of
his condition and his lack of strength to
shake off the habit. There is, besides, a
long list of suicides induced by the drunk
enness and ensuing neglect or cruelty OF.
some member of the family.
DR.. Printing further shows that suicide is
commoner in those parts of Germany
where spirits are most freely used. His
work has startled the people and given
great impetus to the temperance move
ment.