The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-16
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SUICIDE AND THE SEXES.
1t Is More Frequent With Men and
Is Increased With Women.


At the present day man Is much
more prone to suicide than woman.
This is true Of man in regard to epi-
lepsy, crime and other marked signs
OF degeneration. But it has been OBJ
served that as woman approaches man
in her mode Of life she also becomes
more familiar with those abnormal
conditions which have previously been
peculiar to man. The comparative i'm
munlty OF woman from self-destruc-
ton In the past has depended greatly
upon the relatively less harassing part
she has taken in the struggle for life,
says q writer in the Popular Science
Monthly. Today 1t Is different. Now
woman occupies the fields of art, lit
erature, finance, and even politics, and
as she goes deeper into these yoca-
tons she must expect to suffer the con-
sequences. Already 1t is noticeable
that feminine suicide is not now en-
t1reIy due to the sentimental causes of
disappointed love, desertion and ZEAL
ousy, but to those trials Of more ma
tertaI order, such as have led men to
the act Of self-destruction.
Imitation far exceeds any other OF
what are called trivial causes" Of sui
eide, and asserts itself more in woman
than in man. 1t is much more COM
mon than Is supposed. When self
destruction becomes epidemic, as it
sometimes does. its prevalence very
largely depends upon imitation. 1t is
SAID that many years ago the wall Of
Thomas Hood over THE One More I'm
fortunate" brought many a sentiment
tal person to a Watery grave in the
Ihanes And in our own day the
vivid representation Of suicide upon
the stage under conditions appealing
forc1bIy to the Imagination has been
known to be followed by the self-im-
posed death Of persons whose condi-
tons resembled closely those of the
suicide in the drama.
Attempts have been made to prove
that climate has an effect upon the
rate of suicide, but these atternpts
nave never done more than show that
the temperate regions have the high
est ratio. This, of course, is not due to
the climate. but to the more cornpli-
GATED civilization, the greater physical
ana mental wear, and the more ex-
tenslVe interference with natural laws
met with In the temperate regions
Wh1ie 1t is true that climate exerts but
nttle influence over the rate of sui
eide, the seasons. on the contrary. do
strongly AFFECT it. The poular belief
Is tnat suicide is more frequent during
the months of winter and spring. This
however, is incorrect. Cold, wet, damn
weather does not. as so many people
suppose, promote despondencv and
suicide. Strange as it NAV seen, 81
that period of the year when the suf
ferlngs of the poor and the sick are
least, when employment is most read
ny obtained, when the pleasure of Hv
Ing should be at its highest, suicide is
most frequent. May, June. July, the
llIontns OF song and sunshine in all
countries, give the greatest number of
SELF murders. For this there is no
satisfactory explanation, unless we ac-
cept that Of the medical fraternity.
which is that during the period of
early summer the organism is working
at hlgner tension, every function of
mind and body is more active than az
any other period of the year. and CON
sequently there is greater liability to
sudden physical and mental collapse.