New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-09
STATISTICS OF SUICIDE,
RATE IN CITIES HIGHER THAN IN THE
CoUNTRY-ON THE INCREASE

NOON IR1-ON THE INCREASE
Some tables were recently prepared for The
SPECTATOR an insurance publication. by Fred
erlck Hoffman, relative to the number of
suicides in American cities. The United States
census reports, in covering rural communities
as well as large centres of population, get an
average of lis to 100000 of population for the
year 1900 for the whole country. Since the fig
ures which Mr. Hoffman brings together for
cities are larger than these. the for sparsely
settled regions. taken by themselves must be
correspondinGly lower. There is no way of
making a direct comparison. hut it is not I'M
likely that the mortality from self-destruction
is nearly or quite twice large in cities as in
the farming districts.
Another remarkable fact is that in the former
the rate is the increase. Summing up the
results in fifty Of the largest cities of the United
States IL appears that the average number OF
suicides in 1890 was l. per 100000 while in
1901 it had grown to 1876 At no time in the
twelve-year period did the rate fall below the
minimum here given, but in 1897 and 1898 il
rose temporarily to 17-3. The steady progress
shown by this comparison leads Mr.. Hoffman
to think that a further increase in the suicidal
tendency may be expected in the next decade.
careful inquiry might possibly afford some
explanation of the fluctuations which are no
from the steady growth. Hard times exces-
sively hot summers and other general causes
might be more potent al one time than at an
other. No such analysis was attempted 10y The
Spectators contributors. however The ad-
vance in the rate from 1890 to 1901, no doubt,
is attributed to other influences. such in
creased mental social and business activity
a greater tension in the high pressure life char
acteristfc of American cities
A rather more puzzlirg comparison is that
which Mr.. Hoffman makes between different cen
tres Of population in this country Taking the av-
erage for the whole ten year period ending with
1900, ne finds that there were 23.7 suicides for
every 100000 people in st. Louis. while the rate
in Trenton only 81, and in Fall River %
The percentage in several other cities al
most as high as that in St. Louis The figures
for Chicago are 233 Hoboken -. Oakland
CCal) 21.5. and that part of New-York city
included in the boroughs Of Manhattan and The
Bronx 209 Even in Newark the rate is 1G2,
while that for Brooklyn is only 1871 Boston
makes better showing 154-while Jersey
City's figures are still lower-14.G. Why one
suburb Of the metropolis on the west shore OF
the Hudson should have higher rate than this
city, and another one very much lower, is a
conundrum to which it is not easy TO find the
answer.
Causes OF death are Of special interest to life
insurance companies and the latter have col
lected statistics regarding the same. The Nut
ual Life for instance. has records going back
more than half a century These show that
among the insured presumably a class Of PEG
PIE little superior to the average of mankind,
the mortality from suicide between 1S43 and
1885 was 10 per cent Of all deaths among the
company's policy holders, while between 1850
and 1898 it was "A per cent-a perceptible in
crease. This showing corroborates the other fig
ures presented by Mr.. Hoffman. 1t also appears
from the Mutual Life tables that, while SO per
cent OF deaths from all causes between 1856 and
1895, among men under - years of age, We're
due TO suicide. and 80 per cent between the
ages of - and CO. the rate for of 90 and
over is only OF per cent, although the actual
number OF deaths for its three groups was
about the same either little above a little
below 1900.