Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-09-10
SUICIDE STATISTICS.
The Rate Is Higher in Cities Than
in the Country.
Insurance Reports show That Self
Destruction Is on the Increase
Some Interesting Figures
on the Subject.

Some tables were recently prepared
for the Spectator, an insurance pub
LEGATION, by Frederick Hoffman, rela-
tive to the number of suicides in
American cities. The United States
census reports, in covering rural
communities as well as large centers
of population, get an average OF lis
20 100000 population for the year
1900 for the whole country. Since
the figures which Mr.. Hoffman brings
together for cities are larger than
these, the rate for sparsely settled
regions, taken by themselves, must
be correspondingly lower. There is
no way of making a direct COMPARE
son, but it is not unlikely that the
mortality from self-destruetion is
nearly or quite twice as large in
cities as in the farming districts, says
the New York Tribune.
Another remarkable fact is that in
the former the rate is on the in
crease. Summing up the results in
80 Of the largest cities % the United
States, It appears that the average
number of suicides in 1890 was y per
100000, while in 1901 it had grown to
1915. At no time in the l2-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 ten
dency may be expected in the next
decade,
A careful inquiry might possibly
afford some explanation Of the fiuctu'
ations which are noticed from year
20 year in these figures. aside from
the steady growth. Hard times, eX-
cessively hot summers and other gen
eral causes might be more potent az
one time than az another. No such
analysis was attempted by the Spec
tator's contributors. however. The
advance in the rate from 1890 20 1901,
no doubt, is attributed 20 other in
fiuences. such as increased mental,
social and business activity-a great
err tension in the high pressure lie
Characteristic Of American cites.
A rather more pulling comparison
Is that which Mr.. Hoffman makes be-
tween different centers ~ population
IN this country. Taking the average
for the whole ten-year period ending
with 1900. he finds that there were
PSF suicides for every 100000 people
IN st. Louis, while the rate in Tren-
ton was only 81, and in Fall River
20. The percentage in several other
cities was almost as high as that in
ST. Louis. The figures for Chicago
are ga: Hoboken. %; Oakland
Call. els. and that part Of New
York CITY included in the boroughs OF
Manhattan and The Bronx, 200. Even
in Newark the rate is 1862. while that
for Brooklyn is only 1871. Boston
makes a better showing-l54-while
Jersey City's figures are still lower
LAT. Why one suburb of the me-
tropolis on the west shore Of the
Hudson should have a higher rate
than this city, and another one very
much lower, is a conundrum to which
II is not easy TO find the answer.
Causes of death are of special in
terest to life insurance companies,
md the latter have collec ted statis-
Tics regarding the same. The Mutual
Life. for instance, has records going
hack more than half a century,
These show that among the insured,
presumably a class OF people a little
sunerior TO the average Of mankind,
the mortality from suicide between
ls4s and 1855 was 10 per cent. Of all
deaths among the eompany's policy
holders, while between 1855 and ls9s
II was "a per cent.-a pereeptiole
increase. This showing corroborates
the other figures presented by MT
Hoffman. Ii also appears from the
Mutual Life tables that, while S.s
ner cent. Of deaths from all causes
between 1856 and 1S9S, among men
pnder IS years of age. were due to
suicide. and s.2 per cent. between the
noes of as and 60, the rate for men
~ GO and over is only OF per cent,
although the actual number OF
deaths for its three groups was
,,oop ann Y Isul1s 'emUs qua lnoqs
or a little below 5000.
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a.