The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-11-11
SUICIDE STATISTICS.
chiIdIess Marriages a Cause-Rate
High Among Germanic Nations.

Among 100000 suicides of all classes,
it has been found that POS married
men with children destroyed their
lives; 470 married men without chill
dren; 526 widowers with, and 1904 wild
overs without children.
With respect to the women, forty
five married women with, and 1853
without, children committed suicide,
while 104 widows with, and 23S without
offspring, completed the list.
On the face of things, says the Illus
trated London News, it would appear
that in childless marriages the num-
Der of men suicides is doubled and in
women trebled. Leaving the case of
actual insane persons out of count, it
would also appear that in males suicide
is more frequent than in females.
Equally interesting is that phase of
the subject which deals with the
causes. One table dealing with 6,7S2
cases shows one-seventh caused by
misery, one twenty-first part by loss
of fortune, one forty-third by gam
bling, one nineteenth by love affairs,
one-ninth by domestic troubles, one
sixty-sixth by fanaticisn, and by
foiled ambition and remorse one-sev-
enth and one twenty-seventh respec-
lively.
The geography of suicide is also of
high interest. ,Westcott says the
highest proportion in Europe is shown
by the Germanic races, Saxony hav-
ing 1.-The largest suicide rate of any
country" In Norway the rate was
very large for a time, its decrease be-
ing attributed to the greater restric-
lions now laid on the liquor traffic.
The Celtic races have low rate,
and this is evinced by the figures for
~ ~ y,Ia 70 ~
gions are said to show a lower rate
than lowlands. In the highlands Of
Scotland and Wales, and in the high
areas of Switzerland. suicide is rare.
Times and seasons also operate, ap-
parently. to influence the act of self
destruction. Roughly speaking, the
curve line of suicide, calculated
through the year, rises from January
to July, and decreases for the second
half of the year. The maximum pc
RODS have been found to fall in May,
June and July. 1 believe, indeed, June
is found to show a marked predomi-
nance as a suicide month.
One reason for such pre-eminence in
the warm season of the year is set
down as represented by the onset of
hot weather affecting the system and
tending to disturb the mental equilib-
rum of the subjects. In 1893 cases
noted in Paris the prevailing hours of
self-destruction were from 6 a. m. to
noon and from 2fto p. m.
Perhaps one of the most curious
phases of this study is revealed in the
fact already alluded to-namely, that
different countries appear to show
preferences for different means of COM
hitting suicide from other lands. The
most common European method is by
means of hanging, but in Italy this
mode of self-destruction is rare.
Drowning comes next in order, and
twice as many women as men perish
in this way each year in Europe
Shooting is frequent in Italy and in
Switzerland. Cut throat is common in
England and Ireland; it does not seem
to constitute anywhere else a frequent
mode of ending life.
Poisoning is a specially Anglo-Saxor
method of suicide, we are told, while
suffocation by the fumes of carbonic
acid gas. inhaled in closed room is
very typical of suicide in France.