The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-10-12
CAUSES OF SUICIDE
STATISTICS COLLECTED FROM
MANY SOURCES.
Numerous Cases Attributable to Child.
less Marriages-Rate High Among
cermanlo NatIons-Means OF
Self-Destructlon.

among l,UOV,OVV eucloes Vi 90
classes, it has been found that 2O5
married men with children destroyed
their lives: 40 married men without
children: 526 widowers with, and 1.O04
widowers without children.
With respect to the women. 45 mar
yied women with. and 15S without,
children committed suicide, while 104
widows with, and 238 without on
spring. completed the list.
On the face of things 1t would APP
pear that In childless marriages the
number Of men suicides 10 doubled
and in women trebled. Leaving the
case of actual insane persons out OF
count, 1t would also appear that In
males suicide Is more frequent than
in females.
Equally interesting IL that phase OF
the subject which deals with the
causes. One table dealing with 6.7S1
cases shows one-seventh caused by
misery, one twenty-first part by loss
of fortune, one forty-third by gamb-
ling, one nineteenth by love AFFAIRS.
one-ninth by domestic troubles, one
sixty-sixth by fanaticism. and by foil-
ed ambition and remorse one-sevlhtn
and one twenty-seventh respectively.
The geography Of suicide Is also or
high interest. Westcott says the high
est proportion in Europe is shown oy
the Germanic races. Saxony having
"the largest rate of any country" In
Norway the rate was very large for .
time, its decrease being attributed to
the greater restrictions now laid on
tina liquor trafic.
The Celtic races have low rate,
and this is evinced by the figures for
Ireland and Wales. Mountainous re-
gions are said to show 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 APP
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 peri
DDS have been found to fall In May.
June and July. believe. indeed. June
- found to show marked predomi'
nance a. q suicide month
One reason for such preeminence In
the warm season Of the year 10 eel
down AZ represented by the onset Of
hot weather affecting the system and
tending to disturb mental equilibrium
| ~ <ha arhiorfa In 993 cases noted
| In Paris the prevailing hours OF sell
destruction we're from six q. m. tf
noon and from two to three p. m.
Perhaps one of the most curious
phases Of this study is revealed In the
fact already alluded to--namely, thai
different countries to show prefer
eucee for different means of commit
| ting suicide from other lands. The
most common European method 10 b.
means Of hanging, but In Italy THU
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 il frequent In Italy ant
Switzerland. Cut throat Is common 4
| England and Ireland; 1t does not seen
to constitute anywhere else frequen
mode of ending life.
Poisoning is . specially Anglo-SaxoI
method OF suicide, we are told: Will
suffocation by the fumes of carboni
acid gas, inhaled In q closed room. I
, very typical of suicide in France.
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