The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-01-10
SUICIDE STATISTICS.
childIess Marriages a cause-Rate
High Among Germanle
Nations.

Among 100000 suicides Of all
classes, it has been found that zoo
married men with children destroyed
their lives; 470 married men with.
out children; SIG widowers with, and
1904 widowers without children.
With respect to the women, 45 mar
ried women with, and 1853 without,
children committed suicide. while 104
widows with, and 238 without on
spring, completed the list.
On the face of things, says the IL
l&strated London News, it would ap-
pear that in childless marriages the
number 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 fe-
males.
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-6ftb 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 refncrse one-seventh
and one twenty-seventh respectively.
The geography of suicide is also OF
high interest. Westcott says the high
est proportion in Europe is shown by
the Germanic races, Saxony having the
largest suicide rate of any country.
In Norway the rate was very large for
time, its decrease being attributed
! to the greater restrictions now laid
! on the liquor traffic.
The Celtic races have low rate,
and this is evinced by the figures for
Ireland and Wales Mountainous re-
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 per-
iods have been found to fall in May.
June and July. believe indeed June
is found to show a marked predomi
nance as a suicide month.
| One reason for such pre-eminence in
t 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 1888 cases
noted in Paris the prevailing hours
of self-destruction were from a. M
to noon and from to 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
committing 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 frequent
mode of ending life.
Poisoning is specially Anglo-Sax
on method Of suicide. we are told;
while suffocation by the fumes of car
bonic acid gas, inhaled in closed |
room, is very typical of suicide in
France.