Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-01-30
WHY DOES SUICIDE
PREVAIL IN THE
SUMMER TIME?
SOME PUZZLES SURGEONS
ARE UNABLE TO SOLVE
Stabbing Favorite Warm
Weather Diversion and Shoot
ing Winter Sport; Curious
Data on New York's Record,
Especial Correspondence 10 Mornlog JournaIi

Especial Correspondence to Morning JournaD
New York. Jan. 27.--Why are sui
eides most prevalent in late summer,
supposedly IN of the most pleasant
seasons of the year? Why is stabbing
a summer diversion and shooting a
winter me? Why are moro persons
injured by accidental burns in summer
than in winter? The latter query IS
not to be answered by taking into ac-
count the Fourth of July n all OF
them come In the category Of mans
werable questions which neither the
officers of the accident wards OF the
city's great hospitals. nor even the
ambulance surgeons who bring the
cases in can answer. There are many
curious things indeed Incident to the
work of an ambulance surgeon iii ono
of tho big city hospitals of the present
day as no one appreciates better than
The men engaged In the exactinG call
ing of patching up the $4,000 odd an
nual victims % injury or illness in the
streets OF New York.
In-thc common impression the I'M
bulancp service of the modern hospi-
tai exist for tho purpose of taking care
OF the victims OF street accidents and
other emergencies involving injury and
sudden death. SO. in the main, they
do. but the average citizen might find
cause for establishment if he could see
things from the viewpoint of the men
in the business" as they speak OF II,
and realize what an a"ll-embracing
category of the ills, hurts and deius-
ion life is heir to it is that passes in
the guise of cases under the I'M
bulance surgeons capable eye.
Not the least interesting of the curl
Gus things to be discovered Is the fact
that the apparently hapIlazard and
chance-governed distribution OF
eases depends in reality in many in
stances upon clearly diseernable con-
ditions, which canse them TO vary
Through regularly marked cycles. The
reasons for some of these variations
are obvious enough when ones atteil-
ton is called to them. 1t is only nat.
ural hat there should be more cases
of heat p%rostration in summer and of
exhaustion from exposure in winter.
1t il also plain that the liability TO
certain kinds of accident, such as falls
or Injuries from flying objects, is
greater in time of storm or high winds
than in fine weather. But the causes
which regulate other variations are
less patent at first glance. Why, for
instance, should there be more eases
of alcoholism requiring hospital treat
ment In cold weather than in warm?
or why should injury from burns be
more frequent in summer than in vim
ter. when the chances of contact with
fires and lights are obviously greater
in the cold weather months? The pre-
vaiiing method of celebrating Amer
ica's national holiday might account
for July's leadership in this particular
kind of cases, but the fact is that July
is not distinguished in this respect
over the other summer months. when
there Is no such general practice OF
risking ones chances for a ripe old
age by playing with gunpowder and
other like agencies of sudden d%estruc-
ton.
These are some of the c~onundrums
which are suggested as a result Of al
compilation of ambulance records for
the current year recently made at the
Flower hospital. New York's leading
homeopathic institution That institu-
ton is in y particularly favorable posi-