The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-24
SUICIDES OCCURS
MOST IN SUMMER
Peculiarities of Self Destruc-
ton Cannot Be Solved
CURIOUS HAPPENINGS
Knife Is Used Most in Summer for
Suicide And Revolver in Winter.
Hospital Surgeons Have Some
Strange Experiences

Why are suicides most prevalent in late
summer. supposedly one of the mosi
pleasant seasons of the year? Why is
stabbing a summer diversion and shoot,
ing winter one? Why are more persons
injured by accidental burns in summer
than in winter? The latter query is moi
to be answered by taking into account
the Fourth of July and all of them come
in the category of unanswerable ques-
lions which neither the officers of the
accident wards of the city's great hos
pitfalls, nor even the ambulance surgeons
| who bring the cases In can answer
There are many curious things indeed in
cident to the work of an ambulance sur
geor In one of the big city hospitals OF
the present day, as no one appreciates
better than the men engaged in the ex-
acting calling of patching up the 55,oot
odd annual victims of injury or illness
in the streets of New York
In the common impression the ambu-
lance service of the modern hospital ex-
lists for the 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 as
constituent If he could see things from
the viewpoint of the men in the ''busi-
ness" as they speak of it, and realize
what an all-embracing category of the
ills. hurts and decisions life is heir to
it is that passes in the guise of eases
under the ambulance surgeons capable
eye.
Distribution of Cases
Not the least interesting of the curious
things to be discovered is the fact that
the apparently hap-hazard and chance
governed distribution of cases depends
in reality in many instances upon clearly
observable conditions, which cause them
to vary through regularly marked cycles.
The reasons for some of these variations
are obvious enough when ones atten-
ton is called to them. It is only natural
that there should be more cases of heat
prostration in summer and of exhaustion
from exposure in winter 1t is 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 cases which regulate other variations
are less patent at first glance. Why,
for instance should there be more cases
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 winter,
when the chances of contact with fires
and lights are obviously greater in the
cold weather months? The prevailing
method of celebrating Americas national
holiday might account for Julys leader
ship 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
ripe old age by playing with gunpowder
and other like agencies of sudden de-
struction.
These are come OF the conundrums
which are suggested as result OF q COM
pilation of ambulance records for the
current year recently made at the Flower
hospital. New York's leading homeopathic
institution. That institution is in a par
ticularly favorable position to make the
showing from such an inquiry represent
tative, since 1t handles about one in ten
of all the ambulance cases which occur
in the city of New York, while its district
includes all the strata of city life from
crowded tenement quarters to the resi-
dences of the nulti-millionaire.a The work
has resulted in disclosing some peculiar
features of New York's annual accident
record besides those already mentioned.
Injuries BY Accident
The great majority of cases in which
the services of the ambulance are called
for are. of course, those OF injuries due
to accident of various kinds. From the
hospital point of view those cases fall
mostly into the category In which are
listed decorations, bruises, sprains, frac-
lures and the like. The hospital records
show that of the 4373 cases of all kinds
entered upon its ambulance books during
the eleven month period under considera-
ton, 1897 belonged in this classification,
a percentage of almost exactly two in
five. These injuries came from all sorts
of causes and include every degree OF
seriousness from a mere skin abrasion to
broken backs and fractured skulls. The
most suggestive feature about cases of
this kind is the increase In their proper
ton to total number of cases shown by
the records to have taken place from
April to October. The peculiar thing
%
progressive, each month showing gain
over the one before, while the total
| number of cases varied from month to
month, being lowest In May and highest
| in August. July, curiously enough, showed
a record of cases of this nature only
slightly above the average.
| Next to accident cases as stead,
source of hospital supply are those o.
alcoholism. These, as already remarked
are more numerous in winter than In sum
mer, a condition which the hospital au
thorities explain on the ground that COLI
weather drives persons, especially thos
| who have to be much out of doors, to ;
| fre er use of stimulants than does warm
er temperature. This diagnosis appears t
| be borne out by the records, which shov
| that of the 466 alcoholic cases entered a
| Flower hospital from January to Decem
Der, the largest percentage occurred i
J january, with February, April. March an
May following in order. June and Angus
had the lowest percentage each, Will
September, October and November Shove
decided upward progress toward tn
cold weather level.
Curious Revelations
Among the other curious revelation
made by the hospital books one of tn
Y most interesting concerns pneumonia
Contrary to the general impression tina
this is peculiarly winter disease, tn
records at Flower show that it fourishe
most vigorously In the spring and earl
summer There were 113 ambulance call
to pneumonia cases on the years recort
March furnished the largest numbel
which is not surprising but the next mos
prolific months In this respect were Apr
and May. while June had as many case
as October. Every month In the year COZ
tributed to the pneumonia quota. Eve
July had one case, while August had ST.
la greater number than either January {