The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-06
SUICIDES IN STATE
Many Deaths Due to CarbOlic
Acid or Gas
Women Especially Are Inclined
to the Former hod-Figures
to Show the Number and Me-
thOdS For 1910

DR.. Joseph H. Townsend, secretary
Of the State Board of Health was Wis
ited last week at his office and Quizz-
ed concerning suicides In Connecticut,
their frequency and the means used.
body ever takes laudanum nowadays.
Whenever people want to dispose Of
themselves they generally take either
carbolic acid or Illuminating gas. They
act quicker and torture less. The
earbolic gets at the heart and para
lyzes it,
That carbolic acid and gas are
the most employed avenues OF
escape from the world for the
by the figures at the office Of
the State Board Of Health. In 1909
the unfortunates who were alleged to
have committed suicide and whose
names were reported by the authors
ties numbered 233 in this state alone.
The total number of deaths in the
State for 1909 was 16.4S4. New Ha-
ven leads all counties in the number
of suicides in 1909. having had eighty.
The other counties reported as fol-
lows: Fairfield 81. Litchheld 16. New
London and Middlesex, each IA, Wind
ham Z, Tolland 5. More than two
thirds OF the suicides in this State
were males.
Carbolic acid took away fifty-two
males and females. almost as many
females as males. using this method.
Forty-three of both sexes took their
lives by firearms. Perhaps the num-
Der of suicides by means Of firearms
has decreased. in the past year. In
1909 thirty-four died by inhaling il
Eliminating gas. These are the three
largest classes of suicides. Carbo1ic
acid leads all and outdistances the
nearest, firearms in point Of number
of deaths by nine.
Only one person took prussic acid.
As for narcotic poison, ten persons
only used it. The total number OF
suicides from using prussic acid, mar
amounted to thirty-one, while the
number from using carbolic acid was
fifty-two.
The total number of suicides by poi
son of any kind in the State was
eighty-three, of which flfty-two were
males. Thirty out of the fifty-two
who took their lives by carbolic acid
ty-three employing Illuminating gas
were males; twenty-four of the thirty
committing suicide by hanging or
strangulation were males; fifteen of
the twenty-one who drowned them
selves were males; thirty-eight of the
IOfIy-Cnfee uSluS IlF0dFui6 wore
males; fifteen of the seventeen who
used cutting instruments of one kind
or another were males. The total
number Of males who committed sui
eide in the eight counties during 1909
for one cause or another was 169. This
leaves only sixty-four females; less
than half the number of males who
committed suicide that year.
Since two-thirds of the number Of
suicides by carbolic acid were males,
while less than one-half the total
number Of suicides in the State were
females, it is evident that carbolic
acid is especially employed by the
women. One-third OF the whole num-
Der of female suicides were by car
bolic acid. Less than one-f1fth Of the
whole number of male suicides were
by using this acid.
The only suicides recorded in the
Office of the State Board of Health
not herein accounted for are one male
and one female who jumped to death
from high places. and one male who
allowed himself to be crushed to death.
These figures bear out the statement
that the greater number of suicides
are caused by carbolic acid and illu-
minating gas. Firearms also were
employed by many suicidedly inclin-
cd