Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-11-26
Sidelights on Suicide
FRED L. hoffman IN the speotat2r.


Fred L. hoffman in The spectator. -
CUICIDB life Insurance problem has at
~ tracted the attention OF executive Officers. acu-
aries medical directors and others for man
years The literature OF the subject quite extensive
but generally inaccessible to the student OF life in
surance methods and results One OF the earliest
tributions is by r. Thompson Jopling, in the frat
volume OF the Journal Of the OF Actuares
Che Assurance Magazine for Is5). followed by an
other in the second volume Os5N. and discussion
by Samuel Brown. and a contribution by Dr. J. w
Eastwood In the twentieth volume issued IN 1878 The
practice had been from the outset OF insur-
ance developments to decline the payment Of suicide
claims irrespective Of whether insane, upon
the offer OF the % Of the premium paid and
CD OF the accumulated reserve.
Among the important American contribu-
lions to the subject Of suicide in relation to life
insurance brief reference may be made to an ad-
dress by Ralph w. Breckenridge to the Life Under
writer's association at Chicago in 1904 which Is
married In the statement that restrictive suicide
clause Is in conformity to sound public policy
than excessive iberality This important contribution
includes many references 20 the international ntera-
ture and also TO the available insurance experience
data extending in cases over a long period OF
years, with due regard to the exposed risk ac-
cordns to age and duration OF insurance.
The foregoing observations indicate broad and
growing interest In the technical aspects of
the suicide problem. There has been no thorough
inquiry Into the subject with due regard actuarial
tons In the and distribution OF the insured
and most OF all the duration OF insurance General
medical statistics OF life insurance companies are
not strictly comparable on account OF the widely
varying length OF actual experience. The Indications
are that In life insurance experience as well as among
the population at large. the suicide rate is on the
increase The important conclusion is once more
confirmed by the suicide returns American cities
for the year 1914
The results OF analysis OF our compilations are
nFnP lauI rl1elW
published in the Spectator for 1913 The seven ,t,ea
which show the highest suicide rates are San Fran
cisco, San Diego. Sacramento, IIoboken St Louis
Los Angeles and Oakland. All OF these cities show
rates OF $40 per 100000 of population and over and
with the exception st. Louis and Hoboken an in.
crease In the rate and only two show slight decline
Out OF the 100 cities under review fty-one show an
increase ana fortyeight show decrease during 1914
as compared with 19O4-lsls
The suicide rate in small cities Is somewhat lea,
than IN very large cities For small cities the average
rate was I1b per 10000 population which Increased TO
49, or per cent during 1914 For cities with $4,000
population and over the average rate Of O Increased
70 H or 80 per cent In other words the actual and
relative increases in the suicide rates were practically
the same In both sroup5 OF communities
the suicide rate for 1915 was the highest since
1909 and the third highest during the twenty wear.
unaer review The correlation OF suicides to business
laures Is only pronounced under exceptionally dis.
turbed business conditions which appear not tn bav.
prevailed In the country at large. but which seemingly
aleceo the excessive suicide rate returned for tn.
ctes OF the Pacific coast This aspect the suicide
problem has not been thoroughly investigated M,
the indications are that the basis OF a speciazed
analysis OF the two sets of returns for the five prin
eipal geographical divisions the country fairly
close degree OF correspondence would be shown to
exist' II must be obvious, of course that the num-
Oer OF business failures reflects in measure the
ooa ana economic conditions affecting the popula-
ton at large Only thoroughly pronounced ana
extended as we'll nationwide economic denress,on
wouu however be likely to affect the general suc,s
rate in number of Individual instances however,
there Is direct relation between business faiIura
and suicides. resulting in consequence OF eoonomc
distress. iin'
Attention Is directed to the apparently increasing
number OF suicides resulting from mere Suggestion ~
previous cases OF sef-murder in the same family
typical case was reported from Springfield Mas
"here woman committed suicide IN exactly tha
,a,a,' manner as her husband had done year pre-
vious' The case complicated by another sr,c,6o
In the family OF very close friend OF tre 1ors.
VINO hed apparently ended her life ir similar man
Sueh cases are reported with increasing frequency
ana they warrant the most serious apprehen sions -
gardng the future. The psychology OF s,Voas,io
70 mueh-neglected branch OF modern noedcine ara
eouoauon The ever present possibilities OF self
syIdsnn. sa"NnD OF an overwhelming amount Of
evidence are generally dsregardsd and treated lightly
even where the indications point strongly IN the dr
ton Of unsoundness of minds Wv ~
Chnd suicides are seemingly more common now
slan IN former years. case was reported fror,
seattle OF boy Is years OF age who ended his re-
ny drinking poison in exactly the way his fatba "a
None SIN years before simply because he had 49,
reproVed by his mother for smoking. Also co.
was reported from Mount Vernon wash 80 hS 80
years OF age who being reproved by his r,o,ha
TOT auarreiing with his younger sister ended ~.
me oy blowing out his brains Another case ms. a
ported rom New York City where a how Of "a
years shot himself because he believed h,yr,eIs 80
DC heursole OF an ailment, the nature OF which va
not disclosed In the Newspaper account All s,os
oSses lnoieste decided tendency toward moral ana
nehtai aeterioration. and they emphasize the urgeD
Oh sreater caution on the part OF life insurance 49,
pAes IN the assumption OF risks. especially for ar~s
amounts ana the justice OF a suicide claus. 49,
adequately protects all the policyholoers aStna.
soVerse selection during the first year of insrns
INC MODERN increase In suicide Is In mart at,.tA
etaole to exceptionally convenient facilities e., .'s
murder particularly by poison The figures sbov ~,
Tor both sexes combined. suicides by poison ar %
nearly as frequent as suicide by firearms In pronort
70 population the male suicide rate was "a - 1oa %
., asainst female rate OF "a but the sex
utterenees IN the rates decidedly more prono,S
Nhen the several methods or means OF cor,,,,t,t
suicide are considered Among men n "a sho- .t
suicide by firearms most common aror,,t..
20 80 per 10000 OF population, followed INV po,.as
Win rate OF SIS. and hanging or stranVnIst,o.