Irvine Express and North Ayrshire Post. — 1885-09-25 (Irvine, Strathclyde, Scotland)

SOME FACTS ABOUT SUICIDES.  It is a remarkable fact that, whilst in Great Britain crime is steadily decreasing, suicide is as steadily on the increase. Nor is it only in our country that suicide is becoming more common ; almost in ever country in Europe the increase is noticeable. The book by Di Westcott—the first that has been published on the subject for many years—gives some curious facts with respect to this disease. The result of a large collection of statistics shows that the maximum suiciele rate occurs in summei.. As to the months, in a general way, suicide increases from January to July, and then decreases again month by month to the end of the year. The greatest morality in England falls to spring and next to winter, or exactly opposite to the tendency of suicide. In Italy only do the maximum of general mortality and suicide coincide with the other two quarters of the year. Dr Westcott's theory is that it is not so much the actual hot weather which seems to increase the actual number of suicides and the amount of lunacy, nor the actual cold weather which checks the number, as it is that the onset of hot weather seriously affects the human system in such a way as to upset the equilibrium of mind function, and to suffer mental motives to derange the intellect.  The relative proportion of suicides exhibited by the sexes has been remarkably constant. Three males to one female is the prevailing rate. In certain district, and in the great cities, the female proportion has increased, and averages one woman to two men. The Spaniards from the most notable exception of the average, female suicide, even in the  rural districts of Spain, being abnormally frequent. Dr Westcott assumes the explanation of the prominence of male suicide is to be found in the fact that the struggle for existence falls at the present time, and always has fallen, chiefly to the men of a State. The female mind is more capable, too, of accommodating itself to change of circumstances, and is also more marked by powers of self-sacrifice than the male intellect.  Having regard simply to numbers, there are most suicides among the unmarried, next among the married, and then among widowed persons, and lastly among persons separated. Bachelors kill themselves oftener than married men; but it Italy, France, Switzerland, and Germany, married women oftener than single. Widows surpass widowers in frequency to suicide, and it has been suggested by statisticians that widowhood in this respect brings woman nearer to man than any other social condition.  - Wars tend to raise the rate among women, because they make so many widows. The suicide rate of widows rose in a sudden leap in Germany and France when the last war broke out, and remained over and above the rate of married and unmarried for two years after. Married men have throughout the lowest rate. Suicide is more frequent among married men than among single women. Dr Westcott is of the opinion that if a calculation could be made of the proximate causes of suicide in England, the most common causes would be found to be misery, despair of success in life, and remorse for crimes, misdemeanours, and follies. We conclude our extracts from Dr Westcott's very interesting and instructive little volume with the following table of English suicides, tabulated according to means :•—•  ." Means Male. Female. 1881. Railway and other vehicles 44 .. 6 Firearms ll B.. 4 Cutthroat. 279 .. 60 Cuts and stabs Falls from a height 27 .. 13 Burns, scalds 2 1 Explosives 271 .. 177 Drowning 474 .. 111 Hanging. 37 .. 12 Strangling Suffocation by vapors 147 .. 81 Poison 59 .. Other causes — .. 17  1476 .. 451  MR