SOME FACTS ABOUT SUICIDES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2175, 19 December 1885, Page 3

SOME FACTS ABOUT SUICIDES.

'lt 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; in almost every country in Europe the increaso is noticeable' The book by Dr Westcott—the first that has been published 01. the subject for many years—gives some curious facts with respect to this disease. The result of a collection of statistics shows thut the maximum suicide rate occurs in summer. 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. Illie greatest mortality in Jjjnglaud fallß to spring, and nest to winter, or exactly opposite to the tendency of suicide, In Italy only does the maximum of general mortality and suicide coincide with the other two quarters of the year. Dr Westcott's theory is that it i» not so much the actual hot weather which Eeeras to increase the number of suicides and the amount of lunacy, nor tfie actual cold weather which checks the number, as it iB that the onset of hot weather .seriously affects. tho. human system in such'a way "as to upset tho equilibrium of mind function, and to puffer mental motives to derange the intellect.

~The., .relative proportion of suicides exhibited by the sexes'has been remarkJuly oonstant, Thee males to one female is the prevailing rates.' In certain districts, and ia the cities, the female proportion has increased, and the arerage is one • woman- to two men. The Spaniards form the most: notable exception to the average, female suicide. Even in the ruraldiatrictsof Spain they are abnormally frequent. Dr Westcott assumes that the explanation of the protdfnence of male suicide 1b to be found in the fact that the struggle for existence fills in the present time," and has always Men ohiefly to the men of a State. The female mind 'is more' capable, top, of MCdtnmodating itself to chancje'of circumstance, and' is also more marked by power,? of thaii the male intellect.' "| • Having regard, simply to numbers, there a,te'm,p,re suicides among the unmarried, next, ain,ong the, married, and then amoiig the widowed persons,, and, lastly among persons separated, ' '' " kill themselves, oftener than men; .but in Italy, Trance, Switzerland, and Germany, married women oftenor than single'. Widows surpass widowers in frequency of. suicide, -»nd it has. been suggested by'statisticians' %t widowhood in this respect brings womori nearer to man than- any other woial condition. Wars tend''to raise $e rate among TforaeP) bemuse, they wake so many, T^ : 6iiicide'rat6 of .widows rose p'ijt siidtlen leap in Germany and Ffahco when tho last war broke out, and rettalnediover and above the rate'of married and unmarried for. two' -years • after. Married men have throughout the lowestrate. Suicide is moro'frdrujerit among unmarried men than among" single women/ pjDr o'pih'io'ntjiiit if'a calajiMori couid'b'e made 'of the proximate 6ius"e'B"of'B'ui'6id6 in England, .the "in'osf &Yaru6h.''daiift'es ( would be, k\nf . desnMr. oi s.u.ocessiri life, and .«■ crimes,*' inisqem'ea.riaw, and ■wMy-

,' We.' conclude our extracts from Dr Wbswott's Very interesting and instructive little volume with the following table of English suicides, -tabulated according 'to means:— "••■■ ■ ' • ':'% ■■■ :::; <W ■ ' ' ' < vHalp Female Sajjway and otljer vsjiioles,,, 44 - 6 firearms,'..! •.'.'.. '.„ : 418 . 4 Got throws'.'. .... GO buteandßtaba .., ,:. 16 2 falls fromaheight ... 27, 13 Burns, soalds' .;. ''..;'•■ 5 1 Explosives.;. ... ~-'271 177' ; Drowning;..' ;..' ''...' 474 111Hanging ... .„ ' ... '.37 : 12 . Strangling ... ' ... 2 0 Suffocation by vapors ... 147' 81 Poison ;.,. 's9' .0j . Other causos ... ... 0 it \,m . 483