A curious and suggestive table of statistics has recently appeared in
France, which will doubtless prove of much value in the hands of
students of psychology and nervous mental ailments. It relates to
suicides; and the conditions, etc., of the people who made away with
themselves in 1874 in France are taken as the basis of the figures. In
that year, 5,617 suicides occurred, the largest number ever known in
any one year in the country. Of these, 4,435, or 79 per cent., were
committed by men, 1,182, or 21 per cent., by women. In spite of the
careful investigations of the police, the ages of 105 people could be
determined. The 5,512 others are divided as follows: 16 years, 29;
between 16 and 21 years, 193; between 21 and 40 years, 1,477; between
40 and 60 years, 2,214; exceeding the last mentioned age, 1,599. About
36 per cent. of these unfortunates were unmarried, 48 per cent.
married, and 16 per cent. widowers. Of those which constituted the
last two classes, nearly two thirds had children. More than seven
tenths of the suicides were effected by strangulation or drowning. The
crime was most frequently committed during spring, when 31 per cent.
of the whole number destroyed themselves; during other seasons the
percentages were: in summer, 27; in winter, 23; in autumn, 19.
Included in the tables are the results of the judicial inquests,
showing the professions and callings of the deceased. About 33 per
cent. were farmers, 30 per cent. mechanics, 4 per cent. merchants or
business men, 16 per cent. members of the liberal professions, 4 per
cent. servants, and 13 percent. were destitute of any calling. The
table even analyzes, in all but 481 people, the motives which caused
the fatal act. Thus we are told that 652 killed themselves because of
reverses in fortune, 701 through family troubles, 572 through
drunkenness, 243 through love, debauchery, etc.; 798 died to avoid
physical suffering, 59 to avoid the penalties of capital crimes, 489
for unclassified troubles, and 1,622 were clearly shown to have been
afflicted with some mental disease.
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