─────┬──────────────────┬────────────┬──────────┬────── │ │ Number of │ Increase │ Term YEAR.│ COUNTRY. │ Suicides │ per │ of │ │per Million.│ Million. │Years. ─────┼──────────────────┼────────────┼──────────┼────── 1880 │Portugal │ 16 │ 3 │ 5 1880 │Spain │ 19 │ 2 │ 5 1883 │Ireland │ 24 │ 6 │ 5 1878 │Russia and Finland│ 35 │ Dec. 1·2 │ 6 1881 │Italy │ 44 │ 7 │ 5 1881 │Scotland │ 48 │ 11 │ 5 1880 │Holland │ 51 │Stationary│ 10 1882 │England │ 74 │ 7 │ 10 1875 │Norway │ 75 │ Dec. 33 │ 13 1879 │Belgium │ 90 │ 22 │ 5 1877 │Sweden │ 101 │ 15 │ 5 1880 │Bavaria │ 102 │ 11 │ 5 1877 │Austria │ 144 │ 24 │ 3 1880 │Hanover │ 150 │ 10 │ 5 1877 │Prussia │ 168 │ 34 │ 4 1880 │France │ 216 │ 56 │ 5 1881 │Switzerland │ 240 │ 25 │ 5 1878 │Denmark │ 265 │ 32 │ 5 1878 │Saxony │ 469 │ 170 │ 5 ─────┴──────────────────┴────────────┴──────────┴────── In an endeavour to make an accurate estimate of the suicide rate of the various states, and the relative increase in the rates, we are met by the further difficulty that the periods of observation vary much in length; in Holland, for example, there was no formal collection of numbers until 1869; on the other hand, in Sweden, the amount of suicide has been estimated ever since 1750. An enormous decrease may be observed in the figures relating to Norway; it may be due to the very stringent laws relating to intoxication, and to the regulations placed on the sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks about twenty years ago. The calculation of the averages of the various countries is performed by the formula used by Professor Bodio: _x_ = 100 × (_a′_∕_a_-1)^{1∕_n_}: in which _a´_ = the number of suicides in the last year: _a_ = the number of suicides in the first year of the series: and _n_ = the number of years of observation. The following table from Legoyt is interesting, but the data are not so recent as in the foregoing list, and hence do not coincide:─ TABLE showing the Difference in the Rates of Variation per cent. between Population and Suicide from 1865 to 1876.