I wonder how these men made it out of their homes without being lynched by hordes of women who were tired of cooking their meals and pressing their cravats! Although this post doesn't really touch on the statistical arguments I was so incensed by the ridiculousness of the statements made by Cope and Hall that I thought that this would be the best place to vent. Cope says that "The gentler sex is characterized by a great impressibility;... warmth of emotion, submission to its influence rather than that of logic..." Although Hall's quote didn't reflect accuracy of actual suicide rates (instead it concentrated on passivity of method) I wonder if these "scientists" never wondered why all of their wives, sisters, and mothers were killing themselves while their men folk simply stood by and wondered why their dinner wasn't served yet!
Perhaps these "gentlemen of science" should have taken a look at living conditions for the average 19th and early 20th century woman and then formulated a hypothesis as to why suicide rates were so high among women. Although that would have required the development of an a priori hypothesis which wouldn't have agreed with their racist/sexist sensibilities...
Aj–
ReplyDeleteWhile I can certainly understand your frustration with their sexist rhetoric, what I think your post really points to is just how inextricable culture is from scientific work. At this time the Coventry Patmore "Angel in the House" ideal of femininity is still in strong circulation, and this is certainly reflected in quotes like the one you chose from Cope. Also, as coverture laws were still very much in effect and women weren't really legally viewed as a full person, I'm surprised such scientists even took the time to focus on them as subjects. I'm not surprised though that they would choose to study female suicides, as 19th ce in England encountered a wave of panic over lunacy laws and female madness that did spill over into the U.S.