Protests are made from time to time, and I should
like to add Mine now, at the practice of bringing in verdicts of " Suicide while of unsound mind" at inquests when there is no evidence of in- sanity except the suicide itself. What prompts this observation is the sad death of Mrs. Mavis Tate, late M.P. for Frome, after a long and painful illness. I have only read such evidence as the papers gave, but on that there would seem to be no justification for finding that " she died of gas-poisoning, self-administered, while the balance of her mind was disturbed by ill-health." All the indications are that Mrs. Tate's mind was in no way disturbed. On the contrary, she considered her action carefully and deliberately beforehand, and reached the conclusion that with no one dependent on her, and constant pain and perpetual sleeplessness her lot, it was the wiser thing to end her life. Who will take it on him to say she was wrong? If, as I suppose is the case, such verdicts as were given in this case are defended as a charitable alternative to the harsh and distasteful f elo de se, then the law requiring the latter finding might well be changed.
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