Emile Durkheim's study of 'Suicide' (1897) is a landmark work in sociology, not only for its substantive findings but, more importantly, for establishing a distinct sociological method. Durkheim aimed to demonstrate that sociology could be a rigorous science, capable of explaining social phenomena through social causes, rather than reducing them to psychological or biological factors. His method was a direct application of his 'Rules of Sociological Method' and laid the foundation for positivist sociology.

Here are the distinct aspects of his method:

1. Treat Social Facts as Things: Durkheim's most fundamental methodological principle was to treat 'social facts' as objective realities, external to individuals, and capable of exercising coercive power over them. He defined social facts as 'ways of acting, thinking, and feeling, external to the individual, and endowed with a power of coercion by virtue of which they control him.' In the study of suicide, the 'suicide rate' itself was treated as a social fact, rather than focusing on individual suicides. He argued that these rates, being collective phenomena, could not be explained by individual psychology.

2. Empirical and Quantitative Analysis: Durkheim meticulously collected and analyzed official statistics on suicide rates from various European countries, different religious groups, age groups, marital statuses, and economic conditions. This was a pioneering use of quantitative data in sociology to identify patterns and correlations, moving beyond anecdotal evidence or philosophical speculation. He compared suicide rates across different social categories to identify variations.

3. Comparative Method: He employed a comparative method, analyzing variations in suicide rates across different societies and within the same society over time. By comparing, for example, the suicide rates of Protestants and Catholics, or married and unmarried individuals, he sought to isolate social factors that influenced these rates. This allowed him to rule out non-social explanations (like climate or race) and focus on social integration and regulation.

4. Search for Social Causes: Durkheim's central hypothesis was that suicide, despite being an individual act, is fundamentally caused by social factors, specifically the degree of social integration and social regulation within a group or society. He identified four types of suicide:

   • Egoistic Suicide: Resulting from low social integration (e.g., Protestants having higher rates than Catholics due to less collective ritual).
   • Altruistic Suicide: Resulting from excessively high social integration (e.g., soldiers sacrificing themselves for their country).
   • Anomic Suicide: Resulting from a lack of social regulation or normlessness, often during periods of rapid social change or economic crisis (e.g., during economic booms or busts).
   • Fatalistic Suicide: Resulting from excessive social regulation and oppression (e.g., slaves).

5. Rejection of Individualistic Explanations: Durkheim explicitly rejected psychological, biological, or geographical explanations for variations in suicide rates. He argued that while individual predispositions might exist, they could not explain the consistent patterns observed at the societal level. For instance, if mental illness caused suicide, then mental illness rates should correlate with suicide rates, which he found not to be the case across different groups.

6. Causal Explanation: By identifying correlations between social facts (e.g., religious affiliation, marital status, economic stability) and suicide rates, Durkheim aimed to establish causal relationships, demonstrating how variations in social integration and regulation directly impacted the propensity for suicide within a population.

In essence, Durkheim's 'Suicide' provided a powerful demonstration of sociology's capacity to explain social phenomena scientifically, using empirical data and a rigorous comparative method to uncover social causes, thereby solidifying sociology's status as a distinct and legitimate scientific discipline.