RUSSIAN SUICIDES.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1581, 18 March 1887, Page 3

RUSSIAN SUICIDES.

The Xocotti publishes some statistics showing very plainly what a marked increase there has been of late years in the number of suicides and of insane persons, the total in the asylum* in St Petersburg having more than doubled within the last ten yearp, ar.d and tins increase is attributed by the Sovosti to the development of pessimism as much as to want. In the ten years from 1&03 to lbl3, the number ot suicides in Kussia was at the rateot 17 to every million inhabitants, whereas it is now L'O per million, while in St Petersburg itself there are 200 suicides per every million inhabitants, as aiainst 41>2 in Paris, 170 in Berlin, and S7 iu London. It is only within the last 2U yearß that suicides have been so i umerous in St Petersburg, as in lco4 the total was only about oO per annum. Ten years later the total had just doubled, the increar-e in the population being only b per cent., while the mertase in the number of suicides was at the rate ut 70 oer cent. In the next ten years the price of ineit and house rent had risen about 30 per cent., while tue number ot suicides had increased at the rate oi 300 per cent. The increase in ths number ot the insane has not k» 1 1 pace with that of the suicides, thougu it is no less than 'do per cent. Classified according to their callings, two-thirds of the persons who commit suicide belong to the working clashes, while, with regard to age, suicide is most frequent among those between 20 and 40. It is painful, however, to gather trom the statistics iu questiou that there have been 57 attempts at suicide committed t>y chiluren (42 boys, 12 girls,) between Sand 10, ill-treatment being given as the cause in nearly half these cases, ot which 89 per cent, belonged to the working cias^es.