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From approximately 15,000 consecutive medicolegal autopsies, a series of 764 completed ‘suicides’ has been collected and studied. When analysed, this series revealed three principal types of self-destruction and the important difference between ‘attempted’ and ‘completed’ suicide. Motivation for suicide, medical treatment, family relationship, and alcohol have also been discussed. Still further, while the Registrar-General's figures reveal a considerable reduction in the rate of suicide at a time when it has been escalating—these ‘missed suicides’ are fully explored.

From approximately fifteen thousand consecutive medicolegal autopsies, a series of 764 completed ‘suicides’ have been collected and studied. When analysed, this series revealed 3 principal types of self-destruction. Over 50 per cent of the cases, irrespective of age and sex, changed the methods employed for subsequent suicide attempts and 30 per cent of the men and 40 per cent of the women, irrespective of age, had made attempts prior to the final act.Mental illness was noted in 76 per cent of those cases with previous suicide attempts compared with 40 per cent of those without a history of previous attempts, in whom other factors, such as physical and social, were predominant. Medical treatment, gastric casts, and missed suicides are also discussed, so as to reveal their significance in lowering the suicide rate at a time when it has been escalating.

An experiment was conducted to obtain information on the estimation of the reduction of yield of bidi tobacco due to different degrees of infestation by leaf eating caterpillar, Prodenia litura F. It was found that the reduction in yield was to an extent of 23.4, 44.2 and 50.4 per cent when the plants were infested with 2, 4 and 8 larvae per plant respectively, which gave a financial loss of Rs. 489.60 to Rs. 1,053.45 per hectare at Rs. 1.50 per kg., the average price of tobacco during the years under experiment.