On the Causes of Frequent Suicide: A Psychological Treatise

creation; indeed, we find such animals in abundance that, caught in hostile struggle, inflict the fatal blow upon one another, indeed who are themselves destined by Providence divine guidance to obtain necessary nourishment by means of the robbery and destruction of smaller, weaker creatures; but yet no investigation, not even the most careful research of the diligent naturalist, has been able to show us even one example of an animal that, by virtue of a natural instinct, has thrown itself into death. Thus, no similar phenomenon would be found from the realm of living, sentient beings; every other animal values and loves its life too much to cast away the beautiful gift, and fights with all possible strength against