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Psychiatric Bulletin (2003) 27: 115. doi: 10.1192/pb.27.3.115-b
© 2003 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Psychiatric Bulletin (2003) 27: 115
© 2003 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Correspondence

Altruistic suicide: precedence in usage

Robert D. Goldney, FRCPsych

The Adelaide Clinic, 33 Park Terrace, Gilberton, South Australia, Australia 5081

Sir: Dr Spencer's correspondence ‘The Suicide Bomber — Is it a psychiatric phenomenon?’ (Psychiatric Bulletin, November 2002, 26, 346) perpetuates the belief that Durkheim was the first to use the term altruistic suicide. Altruistic suicide was described by George Savage as ‘To save others from suffering. To benefit others’, in his chapter on suicide and insanity in Tuke's Dictionary of Psychological Medicine in 1892. Further-more, the notion of suicide as self sacrifice was also described by Mercier in his book Sanity and Insanity in 1890.

Whilst the concept of altruistic suicide is usually attributed to Durkheim, the evidence is persuasive that Savage deserves scientific precedence in the use of this term. This has been discussed further in Pre-Durkheim Suicidology: The 1892 Reviews of Tuke and Savage (Goldney and Schioldann, 2002).

References

GOLDNEY, R. D., SCHIOLDANN, J. A. (2002) Pre-Durkheim Suicidology: The 1892 Reviews of Tuke and Savage. Adelaide, Adelaide Academic Press.

MERCIER, C. (1890) Sanity and Insanity. London, Walter Scott.

TUKE, D. H. (1892) A Dictionary of Psychological Medicine. London, J. & A. Churchill.





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