2010 年 33 巻 p. 67-82
In this study, the writer has attempted to clarify the characteristics of Royal Humane Society (RHS), the first association for life-saving and suicide prevention in England, analyzing theories of its founders and endeavors. The debate on suicide was much heater than elsewhere in early modern England, and the verdict “non compos mentis” has been increased. In this stream, RHS was founded by two medical men. Doctors and priests cooperated to prevent suicide in RHS, where the key conceptions of their theories were ʻself-loveʼ, ʻbenevolenceʼ and ʻcompassionʼ. They insisted ʻthe patientsʼ who attempted suicide need medical care and emphasized the importance of education that control passions.