Can a Mouse Commit Suicide? (IN: Essays in Self-destruction, ed. by E S Shneidman)

Suicide requires intent, & intent implies the ability to make a choice, or the ability to make a discrimination. In this research, the author tests the theory that an animal can discriminate between life & death, as a preliminary step toward experimentation that could induce lower animals to kill themselves. This in turn could lead to greater understanding of self-destructive behavior in humans. In the present experiment, mice were able to discriminate between live & dead animals. 8 Ref. (NBB)