different realities and reactions week old son, would not have to grow up with the violent man and she herself would come easier to heaven if she committed murder.437 The British physician Alexander Crichton who spread the knowledge of these German cases wider, also had his own understanding of these and other murders – they were caused by various types of despair.438 Even using just the concept of despair all three cases also can be understood without the necessary use of any psychiatrical perspective, due to fear for pain and suffering, and, in the case of Völkner, longing for a better life inheaven. An early German legislation dealing with these crimes is to be found in a decree in Nuremberg of August 12th 1702 on murders motivated by weariness with life. How the guilty would be executed was not specified. It would be decided arbitrarily by the council and be both painful and shameful.439 An Austrian edict of March 22nd 1706 especially mentions murders of unrelated children as victims. These murders were described as especially severe and also that the murderers sometime had weariness with life as their motive.440 Then, July 28th 1713, a resolution was given concerning those, often young, rootless, and also itinerants, committing blasphemy or sacrilege in order to lose their head by the sword of the executioner. Already the punishment had been to lose hand and head, now to it was added three bouts of public corporal punishment before the execution. Several of those condemned for this crime was imprisoned when committing their crimes.441 On August 30th 1715 a new resolution aimed instead not to execute those with such a motive was introduced.442 In an secret addition to the 437 Gnothi sauthon 1788VI:3:47sqq. 438 ”The fact itself is too notorious to be denied; the first phenomenon by which despair, airing from a desire of ease from the pain by the medium of death, exhibits itself, is often the murder of another.” Crichton 1798 p 204. 439 Bode 1914 p 454 sqq, Weber 1937 p 162 sq, 169 sq, Stuart 2008 p 440 sq, Stuart 2009 p 66 sq. 440 Stuart 2008 p 427, 440 sq, Griesebner 2000 p 221. 441 Hehenberger 2008 p 192 sq, Sammlung 1748 p 714 sq, Stuart 2023 p 287 sq. 442 Hehenberger 2008 p 194 sq, Sammlung 1748 p 801 sq, Stuart 2023 p 291 sqq. 128
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