The Scary Story That Started the Suicide Epidemic in the Ottoman Empire

The author Stefan Zweig, who constantly talks about suicide in his books and the main characters usually end with suicide, also ends with suicide or Goethe’s ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ Examples such as the increase in suicide rates in Germany with his book have taken their places as unforgettable examples in the history of literature.

On the other hand, Beşir Fuad, a name from the Ottoman period with Islamic culture and belief… Fuad, 35, what it’s like to die He slit his wrists so he could write, and so he took notes. Afterwards, a ‘suicide epidemic’ broke out in the Ottoman Empire.

First of all, it is useful to understand the personality of Beşir Fuad.

Beşir Fuad, who grew up as an enlightened person thanks to the trainings he received; He has always been a different person than his time. With a completely western education good level of French also learned.

Fuad, who has a materialist and naturalist point of view, guide of your life He saw himself as a religious person and was not very interested in religion. According to Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s interpretation, the fact that Beşir Fuad learned religious teachings from the French language was a factor in his lack of connection with religion.

He was actively involved in the Serbian War, the Russian War, and the Cretan Revolt, but in military articles he wrote because of his humble personality he never mentioned it.

His life, in general, did not go well. It pushed him, step by step, towards taking his own life.

His mother was a woman who was constantly insane and had psychological disorders. It also ended in suicide. The second marriage of Beşir Fuad, who had two marriages, did not happen of his own accord and his second son named Namık Kemal was only 1.5 years old. afflicted with cranberry disease died.

Although his mind was enlightened, Fuad’s death, who had a difficult life, was also quite sensational. He recorded his own death with his own hands.

The writer, who came to his house on February 5, 1887, as usual, said that he would write to his assistant at home and that he did not want to be disturbed, and locked himself in his room. He took paper and pen, sprayed morphine on his wrists, and then cut his veins. With blood running down your wrists what you feel at that moment poured it on paper. The article, which was mixed with blood and ink, contained the following words:

“I performed my surgery, I did not feel any pain. It stings a little as the blood flows. My sister-in-law went downstairs while my blood was flowing. I’m writing, I closed the door and pushed it back. Fortunately, he didn’t get in. From this a sweet death I can’t imagine. I raised my arm furiously to let the blood flow. The fainting began to come.”

It is known that two years before Beşir Fuad’s suicide, he sent a letter to his close friend Ahmet Mithat stating that he was planning his suicide.

Although it is true that a letter was sent to Ahmet Mithat by the author who committed suicide two years before the event, it is true whether Mithat took this letter seriously or not. whether he’s trying to stop his friend was never fully known.

Moreover; The intellectual writer requested to donate his body as a cadaver to a university after his death, but ‘because he is ‘religious’ His request was denied, as he thought it could poison people.

After Fuad’s suicide, a suicide epidemic started in Istanbul.

After the suicide incident, the suicides of Sadullah Pasha and other poets were heard. On March 11, 1887, newspapers were banned from reporting suicides, but it was abolished six months later. This is the first of Istanbul and the Ottoman Empire. suicide epidemic went down in history.