IV 



THE MEANING OF PAIN 



Let us not pass over this subject of pain, Pain chiefly 

 dealing with this one case in a hundred thou- a human 

 sand, without some further elucidation of a mat- attribute, 

 ter which is much misunderstood. The human 

 mind has a strong natural antipathy to pain. 

 We shrink from pain in ourselves; it is repel- 

 lant to us in others. One of the most depress- 

 ing sights to the human eye is the witnessing 

 of the infliction of pain. So strong is this in- 

 stinct that few persons can by force of will 

 overcome it even temporarily. Whether the 

 pain is in man or in a lower animal we instinc- 

 tively interpret it into terms of our own sensa- 

 tions and are accordingly depressed by it. But 

 our knowledge of pain is derived wholly from 

 human experience. The superficial parts of 

 our bodies are supplied with sensitive nerves, 

 and a general impression exists that this sensa- 

 tion manifested by the skin also prevails in the 

 deeper parts. This is erroneous. Pain origi- 



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