THE MEANING OF PAIN 



tated. But all of this is done under anesthesia. 

 After the wound is closed and dressed, there 

 is rarely any pain. We hear much of people 

 having undergone "painful operations," but 

 investigation shows that they did not have any 

 pain they were under the influence of the 

 anesthetic. The abdomen may be opened, the 

 intestine sewed, or tumors removed, and when 

 the patient comes out of the anesthetic there 

 usually is no pain. The surgical ward of a 

 hospital, where rows of people lie who have 

 extensive wounds of vital parts, is not the scene 

 of suffering that the novelists and attorneys 

 for the prosecution often represent. 



