PAIN, LAUGHTER AND WEEPING 323 



then the brain-cells would be in equilibrium and no 

 muscular act hence, no pain would result. In the 

 nearest approach to this hypothetical condition that 

 we know instances of sudden and widespread burn- 

 ing by fire there is said to be no pain. 



But if all the contact ceptors of the body but one 

 were equally stimulated and this one stimulated more 

 strongly than the rest, then the stimulus of the latter 

 would gain possession of the final common path and 

 would cause a given muscular contraction and a sensa- 

 tion of pain. It is well known that when a greater 

 pain stimulus is thrown into competition with a lesser 

 pain stimulus, the lesser is submerged. The schoolboy 

 takes advantage of this fact when he initiates the novice 

 into the mystery of the painless plucking of a hair. The 

 simultaneous but severe application of the boot to the 

 blindfolded victim solves the problem, and the hair is 

 plucked painlessly through the triumph of the boot 

 stimulus over the hair stimulus in the struggle for the 

 possession of the final common path. 



This hypothesis is supported also by the fact that 

 strong contact ceptor stimuli are often dispossessed 

 by distance ceptor stimuli in such a way that an 

 injury which under ordinary conditions would cause 

 great muscular contraction and consequent pain, is 

 endured in apathy because of the victim's complete 

 obsession by some emotional stimulus. Instances of 

 this kind are seen in cases of self-inflicted torture 

 among savage tribes; in fanatics while under the 

 stimulus of religious zeal ; in cases of physical injury 

 received by persons obsessed by anger or fear; and, 

 to a lesser degree, in sexual emotion. Soldiers in the 



