484 DISEASES OF VOLITION. SECT. XXXIV. K 



Henee when a perfon is in great pain, the caufe 

 of which he cannot remove, he fets his teeth firmly 

 together, or bites fome fubftance between them with 

 great vehemence, as another mode of violent exer- 

 tion to produce a temporary relief. Thus we have 

 a proverb where no help can be had in pain, ' to 

 grin and abide;" and the tortures of hell are faid 

 to be attended with " gnafhing of teeth." 



Hence in violent fpafmodic pains I have feen peo- 

 ple bite not only their tongues, but their arms or 

 fingers, or thofe of the attendants, or any object 

 which was near them ; and alfo ftrike, pinch, or 

 tear, others or themfelves, particularly the part of 

 their own body, which is painful at the time. Sol- 

 diers, who die of painful wounds in battle, are faid 

 in Homer to bite the ground. Thus alfo in the 

 bellon, or colica faturnina, tr\e patients are faid to 

 bite their own flefh, and dogs in this difeafe to bite 

 tip the ground they lie upon. It is probable that 

 the great endeavours to bite in mad dogs, and the 

 violence of other mad animals, is owing to the fame 

 caufe. 



4. If the efforts of our voluntary motions are 

 exerted with ftill greater energy for the relief of 

 fome difagreeable fenfation, convulfions are produc- 

 ed ; as the various kinds of epilepfy, and in fome 

 hyfteric paroxyfms. In all thefe difeafes a pain or 

 difagreeable fenfation is produced, frequently by 

 worms, or acidity in the bowels, or by a difeafed 

 nerve in the fide, or head, or by the pain of a dif- 

 eafed liver. 



In fome coaftitutions a more intolerable degree 

 of pain is produced in fome p^rt at a diflance from 

 the caufe by feniitive affociation, as before explain- 

 ed ; thefe pains in fuch conilitutions arife to fo great 

 a degree, that I verily believe no artificial tortures 

 could equal fome, which I have witneffed ; and am 

 confid-ent life would not have long been preferved, 



unlefs 



