Some allergens affect mast cells directly, aggravating the itch. C fibers also convey pain signals, and for decades scientists considered itching a dull form of pain. Dermatologists now regard itching and pain as different mechanisms. A person in pain tends to avoid touching the painful areas on his or her body. Itching, however, elicits scratching.
Opiates can both relieve pain and promote itching.
And itching and pain can occur simultaneously at a single site. Scratching, as Nash recognized, is taboo. While occasional, discreet scratching probably won't raise an eyebrow or a nose, repeated, public scratching can get one arrested. The man, a machinist, had just finished a project that had generated a huge amount of fiberglass dust. As he waited in line at a pharmacy, he developed an epic itch, particularly in his groin, and began to scratch.