The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1858-04-23
The Philosophy Of Pain.

Sir Humphrey Davy, when boy, with
the defiant constancy OF youth which had
as yet suffered nothing, held the opinion
that pain was no evil. He was refu,ed by
crab who bit his toe when he was in bath
ing, and made him roar loud enough to be
heard half mile oil If he had maintain
cd, i,,stsad, that pain -ss.s "A good, his doc
trine would have been unimpcachab'c.-
Unless the whole constitution OF the world
were altered, our very existence depends
upon our scnsibili,y to suffering. An anec-
do,e, which is quoted by DR.. Carpenter in
his "Principles of Human Physiology" from
the "Journal of Naturalist" shows the
fatal effects Of temporary suspension OF
this law of o,lr nature.
A drovcr went to sleep on a winters cve-
ming upon the platform Of a lime-kiln, with
one leg resting upon the stones which had
been piled up to burn through the night.-
That which was gentle warmth when he
laid down, became consuming fire before
he rose up. His foot was burnt oil above
the ankle, and when, reused in The morning
by the man who superintendent the lime
kiln, he put his stump, unconscious OF his
misfortune, to the ground, the extremity
crumbled into fragments. Whether he had
been ullcd into torpor by the carbonic acid
driven oil from the limestone, or whatever
else may have been the cause of his lnsen-
sibility, he iit no pain, and through bis
very exemption from this lot OF humanity,
expired fortnight afterwards IN Bristol
hospital.
Without tho warning voice Of pain, life
would be n series of similar disasters. The
crab, to the lasting detrlIncnt OF chemistry,
might have eaten of the future Sir Hum
phrey's foot while he was swimming, with.
out his entertaining the slightest suspicion
of the ravages which were going on. Had
he survived Tho injuries from the crab, he
would have been cut of In the morning oil
his famous career, II, when experimenting
upon the gases, the terrible oppression at
his ches, had not warned him to cease IN
haling the carburetted hydrogen, nor, eiter
a long struggle for life, would he have re.
covered to say to his alarmed assistant, VI
do not think shall die"
Without physical pain, infancy would be
manned or perish, before experience could
inform it Of its dangers. Lord Kaimes adj
viscd parents to cut the fingers Of their
children "cunningly' witha knife, that the
little innocents might associate suffering
with the glittering blade before they could
do themselves n worse injury; but II no
smart accompanied the wound, they would
cut up their fingers with the same glec that
they cut stick, and burn them in a candle
with the same delight that they burn piece
of paper in the tire. Without pain We
could not proportion our actions TO the
strength Of our frame, or our excrtions to It's
powers Of endurance.
In the impetuosity Of youth We should
strike blows that would crush our hands,
and break our arms; we should take leaps
that would dislocatc our limbs; and no long
or taught by fatigue that the muscles need
ed rcposc, We should continue our sports
and walking tours till we had worn out the
living tissue with the same Inconsistencies
that VIC now wear out our coats and our
shoes. The very nutriment which Is the
support Of lite would frequently prove our
death. Miiabeau said OF man who was as
idle as he was corpulent, that his only use
was to show how far the skin would stretch
without bursting. Without pain this limit
would be constantly exceeded, and cPicure,s,
experiencing no uneasy sensations, would
continue their festivities untllthcy met win
the fate of the frog ip the fable, who was
ambitious of emulating the size OF the OK.
Sir Charles Bell mentions the case ~.
patient who had lost the sense of hea' :" ~. H.,
right hand, and who, unconscious u,i. ,n. s s"s
was was burning hot, took il out and deliberately
"a. '.,,,,uai % !, - i,s proper place, to the de-
s,,u.,;on - of tho skin Of the palm aud fingers.
This of Itself would be an accident Of inces-
s.nt occurrence, If the monitor were want
inc which makes us drop such materials
more hastily than we pick them up. Pain
is the grand preserer Of existence, the