Smyrna times., 1858-04-08

up. Pain is the grand preserver OF existence,
the sleepless sentinel that watches over our
safety, and makes as both start away from the
injury that is present, and guard against it
carefully in the time to cOlAc."
The fact that we are SO sensitive TO pain as
to allow no cut or bruse which it is in our
power to avert shows that
THE SKIN is A SENTINEL.-"T The ski: is the
advanced guard through VIII ch every injury I"
The other parts must make l's way. The skin,
therefore, required To be the seal oia peculiar
sensIbIlny, but for IT'S own security and 10 i'm
pei us to finch from the violence which would
hurt The flesh beneath Forming our notions of
pam from what we fe,l at the surface, We i'm
bIbe the idea that the deeper the wound the
more severe would be the suffering; but this,
says Sir Charles Bell. Is de.uslve. and contrary
To the fact. The surgeon, he adds, who makes
use of the knife, informs the patient tLat the
worst is over when the skin is passed, and if, III
the progress of the operation, it Is found neces-
sary to extend the outer IncIsIun, the return To
the skin proves far more trying than the Origl-
nal cut, from contrast which 1t presents TO the
comparative lnsenslhllIy ofthe interior. The
muscle Is protected not by its own tenderness.
which is by no means acute, but by The tender
ness of its superficial covering, which affords.
says SIR Charles, "a more efrctuul defence than
If our bodies were clothed with the hide of
rhinOceros.'
1t would seem like piece of new information
that
TIE RRAIN FEELS NO WOUND" The brain,
again, is enclosed in bony case. All our bodl-
iy sensations are dependent upon the nerves,
nut even the nerves do not give rise 10 feeling,
unless they are in connection with the hraIn.-
The nervous chord when, In familiar language,
~ called the spinal marrow, ls the channel by
which this communication Is kept up as the ma
J0r part of them, aud when a section "f what
may be termed the great trunk road for the
conveyance Ot our sensations Is diseased, aud
by the breach in its continuity the nerves be-
low the disorderrd part can no longer send their
accustomed intelligence to the brain, The portion
Of the body which thus become isolated may be
burned or hacked. and no more pain will re-
salt than if it belonged to a dead carcass in-
stead of to living man. The BRAN, therefore
~ subOrdnatIOn To the mind, is the physical
centre OF all sensation. Yet, strange to say, il
Is lts4tf InsensIble to the wounds which are a
torture to the skin, and whIch wounds the
brain alone enables us to feel. Ii is as insen-
sIbe, says Sir Charles Bell. the leather of
our SHOE and piece may be cut off without IN
terruptlng the patient III the sentence that he
is uttefing.' Because the bone which enl lelop-
II is its protection against injuries from with.
out. II has no perception of them hen rrcted
against its own fabric, though II is, at the same
tine, the sole source Of the pain winch those ln-
lures Inf1Ict upon the other portions of the sys-
tenn. But the skull is no defence againsl the
effects of intemDrrance, or vitIated atmOs-
phere, or tnO great mental toll. To these, con-
seqnpntly the same brain, which has been crea-
ted nsPTsiOe To- the cut of the knife, 10 rendered
tully alive. and gIdduness. headaches, and apo
pete oppression, give ample notice to stop the
evil, unless We are prepared to pay the penalty.