The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-05
THE SECRET OF PHYSICAL PAIN.
Is There "A Separate system of Nerves
For Conveying That SensatiOns
From the Literary Digest.

From the Literary Digest.
1t has lately been maintained by some
French psychologists that the feeling of
those of touch, sight, etc, and transmitted
to the brain by a special set of nerves
When boy falls and hurts his head ac
cording to this view, he has two sensa-
tions, one of contact with the ground,
transmitted to the brain by the ordinary
nerves, and one of pain due to the injury
received, transmitted by the pain nerves.
These sensations may not even reach the
brain at the same time; in fact, the pain
usually gets there later. In the Revue
Scientifque M. PHILIPPE Tissie discusses
this theory and concludes that it does
not correspond to the facts, which are to
be explained rather by what goes on in the
brain ITSELF where there is probably a
special pain center" that is not stimu-
lated except by an excessive sensation.
Says NJ. Tissie:
Under this title CHas Pain Its Special
Nerves?O M. FREDERICK has recently adj
dressed a letter to M. Richet, in which he
maintains the existence of special nerves
of pain. M. FREDERICK bases his theory on
% the retardation of the sensation of pain
compared to that of touch: 90 the sup
preston of this sensation in certain cases;
80 the difference of sensibiity to pain and
touch, as in portions of the body that are
scarcely sensitive at all TO cold, but are
very much so to the pain of shock; and
"a the similarity of the painful sensation,
whatever may be its cause, provided that
the injured cutaneous surface is of a given
extent and the exciting cause of a given
intensity. The stroke of a whip sears
the skin as a red-hot iron would.
1--WE think with NJ. Richet and with NJ.
Lombroso, who accepts the theory that
pain is the result of strong eXcitation of
the senses that such reasons are not sufti-
cient, and what is more, that the theory
of special nerves explains nothing, sand
Therefore serves only to confuse the already
complicated problem of the psycho-physi-
ology of pain. on the other hand, NJ
FREDERICK fails to take into account the
psychic function of the brain.
Here are two facts from my expert
ence:
81. One winter morning on rising, my
mind being taken up with an absorbing
process Of thought, l proceeded, accord
ing to my habit, to take my daily cold
water bath. But at the first contact of
the sponge, fun of water, / was surprised;
my thought was replaced in my mind by
| a succession of two different impressions,
separated by a relatively long interval
one of touch and one of temperature.
MY consciousness thus aided in the
clear separation of two impressions of
different kinds. on the morrow morning
/ fixed my attention, as soon as got
up, so that L might better analyze the
sensations felt on the first contact of the
sponge with the skin, but l could not de-
tect the separation of the two impress
sions, as on the previous day. when the
phenomenon had been produced automat-
ically.
Il repeated the same experiment several
Nil.
seemed TO me tc be confirmatory of the
views of M. Richet as opposed to those
of NJ. FREDERICK.
a. 1t happened at another time that L
made a misstep, placing my foot on the
ground sidewise so as to get SEN
sation of pain. L had first a sensation Of
shock, the speed being about one-thlrtieth
of a second from my feet to my brain,
and at once began observation with my
centers Of analysis, for 1 knew that "a
sharp pain would follow. The pain came
one second later; II lasted four or five sec
onds, growing gradually less and less.
I'm this case l was warned. l waited,
and I analysed my feelings. The
impression of the shock had the time to be
perceived and registered, whence the pos
sibility of observation.
at was not the same as in the former
case, the time of transfer being too rapid
to allow the Analysing centers to work sep
arately. Nevertheless, If an absorbing
process of thought holds them in working
order, dissertation can be produced be-
cause the tactile impression knocks for an
instant at the gate of the Analysing CEN
tiers, so to speak, and the time that 1t takes
to open this gate is long enough to cause
a solution Of continuity between the two
| Impressions Of sensitiveness to touch and
| sensitiVeness to pain.
! ~ believe that il is in the brain that we
must seek for the cause of the delay in
consciousness of pain, and not in a retard-
| alton of speed on the part OF special nerves
whose power of transmission is, as has
! been supposed less than that of the ordi-
/ nary nerves"
According TO the authors hypothesis,
then, pain, being simply a very powerful
sensation, differs from the ordinary sensa-
| tiOns simply in excess of strength, and is
of course transmitted over the same nerves
and with the same speed but the mind
| may apprehend it as a sensation Of touch.
| or whatever it may be, before waking up,
as we may say. TO the idea that 1t is an ex-
cessive or painful sensation. To quote
] again:
"A strong conception responds to a
strong impression. coming from = special