The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-09
Medical Notes.

Pain is one of many words that have
grown from roots that have no connec-
ton with the thing to which the term
is applied. 1t is from the same root as
punishment, and pain is therefore lit
orally an eXpiation for or punishment of
SIN or error. Before accurate knowledge
of the body, when disease was believed to
be divine inf1iction upon erring human
ity, pain was considered as manifesto
ton of divine vengeance, and even with
in century or so this belief in divine
suggestion that we mend our ways was
current. Vaccination, for example, was
INSTRUCTED by the theologians because,
they said, if it was the will of God that
man should have the smallpox, it was
wicked for a man to take any means to
avoid it. So, when ether was discovered
and recommended, church men declared
that pain was a manifestation of God s
d1spleasure, and that it was wrong to al
leviate it. Pain, however, is not so much
a visitation of Providence as it is the
result of our own indiscretion, and it is
means to prevent indiScretion. 1t is
not an unmitigated evil. Were it not
for the feeling of pain we should I'M
Willingly infict all manner of injuries
upon our bodies 1t is in a sense an
educator. The child, for example, has
no means of learning that fire burns
his fingers on a hot stove; the nerves
bear sensation of heat to the brain, and
this master of ceremonies sends a mes
sage by another set of nerves to the
muscles of the finger, ordering them to
remove the finger from the source of in
jury. The pain and the action are tenn
porary, but the impression made upon
the brain is permanent and thereafter
the burnt child shuns the fire
In adult life we commit indiscretions Of
different nature, but none the less sug-
geStfVe to us that the result is injurious
we indulge, for example, too freely in
food or drink, and this is followed by a
stCmachache or headache. We try and
try again, and find that certain articles
of food will always cause pain and if
we are wise we cut these articles out
of our dietary; but unfortunately the
VIII is not always strong enough TO fore
go the pleasures of the table, and hence
we suffer the pain
ram is always a symptom; it is not
a disease itself; but pain may cause
death. When it occurs suddenly it is
usually symptom of Inflammation
characterized by the classic factors of
pain, heat, redness and swelling. Two
elements enter into the causation of the
pain; one similar to squeezing nerve
due TO the swelling; and the other one
due to the heat which drys the surfaces
which should glide easily over each
other, the result being similar to that
occurring when we do not oil a bearing
and friction results.
The most common and striking exam
pie of this is peritonitis, a disease in
which pain is most serious. Pressure
upon the abdomen increases the pain
and thus differentiates it from pain due
to spasm, which is relieved by pressure.
Even the pressure of the clothing causes
agony and the fear of being touched
causes an agitation of mind which acts
as injuriously in depressing the bodily
strength as the actual pain The body
is bathed in cold sweat, the face is
drawn and agoniZed fainting fits NAV
occur, delrium may be present, and even
convulsions, and as the patient sinks in
to Inconsistencies from pain the physi-
clan fears the worst, for he recognizes
the occurrence of nervous shock
1t is therefore important to relieve
pain at once, but not always advisable to
do so quickly, for pain is not only a
manifestation of disease, but an index
of its progress. An indication of this
Is cold on the chest. Here there is
pain and cought. The cough is natures