The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-08-23
BELLYACHE PROPER IS Nor ONLY BUT ALSO MISLEADING

None of the organs or other structures con taned in the upper bedy cavity (chesto or
 lower body cavity (abdomen) nag sensahon t,.o.. There are no sensory nerves supplying these organs The pain you think you feel Tn your stomach appendix, colon, heart or lung IS acc tuay felt in the ntercostai nerve, rye S sensU,s ,:. cles of the body wall. Any pain you feel below the diaphragm is beyache proper, for It IS ac, tually felt ir the abdominal wall. The hternaI organs are entirely without ordinary sensation to pain or discomfort, even the brain. IT the abdominal, chest or skull wall be anesthetizeo' any necessary operation may be done on the or gans or on the brain without producing pam But nevertheless the utmost care and gentle ness in handling these insensible structures, es- pecially the avoidance of all stretching, tear tng or pinchng of tissues, IS essent,al In any. such operation, under local or surface anes- thesia as well as in operations under general anesthesia, lest the patient suffer dangerous or
 fatal shock. Anesthetics benumb only ordinary
 tactle sense of pain but do not effect the auto homie, sympathetic nervous system which pre- sides over all internal organs and their func- tions. -
 before you can learn such things you must know little elementary anatomy. Here m the interest of better education must deplore once again the failure of our common scnoois to give every child a course in human anatomy as necessary foundation for the next years course in physiology both subjects being the minimum essential preparation for fair under standing of a high school course in hygiene
 Communicating fbers connect the sympa- thetic ganglions or substations, which are situ- ated in front of the heads of the ribs close to the spine, with the spinal nerves, the nerves of ordinary tactile and pain sensations. This connection accounts for the sense of pain in the body wall when the source of trouble is in the interior where there is no ordinary tactile or pain sensation.
 Close under each rib one of the spinal nerves extends around the body wall, giving branches to the muscles or skin or chest or abdomen. These are called intercostal nerves (between the ribs). Pain in one or more of these nerves is called intercostal neuralgia, and more than once such pain has led to grave error In diag- nosis even to operation for what proves to be only phantom "appendcitis". Where the signs ecited by examination of the patient are not consistent with the complaint of pain, the care- ful physician endeavors to exclude intercostal neuralgia before committing himself. One test is papation while the patient balloons the belly and holds it so-physicians will understand the significance of this test; laymen will not mild pinchng of liberal fold of skin and Tat in the affected area causes a normal person or one with serious trouble no particular discom- fort, but is painful to one with intercostal neu. ,ralgia.
 Anenaic women often complain of pain lin the heart" which is in fact only intercostal neuralgia.
 Pain felt now in the belly, now in the back, is usually intercostal neuralgia. Pain felt Tn only one half and exactly one half of the belly is always neuralgia.