In
many of these instances the state of the mind and occasionally
the time of day have a marked influence. Men noted for their
sagacity and courage have been prostrated by fear of pain. Sir
Robert Peel, a man of acknowledged superior physical and
intellectual power, could not even bear the touch of Brodie's
finger to his fractured clavicle. The authors know of an instance
of a pugilist who had elicited admiration by his ability to stand
punishment and his indomitable courage in his combats, but who
fainted from the puncture of a small boil on his neck.
The relation of pain to shock has been noticed by many writers.
Before the days of anesthesia, such cases as the following,
reported by Sir Astley Cooper, seem to have been not unusual: A
brewer's servant, a man of middle age and robust frame, suffered
much agony for several days from a thecal abscess, occasioned by
a splinter of wood beneath the thumb. A few seconds after the
matter was discharged by an incision, the man raised himself by a
convulsive effort from his bed and instantly expired.
It is a well-known fact that powerful nerve-irritation, such as
produces shock, is painless, and this accounts for the fact that
wounds received during battle are not painful.
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