The experience of pain is more tied in to mental/emotional stories than it is to nervous system kind of stuff. This guy proves it, doesn't he?

So (sorry, PETA) I feel better about plunging lobsters into boiling water now. (Oops. Thread derail!!)
posted by kozad at 7:10 PM on September 17, 2003

PowerBreathing? by Yonah?

Authentic spiritualty is so refreshing.
posted by goethean at 7:36 PM on September 17, 2003

For those unable or too lazy to watch the video: the surgery was the removal of a tumor from the back of his neck. It took about an hour.
posted by Aaorn at 8:33 PM on September 17, 2003

Fanny Burney's account of her mastectomy (the "relic of the past" link) is brilliant. What's depressing is that she might not have had breast cancer in the first place.

A less famous story, this time about William Pitt the Younger:

"The doctors found an 'encysted tumor' [on his cheek], and the celebrated John Hunter removed it at Downing Street. Pitt showed a sangfroid equal to the standards of a pre-anaesthetic age. He would not let Hunter tie his hands as was normally done, assured him that he would not move, and asked how long the surgeon would take. On being told six minutes he fixed his eyes on the Horse Guards' clock, and remained motionless until it was over, when he remarked cheerfully 'You have exceeded your time half a minute'." (John Ehrman, The Younger Pitt, 1:594)
posted by thomas j wise at 9:22 PM on September 17, 2003 [1 favorite]

For those unable or too lazy to watch the video: the surgery was the removal of a tumor from the back of his neck. It took about an hour.

PowerBreathing, however, is much less effective during lung surgery.
posted by samuelad at 10:24 PM on September 17, 2003

Interesting that the surgery was the removal of a tumor from his neck; that is the same surgery for which anesthesia was first used.
posted by TedW at 5:42 AM on September 18, 2003

Very interesting. I certainly wouldn't try it, but more power to 'em. And as noted, the removal of a tumor from the neck is much different than, say, major torso/gastro surgery. I doubt he could (or should or would) do it for any surgery that involved slicing open the chest or abdomen.

But again - more power to him. Just hope that he checked his bill to make sure that he wasn't *charged* for anesthesia!
posted by davidmsc at 8:04 AM on September 18, 2003

About half the time, local anesthesia doesn't work on me. The most memorable time was during eye surgery.
posted by tranquileye at 9:16 AM on September 18, 2003