on pain reception...
Pain reception and perception by microscopic neurons that create the slightest and worst of our hurts...What is the point of the pain receptors that deliver the sensation of itch?
I understand the need for other types of pain receptors. Heat can damage tissue. Injured tissue should report to the brain of its soreness. But itch is counterintuitive. You're told NOT to scratch an itch. Wikipedia claims that there is a protective measure to itchiness in telling animals to remove parasites from their body. I admit that there is an evolutionary advantage there, but there are other ways to report such information without possibly causing the creature to damage itself. When a mosquito bites you, you want to scrape at it to make the unpleasant feeling go away and end up making it worse, even infecting the bite.
Itchiness causes tissue damage... so why would your body tell you to damage yourself? There has to be a more effective way...
// posted by an abuliac @ 7:22 PM
