If Pain was not there ...

This week, I had the opportunity of listening to someone working on Leprosy in our area. Mr. Soman of Nilgiri Wayanad Adivasi Welfare Society. Due to the National Leprosy Eradication Programme of the Central Government, we seemed to have reduced the leprosy rates from about 4 per 1000 to even less than 1 per 10000.


Same success is not achieved in Tuberculosis control - in some areas, the disease is going out of control, even becoming resistant to the drugs.

But, Leprosy has been managed well, he said. Fortunately, it is not a killer disease like TB or AIDS. Lepers don't die because of leprosy. But, after deformity in the body, stigma and social neglect, what is the point living, I wondered. The positive point is, if we can identify the symptoms early and come for treatment, it can be completely cured. Anyone with just common sense can help tackle this disease.

But, the most striking aspect of Leprosy is the one about Pain.


This disease affects few nerves in our body, causing loss of sensation in our extremities. Feet can't feel the pain even if we step on a stone or a pin or fire. Often these patients will have their feet or fingers burnt by fire, because they don't feel the pain. A pin stays inside the feet and the patient does not know, causing infection etc.

My God ! How important Pain is. To save ourselves from things that are not good for our body. Mind is racing towards all sorts of philosophical conclusions about pain ...


Let us be thankful to Pain.