The Art of Happiness

causing the rotting of the flesh, but rather it wasbecause the disease caused loss of pain sensationin the limbs. Without the protection of pain, theleprosy patients lacked the system to warn themof tissue damage. Thus, Dr. Brand observedpatients walking or running on limbs with brokenskin or even exposed bones ; this causedcontinuous deterioration. Without pain,sometimes they would even stick their hands in afire to retrieve something. He noticed an utternonchalance toward self-destruction. In his book,Dr. Brand recounted story after story of thedevastating effects of living without pain sensation—of the repetitive injuries, of cases of ratsgnawing off fingers and toes while the patientslept peacefully.After a lifetime of working with patientssuffering from pain and those suffering from lack