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Published online 26 October 2000 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news001026-11
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Solving the pain puzzle
David Adam pieces together the recent gains in our understanding of pain.
The ancient Greeks believed that pain was an emotion, not a true physical sensation. Hit your thumb with a hammer and you do feel pretty emotional, but scientists now know that pain begins as a biochemical response to injury, extreme heat or some other trauma.
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