from Chapter 3

“A Deadly Indifference”

Dr. Brand came to appreciate pain by living among people with leprosy. It was he who discovered that leprosy patients suffer for the simple reason that they have a defective pain system…. Leprosy is not the only affliction that muffles the protective warnings of pain…. In advanced cases, diabetics lose pain sensations and face exactly the same dangers. Many have lost fingers, toes, and entire limbs as a result of preventable injuries. Alcoholics and drug addicts can likewise deaden their sensitivity: each winter alcoholics die of exposure, their bodies numb to the biting cold.

Yancey, Philip. Where Is God When It Hurts? (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1990); 39, 47