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The Fifth Vital Sign
- University of Pittsburgh Press
- Chapter
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4 tHe fiftH VitaL Sign There is only one antidote to mental suffering, and that is physical pain. —karL marx After the body’s temperature, breath, pulse, and blood pressure are checked, they evaluate pain— a consolability chart that measures the level of hurt with cartoon faces or color scales, numbers from 0 to 10 with operatic language about bearability and distress. But there is a type of pain that can’t be defined by red lines or twisted mouths. If she only had a scale that included barbed wire, one that measured glass or bone. ...