The Sensation of Skin Pain

It was commonly believed, for several centuries, that the body is all sensitive to pain.  It was not clear then that there were specialized nerves in the body responsible for transporting all kinds of pain and other sensations, until recently when anatomy has discovered the role of specialized nerve endings in transporting all different kinds of pain.

The most significant nerve sensations in the human body are:

·         The sensation of touch: the corpuscles responsible for such sensation are called Meissners and Merkels corpuscles.

·         The sensation of pain: this is transported by the nerve endings in the skin.

·         The sensation of heat: this is the responsibility of Ruffini cylinders corpuscles.

Taking skin burns as a distinct cause for the skin sensation of pain, burns can be divided into 3 types: 

1-     Burns of first degree (sun burns): these affect the epidermis causing swelling and moderate pain.  The phenomena of redness, swelling and pain usually disappear within two to three days.

2-     Burns of second degree: epidermis and dermis are injured.  In such a case, a detachment occurs between epidermis and dermis, causing the collection of secretions between these two layers. The injured person suffers from severe pain, and excessive increase of pain sensation, due to irritation of exposed nerve ending particularly after the outburst of blisters.  The skin starts to heal within 14 days as a result of the process of renovation and inversion under the skin.

3-     Burns of third degree: the whole skin thickness is burned and perhaps the injury may reach the muscles or the bone.   The skin loses elasticity and becomes rough and dry.  In this case, the injured person does not feel much pain, as nerve endings have been damaged almost 

Figure 1For 3rd degree burns, the nerves at skin are completely destroyed and there will be no longer feeling of pain

The Quran states ; “Those who reject our signs, We shall cast into the fire; as often as their skins are roasted through.  We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the punishment; for Allah is Exalted in power; Wise.” (Quran 4:56)

(إنَّ الذٌينّ كّفّرٍوا بٌآيّاتٌنّا سّوًفّ نصليهم نّارْا كٍلَّمّا نّضٌجّتً جلودهم بدلناهم جلوداَ غيرها ليذوقوا العّذّابّ إنَّ اللَّهّ كّانّ عّزٌيزْا حّكٌيمْا)  (النساء56).

Allah did not say “as often as their skins are burned”, as burning could be partial, but He rather said: “as often as their skins are roasted through”, i.e., totally burned with all nerves of sensation and pain.  So, He the Almighty associated between the sensation of pain and the skin when roasted and burned totally, thus losing its structure and function.  When sensation of pain is lost, a new fully composed and functional skin is replaced, where the nerve ending responsible for the painful sensation of heat and burn perform and function to make the unbeliever taste the punishment of being burned with fire over and over again.

What about intestines ..?

Anatomy has discovered that small intestines are the longest part in the digestive system, of about 5 meters long. The walls of intestines consist of 3 layers:

1-     The external stratum (serum stratum): its membrane is soft and wet due to the secretion of a serum liquid.

2-     The medium stratum (muscular stratum).

3-     The internal stratum (mucosa stratum): it consists of a mucosa plate and circular or ring folds full of villi, and contains intestinal glands and lymphatic vesicular.

It has been found out that the abdominal cavity is lined with the peritoneum which is fed through the wall nerves feeding the skin, and the muscles of chest and abdomen. These nerves are affected by touch and heat.  The viscera have no nerves for pain or sensation.  Therefore, when the abdominal wall is anaesthetized locally, and the abdomen is open, no sensation of pain or disturbance is felt in the intestines if held, cut or even burned.  But when the intestines are cut or perforated for any reason, its contents come out into the cavity surrounding the viscera, and which is rich in sensitive nerves, the pain is then very severe and the abdomen of the patient is in a state called Board Like Rigidity.  It is an emergency surgical state that requires an immediate operation.

In Quran, Allah the Almighty says about the torment of hell fire; “such are given to drink boiling water, that tears their bowels asunder.” (Quran 47: 15)

(وسقوا ماءَ حميماَ فقطع أمعاءهم ( محمد : 15

The Holy Quran threatens the unbelievers of hot water that tears their bowels. The reasoning underlying this threat has recently become evident.  It has been discovered that intestines are not affected with heat. But if they are cut, hot water therein comes out into the peritoneum which is fed through the wall nerves feeding the skin, and the muscles of chest and abdomen.  These nerves are affected with touch or heat, so the hot water, after intestines are cut, causes the highest degrees of pain.

So the outer torment felt in the skin, is different from that felt in the inner intestines, due to the difference in the nature of skin structure.  The feeling of former torment cannot be maintained unless the roasted skin is exchanged with a new layer, while in the case of intestines, torment is felt only by cutting the intestines with hot water.  Torment is yet continuous: “As for the unbelievers, theirs shall be the fire of Gehannam (hellfire); they shall neither be done with and die, nor shall its chastisement be lightened for them,  even so We recompense every ungrateful one.” (Quran 35:36)

( والذين كفروا لهم نار جهنم لا يُقضى عليهم فيموتوا ولا يُخففُ عنهم من عذابها كذلك نجزي كل كفور) سورة فاطر- 36

Thus the Quranic scientific miracles are crystallized.  Feeling of pain as perceived in medical facts are very much compatible with the statements of the Holy Quran.

This man is uttering the Islamic creed (Shahaadah) and declaring that he is becoming a Muslim. This occurred during the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference which was convened in Riyadh. He is Professor Tagata Tagasone, formerly Head of the Department of Anatomy and Embryology at the University of Shiang Mai in Thailand. He is now the Dean of the College of the Medicine at the University. 

We presented to Professor Tagasone some Quraanic verses and Prophetic Ahadeeth which deal with his specialization in the field of anatomy. He commented that they also had in their Buddhist books very accurate descriptions of embryonic developmental stages. We told him that we were very anxious and interested to see those descriptions and learn about these books. A year later, Professor came to King Abdul Aziz University as an outside examiner. We reminded him of the statement he made one year before, but he apologized and said that he in fact had made that statement without ascertaining the matter. However, when he checked the Buddhist books he found that they contained nothing of relevance to the subject.

Upon this we presented to him a lecture written by Professor Keith Moore about the compatibility of modern embryology with what is contained in the Quraan and the Sunnah and we asked Professor Tagasone if he knew of Professor Keith Moore. He replied that he knew him of course, adding that Professor Moore was one of the most world-renowned scientists in that field.

When Professor Tagasone studied this article he also was greatly astonished. We asked him several questions in his field of specialization. One of the questions pertained to modern discoveries in dermatology about the sensory characteristics of the skin.

Dr. Tagasone responded: Yes if the burn is deep.

It was stated to Dr. Tagasone: You will be interested to know that in this book, the Holy book the Quraan, there was a reference 1400 years ago which refers to the moment of punishment of the unbelievers by the fire of Hell and it states that when their skin is destroyed, Allah makes another skin for them so that they perceive the punishment by a fire, indicating knowledge about the nerve endings in the skin, and the verse is:

"Those who reject our signs. We shall soon cast into the fire; as often as their skins are roasted through. We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the chastisement: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise" (Quran 4:56).

So do you agree that this is a reference to the importance of the nerve endings in the skin in sensation, 1400 years ago?

Dr. Tagasone responded: Yes I agree. This knowledge about sensation had been known long before. Because it says that if somebody does something wrong, then he will be punished by burning his skin and then Allah puts a new skin in him, cover him, to make him know that the test is painful again. That means they knew many years ago that the receptor of pain sensation must be on the skin, so they put a new skin on.

The skin is the center of sensitivity to burns. Thus, if the skin is completely burnt by fire, it looses its sensitivity. It is for this reason that Allah will punish the unbelievers on the Day of Judgement by returning to them their skins time after time, as He, the Exalted and Glorified, said in the Quraan:

«"Those who reject our signs. We shall soon cast into the fire; as often as their skins are roasted through. We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the chastisement: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise"» (Quran 4:56).

We asked him the following question: ‘Is it possible that these verses came to the Prophet Muhammad, (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), from a human source?
Professor Tagasone conceded that they could have never come from any human source. But he still asked about the source of that knowledge and from where could Muhammad have possibly received it? We said, From Allah, the Most Glorified and Most Exalted. Then he asked: But who is Allah? We replied: He is the Creator of all that is in existence. If you find wisdom then it is because it comes only from the one Who is Most Wise. If you find knowledge in the making of this universe, it is because the universe is the creation of the One Who has all the knowledge. If you find perfection in the composition of these creations, then it is proof to you that it is the creation of the One Who Knows Best. And if you find mercy, then this bears witness to the fact that it is the creation of the One Who is Most Merciful. In the same way, if you perceive creation as belonging to one unified order and tied together firmly, then this is proof that it is the creation of the Only Creator, May He be Glorified and Exalted.

«"This is no less than a reminder to (all) the worlds. And you shall certainly know the truth of it (all) after a while."» (Quran 38:87-88).

Source : Quran and Science