Biochemistry Volunteers
Healthy Humans Who Lack Suffering
Patients who experience little to no pain often live very difficult and dangerous lives. However, there are rare exceptions, people who can help us design new non-addictive painkillers and gene therapies.
Jo Cameron has never felt pain, even after bone-breaking surgeries and car accidents. Childbirth was "a tickle." Jo seems invincible to all available tests of negative experience, including anxiety and depression, yet she is healthy, intelligent, maintains all other sensations, and even heals faster.
For the Marsili family, broken bones only cause them pain for a few seconds. Like Cameron, the Marsilis lead fairly normal lives. As far as we know, they have not suffered any serious permanent damage as a result of their unique relationship with pain.
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