On Sep 24, 10:38 pm, Dave Smith  wrote:
> On 24 Sep, 10:20, Gary  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Sep 24, 12:17 am, Dave Smith  wrote:
>
> > > On 23 Sep, 19:48, Lance  wrote:
>
> > > > see
>
> > > >http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327243.400-painfree-animals-c...
>
> > > People can suffer despite not being in pain, so why not animals?
>
> > > It seems possible that removing the capacity for affective pain would
> > > lead to self-harming behaviour, even if the capacity for sensory pain
> > > remains.
>
> > > Dave Smith
>
> > I think the article did deal with suffering as well as pain (e.g., the
> > point that morphine doesn't stop a person feeling pain but instead
> > stops the pain bothering the person).
>
> > In a farm factory the possibility of self harm seems small as the
> > animals live such restricted lives.
>
> Yes. Maybe, though, an animal that feels but isn't bothered by pain
> would lie awkwardly,  twist its limbs in railings, allow other animals
> to bite it, etc. ?
>
Exactly - that's the problem with lepers.

Funnily enough, I just opened the New Scientist in which this story
appears just after replying to this thread - they mention Douglas
Adam's cow at the start.

Pain is more than simply sensation. Opiates, for example, don't
interfere with sensation at all, they'll not reduce the pain signals
going to the brain one iota - but they do change the brain's
perception of the pain.