Have you ever given the expression of ‘ouch’ while flipping through a new book ?If the answer to the above question is a yes,then definitely you would like to know what was in that tiny little piece of paper that could inflict such a pain on the human body. But before we get to the details and bring our readers on the other side of the argument equally involved . I am sure you my dear friend who just got the experience of a paper cut would be able to relate to the lines from Dave’s song on Papercut
“Ooops” by jimmyroq is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Now, for those who have been dearly blessed by the almighty not to have experienced such a pain by such a flimsy creature, here are some facts you must not miss too…Let us begin with the answer to the question ‘What exactly is a Papercut ?’ Here is the exact definition of this term from the wiki dictionary…
Describing the break up of this word , Paper + cut is an infuriating pain inflicting bruise given to you by the sheets you flip through , either a book or a newspaper. It is from the effect of this excruciating painful experience is where the common phrase of : Death by a thousand paper cuts was coined from. The unanticipation and the surpriseelement of this cut is what makes it all the more painful along with the fact that it mostly hurts one of the most fragile areas of human anatomy, I.e. the fingers. It is the fingers were nerve fibres are present in the maximum number and these are what are responsible to signal your brain to feel the sharp pain.Some music from the song on Paper Cuts ,by a very famous band, none other than Linkin Park can help with the rhythmic description of the pain one experiences.
“48 hours later” by jimmyroq is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Now, after having known the reason for the pain caused by a paper cut as it slightly tears away your skin , let us look at its treatment. The next step once you have received a paper cut which is mostly not very bloody , is the firstly one should wash away the scratched area with a mild soap and slightly lukewarm water in order to get rid of the germs . Now you can either apply an anti bacterial cream or a lip balm or petroleum jelly and then if needed wrap with a medical tape . This would secure the wound and safeguard it from dirt and germs.Considering the degree of the pain the treatment is really small but one should never underestimate the power of a paper cut .The pain that comes from being cut by a paper is annoying and disproportionate to what seems like a minor cut all thanks to the nociceptors (nerve fibres) present in your fingertips. Hoping you have received an answer to your wonder of the day why does a paper cut hurt so much ?!
