That heating of it affects sensation rapidly and
in a notable manner is shown by the phenomena of laughing. For when
men are tickled they are quickly set a-laughing, because the motion
quickly reaches this part, and heating it though but slightly
nevertheless manifestly so disturbs the mental action as to occasion
movements that are independent of the will. That man alone is affected
by tickling is due firstly to the delicacy of his skin, and secondly
to his being the only animal that laughs. For to be tickled is to be
set in laughter, the laughter being produced such a motion as
mentioned of the region of the armpit.
It is said also that when men in battle are wounded anywhere near
the midriff, they are seen to laugh, owing to the heat produced by the
wound. This may possibly be the case. At any rate it is a statement
made by much more credible persons than those who tell the story of
the human head, how it speaks after it is cut off. For so some assert,
and even call in Homer to support them, representing him as alluding
to this when he wrote, 'His head still speaking rolled into the dust,'
instead of 'The head of the speaker'. So fully was the possibility
of such an occurrence accepted in Caria, that one of that country
was actually brought to trial under the following circumstances.
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