“Algometry” is a poetry collection by Iryna Vikyrchak. Poetry as a way to empathize, find creative freedom and understand the difficult experience of life on planet Earth – common and at the same time unique to all of us. Algometry is the detection of pain sensitivity by pressing on pain points, assessment of sensory thresholds under the influence of certain stimuli, the field of emergency medicine, a field for discussions among doctors, psychologists, neurologists and neurophysiologists.

The concept of “algometry” entails interesting and productive terminological metaphors such as the concepts of “pain threshold”, “pain tolerance interval”, “pain shock”, “pain mirror”, etc. “What are these terms that cannot emerge from the metaphorical husk and become more precise and unambiguous, as required by any science?” – asks a pragmatist who is far from poetry. “Why do we need it in poetry?” – asks the reader who expects from poems only beauty and touching the delicate strings of beauty. And really – why?