Russian scientists claim a beating on the naked buttocks with a cane is the perfect way to cure everything from depression to alcoholism. Researchers at Novosibirsk say caning releases endorphins, the body’s natural ‘happy chemicals’, Izvestia reports. Endorphins lead to feelings of euphoria, a reduction of appetite, the release of sex hormones and an enhancement of the immune response. They also have a similar effect on pain to drugs such as morphine and codeine, but do not lead to addiction or dependence. The scientists, headed by Biologist Dr Sergei Speransky, claim corporal punishment similar to that doled out regularly in...