The normal maximum for corporal punishment in schools of British tradition seems to have been six strokes. Someone sometime must have decided this. Who and when and why six?
How does the severity of punishment increase with the number of strokes?
One school acquaintance, a very experienced canee, asserted that six-of-the best was much more severe than a more four-of-the-best. No one disputed his claim at the time. He was the only one present who had the experience to make the comparison.
On another occasion, a much less experienced canee commented that his bum went ?sort of numb? after the first few strokes and that he hardly noticed the last strokes of the six. My present speculation is that his bum was hurting as much as it could before the last strokes were laid on so he hardly noticed them.