Torture in D&D

Is it just me, or would the idea of torture for information in D&D be a lot different? First of all, any mage worth his salt know very common and very low level magic to read someone's mind. Why hold stuff back at that point? Secondly, it seems like healing magic would make torture for information a lot more potent. For example, you could cut off someone's hand, and then hold out a potion to heal it, or the cleric to do so out, and when they gave info - heal it. You could push torture a lot farther in a world with healing magic than you could in the real world.

I guess, considering those two things, torture only makes sense for recreation purposes. If that's the case, why does every castle and dungeon in the early days have a torture chamber in it? modules are full of castles and keeps that have a torture room, even when they were used and built by good or neutral forces. If a simple 2nd level ESP spell or a cleric with healing can antiquate torture as we know it, why have rooms with the same equipment and such we did.

Our torture devices were designed to maximize pain and minimize long term damage and death. Sure, some were more psychologial, but most were for pure pain, while still allowing them to talk and give the goods up. So why wold they even exist? Why not have even more lethal ones that require a simple cure spell to bring you back, but push pain beyond the limits?

Anyway, I think we've failed to think through the nature and use of torture in D&D as I go back through old modules and play them again.