Link: Coma case raises questions about consciousness.
Well.
I like this little quote from the article the best:
Dr. James Bernat, a neurologist at Dartmouth medical school in New Hampshire and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, said the study showed it is possible to make a mistake in diagnosing a patient as unconscious.
"What we don't know is how often you see this discrepancy between the physical exam findings and fMRI findings," Bernat said. "Is this one case in 1,000? Is it 1 in 10?"
Some patients do recover after being in vegetative states for months, Bernat said. But this is difficult to predict.
"This is an important case because it shows us the limitations of the physical exam when we assess awareness at the bedside," Bernat said. "We can't get into the mind of another person and experience what they experience."
Of course, everyone is quick to point out that this has nothing whatsoever to do with Terry Schiavo's case.
Because if it did, then there would be another case, n'est-ce pas?
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