How many have we killed?

"He can be a handful at times." The consultant twiddling his pen and alternating between his notes and the slightly ruffled mother in front of him. "How's he at school?" Mum frowns for a while, trying to decipher the Indian accent, then "Well, he's all right. The teachers know about his condition and all." The consultant turns back and scribbles on his notes.

"What does he get excited about?"

"Well, he goes mad over pipes and plumbing. Before that it was anything purple." Mum smiles apologetically. At that, the kid looks up. "Long ones, mum!" For the first time he looks interested. "I like.....long ones, short ones.....around and around." Pulling at his mum's sleeve.

****

"Now, you should all be able to tell it when you see it. Can you point out the signs of PVS in him?"

"Erm...not being able to maintain own respiration, in a comatose state....erm"

"Ok you lot, that's your reading job for today. Case reports in by end of the week, please."

....


"I appreciate your concern, Mrs.. but I'm afraid that keeping him on any longer will not be of much use."

****

Disregarding the definition of consciousness in a patient in exchange for his signs and symptoms. All along we thought they couldn't hear and had no chance of understanding. Even the ones who seemed to be in a world of their own making, whether by familial association or otherwise. Put together by classification and labels made to ease the labour of trying to describe a difficult and complex presentation. But what if they had, in fact been aware all along?

-Prompted by the news that MRI scans showed a patient in a vegetative state responding to verbal conversation in a similar way to a normal person.