Quantifying The Levels Of Consciousness

Today I listened to a story on NPR about a Belgian man named Rom Houben, who had been in a coma for 23 years.  The

man had been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state, with no hope of recovery, and had been taken to the University of Liege to be part of a study on “levels of consciousness.”  Through the use of new scanning techniques, scientists determined the man was not in a vegetative state, and he has regained the use of one finger.  The result is that the man is now communicating.  This is what he says about his situation.

I would scream, but no sound would come out. I became the witness to my own suffering.

The recognition that his level of consciousness was misdiagnosed, and his newfound communication are being hailed as breakthroughs in medical science.

Houben has proven himself able to provide Yes, or No answers to questions by moving his foot.  Now, he’s writing a novel using a technique known as “facilitated communication.”  Here’s the rub — facilitated communication is thought to be a very unreliable communication technique by most experts.  Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Bioethics discount the technique below:

I’m not saying the whole thing is a hoax, but somebody ought to be checking this in greater detail. Any time facilitated communication of any sort is involved, red flags fly.

Situations like this make you think.  Here’s a man who has been trapped in his body for nearly a quarter of a century, starved of communication with others.  Simply being able to communicate through yes/no questions must be a tremendous relief on his psyche.  Regardless of the validity of technique being used to facilitate communication beyond that simple yes/no interaction.  After all, how would you respond to this man’s plight?  It’s a question I’m loathe to consider.

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