How People in Coma and Their Families Lived after the War

Narrative of postwar welfare

Abstract

Narratives about people in coma and their families appear in a variety of contexts,

including stories of family recovery, institutional inadequacy, and technological

innovation in medicine. If we consider narrative as a manifestation of

the social consciousness that forms the system, the legal system to support the

lives of people in coma and their families is still far from sufficient.

　There is a deep consciousness that people in coma disorder think that they

“do not know anything” and consider approaches to themselves as meaningless.

This consciousness manifests itself as a threat to their lives and dignity.

　Resisting against such threats are the practice of those who are “with” the

person who is in coma and the narratives. From the practices of people such as

family members, nurses, and neurosurgeons and their narratives, we can see

that the continuous practice of eliciting even the slightest reaction and maintaining

physical health is changing the very existence of “plant humans.” It can

be said that the system is created from the practice, and also the new life of the

person in coma. Narrative is a reflexive practice that is not only the “appearance”

of the social consciousness that forms the institution, but also the “motive”

that forms the institution.