More of the stories we tell to make ourselves feel better in difficult situations, or to relieve us of responsibility, are stripped away every day. –JBH

A Canadian man who was believed to have been in a vegetative state for more than a decade, has been able to tell scientists that he is not in any pain.

It’s the first time an uncommunicative, severely brain-injured patient has been able to give answers clinically relevant to their care.

Scott Routley, 39, was asked questions while having his brain activity scanned in an fMRI machine.

His doctor says the discovery means medical textbooks will need rewriting.

via BBC News – Vegetative patient Scott Routley says ‘I’m not in pain’.