Being conscious of their burden: severe brain injury and the two cultures challenge

Writing 50 years after the publication of C. P. Snow's Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution, this paper considers the many cultures that have to intersect to sustain and deepen the advances in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness. To bridge this "two-culture divide," the paper contextualizes scientific developments in this field within work in medical ethics and the humanities. The author asserts that this line of inquiry cannot go forward responsibly absent input from the humanities and an appreciation of the lived experiences of patients and families who confront the quotidian and existential challenges of severe brain injury.