Leben zwischen ,,Vegetativ“ und ,,Vegetieren“

Abstract.

The modern scientific and ordinary language contains several specific terms which refer to the words “vegetative”or “vegetate” as in “persistent vegetative state” or “human vegetable”.There is a long tradition from ancient times until today to compare specific functions and situations concerning human beings with the state of plants, e.g. in natural philosophy, medicine or ethics. A specific “vegetative terminology” has been established in medicine around 1800 in anatomical, physiological and clinical considerations (e.g. on the autonomous nervous system since Reil).The following paper presents firstly the historical background and some stations in the use of this vegetative terminology within the history of ideas and medicine especially around 1800. The second part presents a bioethical approach to problems of a human vegetative state or “human vegetable” by Hans Jonas.