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Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital,
says Mr. Sharon also displayed independent movement. The developments came
after Mr. Sharon's doctors began reducing the amount of anesthetic he is receiving, in a procedure designed
to revive him from his medically induced coma. The Hadassah Hospital
director says Mr. Sharon is clearly displaying brain activity.
"The first was a spontaneous breathing of the prime minister, even
though he is still connected to a ventilator," said Dr. Mor-Yosef. "During
the day until now, his response to pain that we evoked showed that he
started to move minimally. His right hand and right leg moved. These
signs, together with slight elevation of his blood pressure as a reaction
to pain, are signs of some brain activity."
Dr. Mor-Yosef says Mr. Sharon's medical diagnosis is that he remains in
critical condition , with some signs of brain
activity.
Mr. Sharon's neurosurgeon, Dr. Felix Umansky, says Mr. Sharon's
reaction to pain on Monday was not a reflex. The Argentina-born doctor,
one of the world's top neurosurgeons, says the recovery process for Mr.
Sharon will be long and difficult.
"We are just at the beginning of a long way he needs to undergo. We
need to be very cautious when talking about the prognosis, but we are
going to do everything we can to help him to pull through this situation,"
he said.
Dr. Umansky's eventual assessment of Mr. Sharon's cognitive state will
be sent to Israel's attorney general, who will decide whether or not to
declare Mr. Sharon permanently incapacitated.
Mr. Sharon's deputy, Ehud Olmert, has been declared acting prime
minister for 100 days, so no quick decision is expected from the attorney
general about a declaration regarding Mr. Sharon's state.
If Israel's attorney general declares Ariel Sharon permanently
incapacitated, then Israel's Cabinet would have to elect a new prime
minister from among the five Cabinet members who belong to the Kadima
Party, which Ariel Sharon founded last November to contest elections due
at the end of March. | 
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