Coma (1978) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Coma takes place primarily in Boston, Massachusetts, centered around two key medical facilities: Boston Memorial Hospital and the Jefferson Institute. Boston Memorial Hospital serves as the main setting with its surgical wards and operating rooms, while the Jefferson Institute appears to be a distant care facility but actually hides the dark organ-trafficking operation.

• boston memorial hospital
• jefferson institute
• setting
• location
• medical facility

Coma is set in the late 1970s, reflecting that era's medical technology and hierarchical hospital culture. The period's clinical interiors, strict procedural codes, and the climate of suspicion surrounding routine medical practices contribute to the film's tense atmosphere.

• 1970s
• time period
• era
• decade
• setting

Coma explores several interconnected themes including medical ethics, investigation, power and corruption, and organ trafficking. The film centers on the tension between patient welfare and profitable medical practices, showing how routine surgeries can be manipulated to harvest organs. It also examines how institutional power can be corrupted by greed, with Dr. Harris using his authority to conceal illegal activities.

• medical ethics
• organ trafficking
• power corruption
• investigation
• themes
• meaning

Dr. Susan Wheeler is the protagonist, an ambitious surgical resident who relentlessly questions suspicious deaths and unusual coma patterns at the hospital. She is principled, resourceful, and becomes increasingly isolated as she investigates the truth, driven by her determination to protect patients despite personal risk.

• susan wheeler
• protagonist
• main character
• hero
• doctor

Dr. George Harris, the Chief of Surgery at Boston Memorial Hospital, is the main antagonist. He appears reputable and uses charm and authority to manipulate staff, but is ultimately revealed as the mastermind behind the coma-inducing organ trafficking scheme. His professional facade masks dangerous ruthlessness.

• george harris
• villain
• antagonist
• chief of surgery
• villain

The Jefferson Institute appears to be a sterile, distant care facility where patients are sent for low-cost treatment, but it secretly serves as the hub for the organ-trafficking operation. The hidden basement, anatomy lab, and covert transport network create a claustrophobic environment where harvested organs are prepared for shipment through an international network.

• jefferson institute
• medical facility
• organ trafficking
• hospital

Coma critiques the breach of consent and care in the medical profession, showing how profit-driven practices can corrupt ethical boundaries. The film warns that when power and money blur professional duties, patients become vulnerable to exploitation. Dr. Susan Wheeler's quest to uncover the truth highlights the dangers of a system prioritizing profit over patient welfare.

• medical ethics
• patient welfare
• healthcare
• doctor
• corruption

The central plot reveals a covert international organ trade disguised as a low-cost care program at the Jefferson Institute. Healthy patients like Nancy Greenly are induced into comas and their organs are harvested, then transported through a shadowy network from hospital to courier to airport. The film uses this medical thriller premise to critique a global market that commodifies human body parts.

• organ trafficking
• conspiracy
• organ harvest
• plot
• scheme

Mark Bellows is Dr. Susan Wheeler's physician boyfriend who serves as both emotional support and investigative ally. He is supportive of Susan's efforts but becomes increasingly cautious about the hospital's dangerous secrets. His loyalty is tested as the danger escalates, and he eventually helps expose the conspiracy, reinforcing the theme of trust under pressure.

• mark bellows
• boyfriend
• supporting character
• romantic interest

Coma exposes how institutional power can be corrupted by greed, showing Dr. Harris leveraging authority, secrecy, and procedural control to conceal the organ trade. Behind the hospital's polished veneer exists a hierarchy that enables exploitation. The film presents authority as a weapon in a system designed to protect profits rather than patients.

• power
• corruption
• authority
• institutional
• greed
• boss

Nancy Greenly is a healthy young woman whose mysterious coma and subsequent death trigger Dr. Susan Wheeler's investigation. Her tragic case serves as the catalyst that motivates Susan to pursue the truth about the hospital's secrets, revealing the human cost of the organ trafficking operation and the vulnerability of patients in a profit-driven medical system.

• nancy greenly
• patient
• victim
• coma case
• investigation trigger