LSAT 135 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q15

LR Question 15 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Researcher: Every year approximately the same number…

QUESTION TYPE: Flawed Reasoning

CONCLUSION: If we could stop all iatrogenic disease, the number of deaths would fall by half.

REASONING: Half of deaths are due to iatrogenic error.

ANALYSIS: This argument ignores that people are going to die of something.

If I save you from cancer, you might die of a heart attack within a month.

If you die from a doctor’s error, you’re already in the hospital. So you were probably sick. Your odds of dying from something are higher than normal.

So if the doctor doesn’t kill you, you might die from whatever sent you to the hospital in the first place.

Answers B, D and E refer to reality. But the researcher isn’t making a realistic argument. They’re asking us to imagine a hypothetical situation. What would happen if we could end all iatrogenic disease.

It’s like asking what would happen if humans could grow wings and fly. An interesting question, but nothing to do with reality.

___________

1. The stimulus wasn’t talking about preventing non-iatrogenic diseases. (i.e. regular diseases)
2. Actually, the argument assumes we can use safer treatments. Less invasive treatments might be a major way to prevent iatrogenic error.
3. CORRECT. Exactly. If you survive doctor error, you might still die from a heart attack or pneumonia.
4. The argument wasn’t saying whether it’s actually possible to end all iatrogenic error. The researcher is describing a hypothetical situation: what would happen if it were possible to end all iatrogenic deaths.
5. It’s reasonable to assume that there’s always a risk of iatrogenic error. The author is asking us to imagine a hypothetical situation where we can get rid of this risk and end all iatrogenic error.