The error in dosage happened to my college boyfriend's mother's
boyfriend's father. (Got that?) It happened at least 30 years ago.
I never met the fellow, but the story was a favorite topic of
conversation in my boyfriend's family. My recollection was that it
was an error in logic. I won't swear by the details, both because I
got them secondhand and because I've not had any contact with the
boyfriend or his family for a couple of decades. (01)
But does it really matter what the details are of this particular
story? I intended it as an illustration that logic can be used to
reason about the real world, and when logic is used to reason about
the real world, there can be life-and-death consequences to getting
the logic right. My point would have been just as valid if I had
said, "Suppose a physician makes an error in logic when calculating
the dosage of medication. Someone could die as a result." (02)
K (03)
At 9:35 PM -0700 8/10/07, clynch wrote:
>I assume that you knew of the details of the case personally since, from
>your description, I could not assume that there was an error in logic. It
>could have been a visual problem with the physician writing the script, a
>pharmacist reading it, or even a message error if it were an NCPDP HL7
>message with an erroneous Units of Measure entry.
>
>Thanks
>Cecil
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kathryn Blackmond Laskey [mailto:klaskey@xxxxxxx]
>Sent: Friday, August 10, 2007 3:19 PM
>To: clynch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx; [ontolog-forum] ; 'Azamat'
>Subject: Re: [ontolog-forum] Reality Oriented Logic
>
>Miscalculating the location of the decimal point.
>
>At 2:32 PM -0700 8/10/07, clynch wrote:
>>Hi Kathy,
>>
>>What specifically was the "error in logic"?
>>
>>Cecil Lynch
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>[mailto:ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kathryn
>>Blackmond Laskey
>>Sent: Friday, August 10, 2007 1:00 PM
>>To: [ontolog-forum] ; Azamat
>>Cc: [ontolog-forum]
>>Subject: Re: [ontolog-forum] Reality Oriented Logic
>>
>>>...Ontology deals with the matter and content, with the real components of
>>> >discourse about anything, while Logic is an art, an instrument of
>>>>intellectual reasoning, at least a formal science
>>>
>>>Even let us agree (temporarily) to this ...
>>>
>>>>,and it has nothing to do
>>>>with reality, real significance or real meanings,
>>>
>>> ... but this is a mistake, a non-sequiteur.
>>
>>I once knew someone who was disabled for life because a medical
>>professional missed a decimal point and gave him an order of
>>magnitude higher dose of a drug than he should have had. The medical
>>professional's career was ruined. The insurance company was out more
>>than a million dollars. The patient's life was radically transformed
>>for the worse.
>>
>>All due to an error in logic.
>>
>>This had *very much* to do with reality It had very real
>>significance, and very real meaning.
>>
>>Kathy
>>
>>_________________________________________________________________
>>Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/
>>Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/
>>Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
>>Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/
>>To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>
>>No virus found in this incoming message.
>>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>>Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.11/944 - Release Date: 8/9/2007
>>2:44 PM
>>
>>
>>No virus found in this outgoing message.
>>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>>Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.11/944 - Release Date: 8/9/2007
>>2:44 PM
>>
>>
>>
>>_________________________________________________________________
>>Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/
>>Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/
> >Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
>>Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/
>>To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>
>
>No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.11/944 - Release Date: 8/9/2007
>2:44 PM
>
>
>No virus found in this outgoing message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.11/944 - Release Date: 8/9/2007
>2:44 PM
> (04)
_________________________________________________________________
Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/
Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/
Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/
To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (05)
|