The human body secretes more pain-blocking hormones late at night than during the day. Consequently, surgical patients operated on at night need less anesthesia. Since larger amounts of anesthesia pose greater risks for patients, the risks of surgery could be reduced if operations routinely took place at night.
Which of the following, if true, argues most strongly against the view that surgical risks could be reduced by scheduling operations at night?
(A) Energy costs in hospitals are generally lower at night than they are during the day.
(B) More babies are born between midnight and seven o’clock in the morning than at any other time.
(C) Over the course of a year, people’s biological rhythms shift slightly in response to changes in the amounts of daylight to which the people are exposed.
(D) Nurses and medical technicians are generally paid more per hour when they work during the night than when they work during the day.
(E) Manual dexterity and mental alertness are lower in the late night than they are during the day, even in people accustomed to working at night.
Which of the following, if true, argues most strongly against the view that surgical risks could be reduced by scheduling operations at night?
(A) Energy costs in hospitals are generally lower at night than they are during the day.
(B) More babies are born between midnight and seven o’clock in the morning than at any other time.
(C) Over the course of a year, people’s biological rhythms shift slightly in response to changes in the amounts of daylight to which the people are exposed.
(D) Nurses and medical technicians are generally paid more per hour when they work during the night than when they work during the day.
(E) Manual dexterity and mental alertness are lower in the late night than they are during the day, even in people accustomed to working at night.
