Argument35 【0906G 文以载道三月四月小组】第一周第二次作业 thanks 忍者无敌

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【题目】
Arguement35
The following appeared in the summary of a study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia.
"Salicylates（水杨酸脂） are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, for the past several decades food-processing companies have also been adding salicylates to foods as preservatives. This rise in the commercial use of salicylates has been found to correlate with a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by participants in our twenty-year study. Recently, food-processing companies have found that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives（食品香料） for foods. With this new use for salicylates, we can expect a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of Mentia."

水杨酸酯和用来治疗头痛的药物--阿司匹林是同一类化合物。尽管很多食品天然富含水杨酸酯，过去几十年中食品加工公司仍然在食品中加入它来作为防腐剂。这种水杨酸酯在商业上的使用被发现与我们为期20年研究的参加者所报告的头痛发病的平均数量下降是相关的。最近，食品加工公司发现水杨酸酯也可以被用作食品香料。根据这种水杨酸酯的新用途，我们可以预期Mentia居民患头痛症的数量将会持续稳步下降。

【提纲】
1. Not clarifying the background of participants
2. There is no necessary association between the rise of the commercial salicylates use and the decline of the average number of headaches.
3. The author overlooks the effect of salicylates
4. Other flaws

【正文】
In this editorial, the author concludes that, in Mentia, the number of headache will decline with the new usage of salicylates. To support this assertion, he also illustrates a twenty-year study. However, this argument suffers from several logical flaws, which is unpersuasive and discussed below.

Firstly, the author illustrates that "this rise in the commercial use of salicylates has been found to correlate with a steady decline in the average number of headaches" without clarifying the background of participants. We have power to doubt how many participants involved and whether those participants have the same background like age and health condition at the very beginning of the study. The author also does not provide convinced evidence that those participants take the same amount of salicylates during the same period of time. The study has a poor control of many factors which will affect the study result greatly.

Secondly, the author does not provide abundant information to show the decline of the average headache number is rendered by the rise of commercial salicylates. The decline of the number might also be the result of the good habit formed by participants like stop smoking, doing proper exercises everyday or a regular schedule. The participants might also go to see the doctor or take another medicine to cure the headache. Furthermore, a more healthy enviornment like the decrease of noise and the improvement of air pollution could also lead to a decline of headaches.

Thirdly, the author overlooks the effect of salicylates. Will salicylate cause other health problems? Is it similar to Aspirin, although they are in the same chemical family? Will it have the side effects? The author does not give detailed information in these respects, which is unconvincing. And on the other hands, is it suitable for every one in the world? Is the dose the same to the old people, children or the pregnant woman? Can it be used on the people who have certain illness?

Furthermore, there are also many other flaws we could found in this argument. Are the twenty-year study long enough to prove the statement? The Mentia people have continued steady decline. But how about the people in other countries?

Last but not least, even if salicylate could be able to decline the number of headaches, can the sales go up when being known as a kind of food  additives? Nowaday, more and more people are aware of the improtance for having a healthy perspective on food. Less people would like to by un-natural food. The author does not give sufficient evidence to prove this point.

In summary, the author ascribes the decline of the headache to the use of salicylate, which is unconvincing. Without further information, he fails to reasonably conclude it.