TOPIC: ARGUMENT35 - The following appeared in the summary of a study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia.
"Salicylates 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 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."
WORDS: 518 TIME: 00:30:00 DATE: 2009/8/24 16:23:41
The author concludes that there will exist a decrease of number of average citizens who suffers from headaches after salicylates,which be served as a medicine used to treat headaches,add to food as flavor additives.To strengthen the conclusion,the author points out that the same phenomena had occurred after salicylates added to foods as preservatives,indicated by study conducted in their town for twenty years.The conclusion seems somewhat reasonable and logic at the first glance,however,further reflection reveals that it suffers from diverse fallacies.
In the first place,the report mentioned by the author is opening to doubt.Primarily,twenty years are so long period of time that allow the city's basic conditions a great change,that it is unwarranted to assume that participants will continuously notice and pay attention on the study,thus the numbers of report by them seems to be a unstable resource.People might lose interest in it and fails to report their situations.Moreover,the severity of headaches can hardly be identified uniformly by different people,therefore the reliability of the reports is low.And the author fails to consider that if those pariticipants' physical conditions represent all citizens of Mentia,and if they suffered from other illness that might cause headaches,which might influence the result of study in a large extent.
In the second place,even assuming that numbers of headaches indeed experienced declination as the author claims,it cannot be followed by the fact that the declination derived from the utilize of salicyches in food.There exist enormous other factors that might attribute to the declination.It is very possible that the city have improved their environment level,which definitely benefits headaches.Or the common wealth enhanced,which give rise to people's life quality that they are able to purchase better food and medicines to treat headaches.Even a newly opening hospital which possesses adequate equipments and good serve also plays positive effect on citizens and the recover rates of headaches enjoy rapid increase.Furthermore,the author even fails to offer any straight evidence to indicate that people are willing to purchase food provided by factories which take s into practise.Under such circumstances,food plays a relatively tiny role in people's life therefore its efficient seems to be insufficient at all.
In the third place,even concede that is salicyches served as preservatives which contribute to heal headaches,I can hardly be convinced by the same effective would give birth by it while which be add as flavor additives.Diversity unpredictable complication might prevent the conclusion from succeed.It is very possible that the chemical constitution will be destroyed or transformed in the manufacture process,or the total amount of which used in food is not sufficient enough to cure headaches.The author simply equates the efficacy of s being preservatives with that being flavor additives,hence the incompletion of conclusion.
To sum up,the author fails to provide adequate and sound information to substantiate the conclusion.Besides,several other negative situations are also be ignored in the author's consideration.For instance,will people attain side effect while they have those food.Or is there tends to have some particular people who suffers from chemical allergy ought to abandon salicylates?Without survey that is able to rule foregoing considerable elements out,the process of use salicylates in food might lead to dangerous situation.作者: 草木也知愁 时间: 2009-8-24 19:07:56