argument35 永不言弃小组第五次作业 by花生 1号

花生peanutUID：2487804

35. 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."
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．
S和阿司匹林是同一类化合物并不表示它也能治疗头痛。
2．
研究的可信性。第一，可能有头痛患者没有报告，第二，其他因素导致头痛病减少：人们生活更健康，医学发达了，环境好了，饮食好了，生活规律了等。
3．
就算S有用。可能有其他因素影响：生活压力大，生活节奏快，工作辛苦等都可能导致头痛病发作，不一定能使头疼持续稳定的下降。
4.
S如果对头疼有作用，但是否越多越好。
5. 结论：论者若想增加说服力还应该提供具体关于S的医疗作用的研究

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: 619
TIME: 02:45:10
DATE: 2009-2-11 3:26:48

In this argument, the arguer concludes that it can be expected a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of Mentia with the new use for salivylates. To substantiate this conclusion, the arguer cites that the 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. Additionally, the arguer points out that food-processing companies have recently found a new use for salivylates, that is,
it can be used as flavor additives for foods. At first glance, the arguer's reasoning seems to be repealing, while a careful examination of this argument would reveal how groundless the conclusion is.

First of all, the arguer fails to provide evidence that salicylates can heal headaches. Although salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin which is a medicine used to treat headaches, it does not mean that salicylates have effectiveness on treating headaches. It is entirely possible that salicylates have good treament for a cold or other diseases, rather than headaches. For that matter, it is highly possible that salicylates are useless to any diseases but just a compound, let alone it can be used to treat headaches. Thus, the arguer's assumption that salicylates can be applied to treat headaches the same with aspirin is simply unjustified.

Secondly, a problem with the argument involves the twenty-year study itself. The arguer provides no information about how the study was conducted. What is more, the arguer does not indicate that the number of respondents is statistically significant or that the respondents were representive of headache sufferers in general. Lacking information about the randomness and size of the study's sample, the arguer cannot make a convincing conclusion about a steady decline in the average number of headaches on that study.

Even if the study's respondents are representive of the overall population of headache sufferers, the argument relies on the assumption that the responses themselves are reliable. Yet the arguer ignores the possibility that some respondents who suffer a headache do not make their responses to the study. Lack evidence that the respondents' reports are both truthful and meaningful, the arguer cannot draw any conclusion from it.

Thirdly, the arguer overlooks the strong possibility that salivylates are not the only factor affecting the decline in average number of headaches during the twenty-year study. Perhaps the development of medicine in the past twenty years prevents people from getting less diseases like headache. While other factors, such as a healthy diet and living environment both improve people's health. Without considering and ruling out these and other factors that might have served to reduce the incidence of headaches, the arguer cannot justifiably conclude that salicylates decline the average number of headaches.

Finally, even salicylates have effectiveness on treating headaches, the arguer unfairly assumes that salicylates uesed as flavor additives foods must be attribute to decline the incidence of headaches. Perhaps Mentia people's pressure on work, the fast tempo of life, or any one of myriad other possible factors. Any these scenarios, if true, would undermine the conclusion that a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of Mentia. In addition, the arguer fails to provide testimony that the more salicylates in food, the better the effectiveness on headaches on the premise that salicylates are good to treat headaches.

To sum up, the argument is not as convincing as it stands. In order to to more persuasive, the arguer would better provide details about the research of salicylates. In other words, whether salicylates are effective to treat headaches and how much dose of salicylates is best to treat headaches.