【clover】Argument151 习作 by tofee

tofeeUID: 2485486

The following appeared in a medical newsletter.
"Doctors have long suspected that secondary infections may keep some patients from healing quickly after severe muscle strain. This hypothesis has now been proved by preliminary results of a study of two groups of patients. The first group of patients, all being treated for muscle injuries by Dr. Newland, a doctor who specializes in sports medicine（运动科）, took antibiotics regularly throughout their treatment. Their recuperation time was, on average, 40 percent quicker than typically expected. Patients in the second group, all being treated by Dr. Alton, a general physician(普外), were given sugar pills, although the patients believed they were taking antibiotics. Their average recuperation time was not significantly reduced. Therefore, all patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain would be well advised to take antibiotics as part of their treatment."

The author suggests that, all the patients who suffered from the muscle strain should take antibiotics along with their treatment. To support his recommendation, the author cites the experiments proved the hypothesis that the secondary infections may keep some patients from healing quickly after severe muscle strain. I found this recommendation specious on several grounds.

To begin with, the experiment is not valid. Firstly, the author does not inform us the demographic profile and the sample size of each of the experiments. Without such information, the results are unreliable. Secondly, the two experiments are incomparable. The two experiment take place in two different departments, the author can not assure me that, the two groups are comparable inspite of the antibiotic dosage. Consider that, Dr. Newland specializes in sports medicine while Dr. Alton is a general physician. Their patients may have different situation such as age, chief complain, and their treatment may totally different. Either of the difference may lead different treatment results despite the antibiotics dosage. Moreover, the criterion is the “typical expectation”, so the patients involve in either group should be “typical”.

Even if the experiment is valid, the experiment can not prove the theory. The author provides scanty evidence to convince me that it is the antibiotics that suppress the secondary infection and in turn accelerate the healing. It is entire possible that, the patients involved in the experiment have little risks in suffering form the secondary infection.

Moreover, even assuming that it is a valid experiment, and take antibiotics could suppress the secondary infection. It is unreasonable to recommend this treatment to every patient in spite of their medical histories, patients’ condition or other individual conditions. It common senses that, doctor should consider many aspects of the condition, and then assesses the prognosis before the treatment. It is too hasty to recommend all the patients take antibiotics before the author afford enough evident to support that the side-affect could be ignorable to all patients and all the patients could enjoy the benefit from the antibiotic treatment.


In sum, without additional creditable evidence, this recommendation is unacceptable. The main fallacy of the argument is the invalid experiment. To strengthen the assertion, the arguer should provide a more scientific experiment. And provide more evidence that the antibiotics help to cure muscle strain because of it suppress the secondary infections. To better assess the argument, the author also need provide more evidence to support the conclusion that, all the patients could get benefit form the antibiotics treatment.

九天揽月UID: 2737667

改了哦~`写得很好啊

tofeeUID: 2485486

惭愧了，谢谢九天的修改，我错误太多，拼写很有问题，再次感谢，不过我怎么没有发现你的作业呢？已经pm你了