Argument51我的第一篇

古诗词UID: 2616032

TOPIC: ARGUMENT51 - 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, 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, 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."
WORDS: 485
TIME: 01:02:14
DATE: 2010-3-17 9:24:07

In this argument, the author concludes that all patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain should take antibiotics as part of their treatment to recover quicker. To support his/her conclusion, the author mentions a study that some patient were divided by two groups, and treated by different doctors, using different pills. And the result is the first group of patient, who took antibiotics regularly throughout treatment; their recuperation time was 40 percent quicker, on average, than the second group who treated typically. I find this argument suffers several logical fallacies as follows, which render the author’s recommendation unconvincing.

To begin with, the hypothesis cited is that secondary infection may keep some patients from healing quickly after severe muscle strain. However, in the study, the author provides no evidence that the second group of patients who recover slower suffered secondary infection during their treatment. The author's reasoning’ line is that patients who were treated with antibiotics would less likely suffer secondary infection than patients who were treated with sugar pill, because antibiotics can decrease the possibility of secondary infection.
However, the author fails to prove this reasoning. Therefore we cannot safely say that patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain can recover quicker with the help of antibiotics.

In the next place, the author fails to rule out the possibility that different recuperation time should be attributed to the doctors. These two doctors specialize in different fields. It is totally possible that Dr. Newland who specializes in sports medicine experienced more muscle strain treating than Dr. Alton, a general physician. Therefore Dr. Newland treated these patients more appropriate, so the different treating rather than antibiotics and sugar pills might the cause of different recuperation time. Without ruling out this and other possible explanations, the author was too hasty to make a conclusion.

Finally, the author fails to provide information about the two groups of patients whether they are comparable. Lacking such information, we cannot know about
the patients' age, gender, health conditions and other factors which common sense tell us are important for recovering. Imaging this, if the patients in first group are athletes who are much stronger than patients in second group who are just common people, if this is true, it is easy for us to understand the different recuperation time. Without providing these patients' representativeness, the author cannot convince me that antibiotics played an important role in the treating.

To sum up, the argument is unconvincing as it stands. And patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain should think twice before accept the author’s recommendation. To support his/her conclusion, the author would need to provide evidence about whether these patients suffered secondary infection during their treatment and whether the antibiotics can lower the possibility of secondary infection. To better assess the result of the study, we also need to know the treating ways of two doctors' and the patients' health conditions including their representativeness.