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发表于 2010-8-10 18:11:14
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51The 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."
In this letter, the author recommends that patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain should take antibiotics to treat their disease. To support this suggestion, the author introduces the result of a study that the average recuperation time of patients taking antibiotics is 40 percent quicker than typically expected. However, there are some flows behind this advice that discredit the validity of it.
To begin with, the author fails to demonstrate that the respondents are statistically significant in number. Besides, there is no information about that have the author selected the subject in a large scope and whether the patients of two groups share the similarity in physical condition, which ensure they have the same ability to recover? The lack of answer to these questions makes the study unconvincing..
Moreover, the author draw the conclusion based on an unwarranted assumption that the two. for the reason that the two doctors specialize in two different aspects. Thus we can not exclude the possibilities that the Dr. Newland who specializes in sports medicine has better performed in treating for muscle injuries than the general physician-- Dr. Alton. It is possible that Dr. Newland has provided other medicine to help recover that does not mention in the letter. Or maybe he knows the condition
of the patients better than Dr. Alton, so that he can adjust his treatment to suit the patient more properly. Thus, the function of the antibiotics that the author claims is unwarranted.
Even assume that there is no differences between the treatments of two doctors, the author fails to set up a reasonable cause-effect relationship between the antibiotics and muscle strain. On one hand, the author fails to consider other possibilities that may contribute to the treatment. For example, they may live under dissimilar weather condition, or the exercises they took may be different too. Moreover, it is possible that the first group carried out a more scientifically schedule than what the second group do. On the other hand, there is no evidence show that the sugar pills which were taken by the second group have no side-effect in the process of recovering. It is very likely that it has played a harmful role in this treatment. Without ruling out these possibilities, we can not draw the conclusion that the antibiotics treat the patients of their muscle strain.
Even assume that the medicine has been efficient to deal with the muscle disease. The author assumes too hastily that the medicine can also be valid in all kind of people in spite of the physical condition. There is no information provided to show that every single patient is suitable to this treatment.
To conclude, the evidence mentioned is insufficient to support the idea. To better support the suggestion, author should put out more evidence concerning that the average recuperation time is related to the degree of the heal.
Moreover, other methods should be considered by the author as well. |
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