argu188，第一次发帖，求指教！

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT188 - A new report suggests that men and women experience pain very differently from one another, and that doctors should consider these differences when prescribing pain medications. When researchers administered the same dosage of kappa opioids-a painkiller-to 28 men and 20 women who were having their wisdom teeth extracted, the women reported feeling much less pain than the men, and the easing of pain lasted considerably longer in women. This research suggests that kappa opioids should be prescribed for women whenever pain medication is required, whereas men should be given other kinds of pain medication. In addition, researchers should reevaluate the effects of all medications on men versus women.

The author suggests that kappa opioids should be used to women whenever they are suffering from pain but not for men. Additionally, the author also suggests that a reevaluation of the effects of all medications on men versus women is needed. To support this suggestion, the author cites a research which shows kappa opioids have different effects between men and women. However, after scrutiny of the argument, the author's claim is fallacious in several respects.

To begin with, the suggestion of the author is based on a dubious research which is insufficient in many ways. First, the number of patients researched -- 28 men and 20 women -- is far from enough to come to any solid conclusion. Second, no detailed information is provided about the basic conditions of the patients. How badly and how long have they been suffering from the pains? Have they taken any other medicine before? Thirdly, without control experiment on patients taking no medicine but substitutes like sugar pills, the research cannot prove that kappa opioids have a significant effect on relieving pains. Accordingly, the research is insufficient to support the author’s suggestion.

Secondly, the suggestion that any woman suffering from pains should take kappa opioids is unjustifiable. The mere fact that kappa opioids are effective to women who have their wisdom teeth extracted cannot be sufficient enough to prove that kappa opioids are effective to relieve any pains. Besides, lacking a comparison with other kinds of medicine, it is entirely possible that other pain medications would be far more effective. Also, the author fails to consider other possible negative effects of kappa opioids. Perhaps it may cause more other problems if taken too frequently; or perhaps the medicine cannot be used by children or pregnant women. Without taking these possibilities into account, the author's suggestion that any woman should take kappa opioids when suffering from pain is unwarranted or even irresponsible to the patients.

Finally, even though kappa opioids have different effects on men and women, it cannot be concluded that other medicine should also be prescribed considering gender factors. It is entirely possible that medicine for other diseases actually have little difference between men and women. Besides, considering that there are so many kinds of medicine that the author’s suggestion of reevaluating the effects of all medications on men versus women is simply too hard to be taken into practice.

To sum up, the author's suggestion is fallacious in several respects. To bolster it, the author must use a more credible research with more patients surveyed whose relative information of diseases must be provided. In addition more convincing evidence should be offered to prove that it will be reevaluate the effects of all medications on men versus women.