argument 188

lornazhangUID: 2743693

The argument is well-described, but it is not well-analyzed. By citing a study involving 28men and 20 women who took KO when having wisdom teeth removed the author concludes that the pain mediation KO should be prescribed for women but not for men. However, a better qualified individual should probe into this issue further because this argument suffers several flaws.

The first problem with the argument involves with the reliability of the report. The number of subjects in the reports is only 48, which is too limited compared with the general population. Also, the argument omits to inform us the age of two groups of subjects. If the ages of
women group are much more than men group, their health conditions are worse than men, it is largely possible that they will experience more pain. Lastly, the women in study might have a higher-than-average pain threshold; conversely, the men in the study might have a lower-than-average pain threshold. Or women group are less prone to complain about pain due to their stoical nature.

The argument neglects to consider some other alternatives that might have contributed to the difference in experiencing pain in women and men group. If the women in the study have taken some other kinds of medicine as well to relieve the pain, women’s report of less pain might result from the function of this medicine. Or if men group might have taken some certain foods or medications that conteracted the effects of KO, the effects of KO would decrease, they would certainly report they feels more pain than women.


The argument depends on the assumption that men and women experience pain very differently, however, there is no evidence provided that men should take another aim medication instead. It is largely possible that KO is still most effective medication even if it is more effective to women. Or the other medication has a side effect on men.

Finally, the author unfairly makes a broader conclusion that the effects of all medication should be revaluated. Simply a report of KO is not a good indication of all the medication in general. Perhaps most of medication had no different effect on men and women, so evaluating all the medication would be a waste of time and money for researchers. Only evaluating all the causes and alternatives that men and women experience pain differently might one agree that KO should be prescribed for women but not for men