argument 51 求拍~ 必回拍

hotcoderUID: 2938607

TOPIC: ARGUMENT51 - The following appearedin a medical newsletter.

"Doctors have long suspected thatsecondary infections may keep some patients from healing quickly after severemuscle strain. This hypothesis has now been proved by preliminary results of astudy of two groups of patients. The first group of patients, all being treatedfor muscle injuries by Dr. Newland, a doctor who specializes in sportsmedicine, took antibiotics regularly throughout their treatment. Theirrecuperation time was, on average, 40 percent quicker than typically expected.Patients in the second group, all being treated by Dr. Alton, a generalphysician, were given sugar pills, although the patients believed they weretaking antibiotics. Their average recuperation time was not significantlyreduced. Therefore, all patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain would bewell advised to take antibiotics as part of their treatment."
WORDS: 522
TIME: 00:41:47
DATE: 2011/2/14 15:21:19

In this argument, the author comes to theconclusion that all patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain would be welladvised to take antibiotics as part of their treatment in case that thesecondary infections hamper the treatment. To support his assertion, the authorcites an experiment which shows patients who took antibiotic instead of sugarpills during the treatment recovered faster. However, scrutiny examination tothis argument reveals several logical flaws in some respects.

To begin with, the author cites anexperiment by dividing the patients into two groups to find out whetherantibiotic would help on treating muscle strain. However, the author providesno information about whether the two groups of patients are at the samephysical condition. Lacking such information, it is entirely possible that thesecond group in which patients didn't take antibiotic have more severe musclestrain than the first group in which patients took antibiotic, which thereforeleads to the result that the second group of patients needs longer recuperationtime.

In addition, even if the physical conditionand degree of muscle strain are all the same between the two groups ofpatients, there are still other factors instead of the intake of antibioticcontributes to the result. First, since the first group of patients were treatedby Dr.Newland, a specialist in sports medicine, while at the same time thesecond group of patients treated by Dr.Alton, a general physician, it isreasonable for me to believe that Dr.Newland have a better understanding thanDr.Alton in treating patients who have muscle strain. Second, the author showsno evidence that sugar pills do not have some bad effect on treating musclestrain, which therefore will certainly hamper the treatment. In short, withoutruling out each of these possibilities that may influence the result of theexperiment, the author cannot convince me that it is the intake of antibioticthat shorten the recuperation time of patients who have muscle strain.

Finally, granted that the intake ofantibiotic contributes to treating muscle strain, it is hasty for the author todraw the conclusion that all patients who are diagnosed with muscle strainshould take antibiotics in order to shorten the recuperation time. The authormay overlook some side-effect on antibiotic. Perhaps some people who sufferfrom muscle strain also have other physical problems, and antibiotic will havesome chemical reaction with the medicine which is used to treat such problems,which produces some toxic measures that are harmful to out human bodies. Orperhaps some other patients are allergic to antibiotic, which means theircondition may get worse once they have antibiotic. Considering these possiblescenarios, the recommendation of the author are not convincing at all.

In sum, this argument is well presented butlogically flawed. To strengthen his claim, the author needs to provide evidencethat two groups of patients have same or similar physical condition in theexperiment. The author also needs to eliminate other possible factors that maylead to the result. Moreover, I will suspend my judgment until the authorprovides information about whether antibiotic has other side-effects onpatients who have muscle strain.

octttyUID: 2954920

你打字真快啊

hotcoderUID: 2938607

2# octtty 还好啦...我没限时的额