A51求猛拍……(肌肉疼痛和抗生素那篇)(ps:貌似我没写够字数?)

yeruihuang0008UID: 3002167

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: 375          TIME: 00:30:00          DATE: 2011/2/15 0:34:09



In the argument above, the author concludes that all patients with muscle strain should take antibiotics as part of their treatment. The conclusion is based on a study of two groups of patients, which showed that patients who took antibiotics regularly could recover sooner than the patients who did not. Although the argument seems reasonable, I find it dubious in several aspects.



First of all, the author unfairly assumes that all patients, who are diagnosed with muscle strain should take antibiotics, no matter how severe their muscle strain is. No information about the severity of the patients in the study is provided. It is probable that all the patients in the study are severe muscle strain patients or the severity of the two groups of patients is different. Without information about the severity of patients, we could not evaluate that the antibiotics is effective to both severe and other kinds of muscle strain.



Secondly, no evidence is given to prove that all patients will have secondary infections. It is possible that patients of the study do not have secondary infections so that the study lends no support to the conclusion. Or it is probable that antibiotics are effetive in curing seondary infections but not effective in other conditions. Therefore, the assumption that antibiotics is effective in shorten the recuperation time of all muscle strain patients is unwarranted.



Moreover, the reliability of the study is open to doubt. The doctors of the two groups of patients were different and the environment of the two groups is unkown. It is probable that many other factors might affect the study, such as the conditions of the patients during their recovering. In addition, neither the numbers of the patients in both groups nor the age, sex and some basic information of the patients is given. Lacking details of the study, the author can not convince us that the study makes any sense.



In a word, the argument is weak and unconvincing as it stands. To bolster the argument, the severity of the patients in the study should be taken into consideration and information about that how many patients have secondary infections should be given. To draw a better conclusion, many other information about the patients should also be provided.


先谢谢大家啦！

蜥蜴也飞UID: 2894889

半小时就这么多。。那你多写点呗。。。