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Argument98
The following appeared in a memo from the director of a large group of hospitals.
'In a laboratory study of liquid antibacterial hand soaps, a concentrated solution of Nadasept killed 40 percent more bacteria than the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During a subsequent test of Nadasept at our hospital in Saluda, that hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection than did any of the other hospitals in our group. Therefore, to prevent serious patient infections, we should supply Nadasept at all hand washing stations throughout our hospital system.'
In the argument, the arguer recommends that the hospitals should supply Nadasept(N) at all hand washing stations throughout the hospital system to prevent serious patient infections. To bolster the assertion, the arguer cites the result of a test and study that the N could reduce the patient infection. Nevertheless, close scrutiny of the argument reveals several logical problems,rendering it unpersuasive.
To begin with, as for the laboratory study, the arguer fails to provide any evidence that the N would take the same effect in the hospital. Perhaps the N would kill more bacteria than the liquid hand soaps in the laboratory due to the certain circumstance such as constant temperature in the lab, but in the hospital N could not have the similar effect, even be less useful than the liquid hand soaps. Moreover, the arguer does not inform other effects of N. Perhaps, the N has some side effect and could cause some diseases.
Secondly, the arguer unfairly assumes that the test in the hospitals is statistically reliable. Nevertheless, the arguer provides no evidence to confirm such assumption. It is entirely possible that the sample of the study is not sufficient in size and could not be representative of the allover population of the patients. Unless the arguer could substantiate the sample of the study is sufficiently representative, any conclusion could be not safely make based on the study. Moreover, the arguer overlooks other factors, which would responsible for the decreasing cases of patient infection. Perhaps, the hospital in S has fewer cases of infection than any other hospital before using the S. Or perhaps, this hospital takes some other actions to prevent the patient infection.
In addition, even if the arguer could substantiate the forgoing assumptions, the claim that supplying the N at all hand-washing stations would prevent serious patient infections is still unwarranted. Perhaps, the N has little effect to prevent the serious patient infections. Moreover, the arguer provides no assurance that all the hospital system should necessarily use the N. Perhaps, the patient infections are not common, and the cost of supplying N is quite high. If so, there is no need to require all the hand washing stations to use N.
In sum, as it stands the argument is unreasonable. To make it more logically convincing, the arguer should provide clear evidence that the N would actually reduce the infections in the hospitals and would also prevent serious infections, the study is statistically reliable,and the changes is necessary in all the hospitals. |
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