Argument51 Ares战队作业

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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: 343          TIME: 0:30:00          DATE: 2006-8-2

The whole argument is well-presented, but no well-reasoned. The conclusion of the antibiotics for all muscle strain treatment is not so cogent, due to the single study on two patient groups.

First of all, the hypothesis that secondary infections may be the reason for patients from healing quickly is lack of direct evidences. It is possible that the primary infection of muscle strain is severe enough to keep patients lying on bed for several months. There is also alternative possibility that there is no more effective drugs for some kinds of muscle strains that those patients suffering with long period healing. Furthermore, perhaps it is some other diseases resulted from the primary infection that aggravate the health condition and suffer with longer recovering periods. Consequently, it is doubted to hastily conclude the crucial role of secondary infections.

Furthermore, the result from the study on two patient groups with different treatments is also unbelievable. Although patients between two groups are treated with different pills, they were also treated by distinguished doctors, one specific doctor major in sports medicine, and the other a general one. The variety on recuperation time may be derived from the treatment by different doctors, but not different pills. Additionally, there is no detail on the age, health background of those patients. It is probable that patients in the first group were all the youth with good health condition, while those in the second group were almost the older full of kinds of other diseases. In such case, it is the different age and health condition that caused different reputation time, but not the antibiotic treatment.

In addition, there might be several severe side effects if all patients with muscle strain are advised to take antibiotics. There are vastly different health conditions among patients. Those people with heart or brain diseases are not able to take antibiotics injection. Otherwise, the treatments are not able to help them recover from muscle strain but treat them to death.

In sum, before any final decision is made, those faults above should be reconsidered.