Argument51 【0710G-HIT坚持交作业小组作文大帖】第三次作业

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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: 479          TIME: 01:31:38          DATE: 2007-7-7 ÏÂÎç 06:50:58

Comparing recuperation time between two groups of patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain, the author concludes here that secondary infections may keep some patients from healing quikly and, consequently, all patiants of muscle strain should take antibiotics as part of their treatment. However, the author's argument relies on a series of unproven assumptions and is therefore unconvicing as it stands.

To begin with, the argument assumes that secondary infections may encumber patients' recuperation from muscle strain.Yet, there is no evidence proposed to prove that patients of muscle strain may be infected by bacterium after muscle hurt. Simple put, not all the patients suffered from muscle strain in the two groups may probably suffer secondary infection. Without better evidence to overthrow the assumption mentioned above, it is just as likely that there is no patients suffered from secondary infections. For that matter, there is no sense to compare the two groups and the conclusion of the passage is unable to be convinced either.

Even assuming that all of the patients in the experiment suffered from secondary infection, the author still failed to consider other possibilities which may influence the reliability of the conclusion. Perhaps one group of the patients, taking antibiotics, are younger and stronger than the other taking sugar pills,who may be inherently not very healthy. As a result, the effect of the antibiotics is incapable to be taken as the primary factor of recuperating quicker. Besides, it is unknown from the material whether the patients of different groups receive equal treatment except taking antibiotics or sugar pills. Two doctors from different medical fields must have different therapy level, experience and background. So Dr. Newland specializing in sports medicine probably do better in muscle strain than Dr. Alton, a general physician, which is likely to be the reason why patients taking antibiotics recupated quicker.

Finally, even assuming that they received similar treatments except taking pills from different doctors, we can still suspect whether patients from Dr. Alton group were blocked from recuperating due to the side effect of taking sugar pills. Without ruling out this factor, the author still cannot convince me that antibiotics ought to be taken as part of muscle strain treatment.

In sum, the argument relies on the comparing experiment may or may not make the final conclusion. To strengthen the argument the writer should provide better evidence of the proportion of secondary infections happening in muscle strain patients, and clear evidence that two experiment groups have the same physical condition, disease symptom and receive the same treatment except taking antibiotic or not. Even with this additional evidence, in order to properly evaluate the argument I would need to know what other problems taking antibiotic may bring. Whether there is side effect of taking antibiotic and what other measures should be taken if patients are allergic to antibiotic are ought to be investigated further too.