argument38 【loveaw】第十次作业

njuliuyangUID: 2300567

TOPIC: ARGUMENT38 - The following memo appeared in the newsletter of the West Meria Public Health Council.

"An innovative treatment has come to our attention that promises to significantly reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces. A study reports that in nearby East Meria, where fish consumption is very high, people visit the doctor only once or twice per year for the treatment of colds. Clearly, eating a substantial amount of fish can prevent colds. Since colds are the reason most frequently given for absences from school and work, we recommend the daily use of Ichthaid, a nutritional supplement derived from fish oil, as a good way to prevent colds and lower absenteeism."
WORDS: 406 (355)          TIME: 0:30:00          DATE: 2007-2-24

The author makes a recommendation that the daily use of Ichthaid will serve as a good way to prevent colds based on a unsubstantiated study on the causal relationship between eating a great amount of fish and less colds, which ignores other possible factors and thus renders the conclusion unsound as it stands.

To begin with, the author fails to lend strong support to the study cited in the argument. The author provides no detailed information concerning the numbers of respondents to the study, which possibly is not large enough to present the overall population in East Meria. Moreover, the mere fact that people there visit the doctor only once or twice per year for the treatment of colds does not necessarily imply that they are less likely to suffer from colds. Perhaps those who have a cold prefer to stay at home rather than pay a visit to the doctor, since they think the colds are not serious.

In addition, the author comes to the conclusion based on the assumption that it is eating a substantial amount of fish that prevents colds, which is precarious. Could there be other factors that lead to the less colds, such as regular exercises, healthy living habits? It is possible that the inhabitants in East Meria prefer to do exercise regularly, keep healthy living habits and never smoke, which conduce to their health and therefore prevent them from suffering from colds.

Finally, even if it is due to eating a substantial amount of fish that those in East Meria suffer from less colds, it is not true of Ichthaid. The author provides no strong evidence to prove that it has the same effect as fish does. There is a good chance that the components in Ichthaid are somewhat different from those in fish and thus taking it per day will not prevent people from suffering from colds effectively. Besides, the author has not told us whether the amounts of daily use of Ichthaid are sufficient to take effect to prevent colds. Perhaps the amounts of daily use of it are far from the necessary amounts, which will be adequate for human body to prevent colds.

In sum, the author lends little support to the conclusion as it stands. To better bolster the argument, it would be use to prove the credibility of the study and the causal relationship between eating a great amount of fish and less colds.