Argument200 Savior小组第6次作业，欢迎拍砖

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题目：ARGUMENT200 - Statistics collected from dentists indicate that three times more men than women faint while visiting the dentist. This evidence suggests that men are more likely to be distressed about having dental work done than women are. Thus, dentists who advertise to attract patients should target the male consumer and emphasize both the effectiveness of their anesthetic techniques and the sensitivity of their staff to nervous or suffering patients.
字数：435          用时：01:01:33          日期：2008-3-11 1:29:14

   In this memo the arguer suggests dentists should target male consumer and emphasize both anesthetic techniques and sensitivity of their staff to nervous or suffering patients. To support his recommendation, the arguer cites a survey which shows male faint three times more than female. Close scrutiny reveals, however, this recommendation has several logical problems, which make the memo unpersuasive.
    To begin with, all of arguer's assumption is based on an unclear and leaky survey. From the survey, the arguer tells us that male patients faint three times than female by the statistics they collected. The fact that more male patients faint than women from the survey does not necessarily means it is the same situation actually. Only when they collect statistics from equal number of male and female patients, will the result of the survey be persuasive. It is a pity that the arguer has not mentioned exact number of either sex. The arguer fails to rule out the possibility that there are much more male than female of people who take part in the survey. If this assumption is true, the statistics would be meaningless because they cannot stand for the general situation. For example, they collected statistics from a hundred men and ten women. It is not able to lead the arguer's conclusion even there are thirty men and ten women faint.
     Secondly, dentists should pay more attention to attract people who need to have dental work more often than those who are more easily to be distressed. Doctors, including surgeon and dentists, are born to release patients from ailment. If dentists are likely to contact with patients who often faint when they are taking dental work in condition that they have known it before their cure, they will not be called doctors but deathsmen. Excellent dentists should regard those people who are most likely to have teeth illness.
     Thirdly, besides the effectiveness of anesthetic techniques and sensitivity, what dentists should emphasize more are their curative effects. The purpose that patients come is not to enjoy the short-lived anesthetic comfort, so anesthetic is only one aspect when patients choose dentists, not the whole part. Most patients would like to choose a skilled dentist rather than a dentist who is good at anesthetic techniques but a greenhand in dental work.
     To sum up, the arguer fails to give strong evidence to support his recommendation. To strength it, we need more information about the survey, especially the number of both male and female patients who takes part. Unless we get believable statics, the survey cannot be considered seriously as it is supposed to be.