A51 多多批评
51 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."
The arguer concludes in a medical newsletter that all patients with muscle strain would be advised to take antibiotics as part of their treatment .To support this argument, the arguer cites the results of a study of two groups of patients treated with antibiotics and sugar pills separately. But after close scrutiny of this evidence ,the arguer suffers from several problems.
Firstly, there is no evidence to prove that it is the antibiotics, not other factors, affects the recuperation time most in the study .The study is operated by different doctors ,perhaps Dr. Newland who treats antibiotic with his patients has other special treatments and his patients coordinated with him well leading to this group are healed quickly. Besides even though the sugar pills in the other groups can rule out the psychological factors , lacking the evidence that sugar pill itself will not change the recuperation time ,the arguer can not convince me that the results of the study is reliable.
Secondly, the arguer fails to point out that treatment with antibiotics is fit for all patients with muscle stain . The hypothesis of doctors cites that secondary infections may be slow the recuperation of patients with severe muscle stain, but there is no evidence to prove that infections will also affect the patients with slight muscle stain or antibiotics is effective .In addition ,taking antibiotics as part of their treatment may be increased the expenses for treatment, whether all patients can afford it is also a problem.
Thirdly, even assuming the effect of antibiotics is obvious and all patients are willing to use it ,the arguer ignores the side effect and the dangers of abusing antibiotics. Perhaps it may kill some normal and benefit bacteria and disturb the metabolism causing many other severe disease. Without ruling out this possibility, the argument’s conclusion of using antibiotics to all patients with muscle strain is premature at best .
In sum, the conclusion reached in this argument is invalid and probably misleading. To bolster it ,the argument must provide more reliable statistic to prove that antibiotic is useful in reducing recuperation time for all patients with muscle strain. To better assess the argument, I would need more information to prove the safety of antibiotic ,at the same time, it will not cost too much.
[ 本帖最后由 le_le 于 2008-7-13 17:07 编辑 ]
