- UID
- 790357
- 在线时间
- 小时
- 注册时间
- 2012-8-5
- 最后登录
- 1970-1-1
- 主题
- 帖子
- 性别
- 保密
|
题目：
The following appeared in a memo from the director of a large group of hospitals.
"In a controlled laboratory study of liquid hand soaps, a concentrated solution of extra strength UltraClean hand soap produced a 40 percent greater reduction in harmful bacteria than did the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During our recent test of regular-strength UltraClean with doctors, nurses, and visitors at our hospital in Worktown, the hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection (a 20 percent reduction) than did any of the other hospitals in our group. Therefore, to prevent serious patient infections, we should supply UltraClean at all hand-washing stations, including those used by visitors, throughout our hospital system."
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.
正文如下：
In the memo above, the director of a large group of hospitals is suggested that UltraClean be supplied at all hand-washing stations throughout the hospital system under the assumption that the UltraClean is much more efficient in reducing bacteria and thereby can prevent serious patient infections. However, the assumptions are not strictly justified with some detailed information unprovided, which leads to the implication in the argument that all hand-washing stations should supply UltrClean not completely proven yet.
The author points out that during a recent test of regular-strength UltraClean at a hospital in Worktown, a report is given, showing greatly fewer cases of patient infection than any of the other hospitals in the group, assuming that the results are caused by the use of UltraClean. However, the logic used in formulating the conclusion is flawed. It is quite likely that the hospital where the test is taken originally has a lower probability of patient infection than any other hospitals in the group due to the hospital's own properties of physical environments, locations and other superior conditions. So it is not sure that the difference in patient infection case number is resulted from the effect of UltraClean, hence the assumption has yet to be demonstrated.
Besides, mentioned in the article is that the UltraClean hand soap in a controlled laboratory produced a 40 percent reduction in harmful bacteria than did the hand soap used in the hospitals. From the comparison above, we clearly find the author overlook the different circumstances where two cases of hand soap use happened, which should really be taken into account when considering the effect of UltraClean hand soap. It is known to all that in the hospital surroundings, the effectiveness of the hand soap may be affected by the physical environments and certain chemical materials which can't be stimulated in a lab. Therefore the UltraClean hand soap might not prove to be as effective in the hospital as in the laboratory.
In addition, even if in the practical test mentioned, the cases of patient infection are truly reduced own to the use of UltraClean, it can't prove any better support for the conclusion that supplying UltraClean in the hospital can prevent serious patient infections in that we are not informed of the severity of the reduced patient infection. What if UltraClean can merely prevent some patient infection which is not so serious that normal remedies can easily solve and is futile to some potential serious patient infection? If this were the case, then the director's suggestion of supplying UltraClean won't work in the case of preventing severe patient infections.
To sum up, the argument is logically defective. The author put forward some assumptions which are not sufficiently proven warranted such as UltraClean is of great use in reducing bacteria and is able to prevent serious patient infections. The suggestions made in the memo may be right, but without some crucial evidence showing the effectiveness of UltraClean, it is just not advisable to supply it throughout the hospital system. To judge whether or not UltraClean can prevent patient infections, a test about its effect implemented in the same environments is necessary and constitute of patient infections should be regarded. |
|
京公网安备11010202008513号 京ICP证101109号 京ICP备12012021号
发表于 2012-8-13 16:24:21
收藏
收藏
