Please help grade argument task

[Wallace Lee]

 

The following appeared in a memo from the director of a large group of hospitals.

"In a laboratory study of liquid antibacterial hand soaps, a concentrated solution of UltraClean produced a 40 percent greater reduction in the bacteria population than did the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During a subsequent test of UltraClean at our hospital in Workby, that hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection 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 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following argument is flawed for numerous reasons. It is assumed that the supply of UltraClean can prevent serious patient infections.

 

The argument fails to provide any correlation between the reduction in the bacteria population and the possibility of serious infections. Serious infections could be caused by certain bacteria and UltraClean may have no effect of eradicate such bacteria, thus making the reduction in bacteria population have nothing to do with the reduction in infection. Had additional survey justified that UltraClean did kill the bacteria which cause serious infections. Even if such is proved, it still cannot necessarily indicates the effect of UltraClean. It is possible that even 60 percent of the origin population is enough to cause infection.

The argument also leaves many other unanswered questions. There’s assumption that the condition of hospital in Workby is totally the same as that of the others hospitals. Population around each hospital may vary vastly. There could be no residents near hospital in Workby and there be numerous residents near hospital elsewhere. In such case, cases of infection in Workby is mostly like to be fewer. Had extra data like the ratio of infection cases to population were showed. 

Finally, the argument claims without warrant that it is the UltraClean that lower the possibility of infection. Suppose the reduction in population can help lower the chance of infection.  It could be the result of concentration rather than UltraClean. The study only provided a vague term ‘a concentrated solution of UltaClean’. Further information is a necessity to show if it is the concentration or it is the UltraClean that help prevent infection. Moreover, exact data of concentration is also vital.

 

Because the argument makes several unwarranted assumptions, it fails to make a convincing case that supplying UltraClean can prevent serious patient infections.

 

31mins