The following appeared in an article in a consumer-products magazine:
"Two of today's best-selling brands of full-strength prescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid, Acid-Ease and Pepticaid, are now available in milder nonprescription forms. Doctors have written 76 million more prescriptions for full-strength Acid-Ease than for full-strength Pepticaid. So people who need an effective but milder nonprescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid should choose Acid-Ease."
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The argument that people who need an effective but milder nonprescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid should chose Acid- ease omits some important concerns that must be addressed to substantiate the argument. The fact that doctors have written more prescriptions for full-strength Acid-ease than for full-strength Pepticaid alone does not constitute a logical argument in favor of milder nonprescription Acid-Ease. This certainly does not provide support or proof of the main argument.
It is possible that companies that produce antacid-ease provides incentives to doctors to prescribe their medicine and as result doctors have written more prescriptions for it. Secondly, it doesn't tell us the any details about the patients for whom the doctors have prescribed acid-ease. For example, in the region where study was conducted most of the people having problem of stomach acid might have other chronic diseases such as diabetes which prevents doctors from prescribing pepticaid, as it increases sugar levels. Whereas it is effective in patients with no other disease. On the other hand, it is also possible that the survey covered only doctors of govt. hospitals who are bound to prescribe medication of the acid-ease brand. Most conspicuously, the argument fails to draw any comparison between the milder forms of Acid-ease and pepticaid. It is quite possible that milder form of peptiacid is more effective than acid-ease.
Because the argument leaves out several key issues, it is not sound or persuasive. If it clarifies the above items instead of simply stating that doctors have written more prescriptions for full strength acid-ease, the argument would have been more thorough and convincing.
"Two of today's best-selling brands of full-strength prescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid, Acid-Ease and Pepticaid, are now available in milder nonprescription forms. Doctors have written 76 million more prescriptions for full-strength Acid-Ease than for full-strength Pepticaid. So people who need an effective but milder nonprescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid should choose Acid-Ease."
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The argument that people who need an effective but milder nonprescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid should chose Acid- ease omits some important concerns that must be addressed to substantiate the argument. The fact that doctors have written more prescriptions for full-strength Acid-ease than for full-strength Pepticaid alone does not constitute a logical argument in favor of milder nonprescription Acid-Ease. This certainly does not provide support or proof of the main argument.
It is possible that companies that produce antacid-ease provides incentives to doctors to prescribe their medicine and as result doctors have written more prescriptions for it. Secondly, it doesn't tell us the any details about the patients for whom the doctors have prescribed acid-ease. For example, in the region where study was conducted most of the people having problem of stomach acid might have other chronic diseases such as diabetes which prevents doctors from prescribing pepticaid, as it increases sugar levels. Whereas it is effective in patients with no other disease. On the other hand, it is also possible that the survey covered only doctors of govt. hospitals who are bound to prescribe medication of the acid-ease brand. Most conspicuously, the argument fails to draw any comparison between the milder forms of Acid-ease and pepticaid. It is quite possible that milder form of peptiacid is more effective than acid-ease.
Because the argument leaves out several key issues, it is not sound or persuasive. If it clarifies the above items instead of simply stating that doctors have written more prescriptions for full strength acid-ease, the argument would have been more thorough and convincing.
