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 discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
The memo from the director of a large group of hospitals argues that the use of regular strength UltraClean hand soap be replaced with extra strength UltraClean hand soap at all hand washing stations throughout their hospitals. The argument is based on the evidence that concentrated UltraClean hand soap solution, in a controlled environment, reduced 40 percent more harmful bacteria than currently used liquid hand soaps and that the hospital at Worktown reported reduced cases of patient infection with the use of regular UltraClean hand soaps. Before the conclusion can be accepted, we need to answer three questions.
To begin with, can the results of an experiment in a controlled situation be applicable to real life as it is? Are the experimental condition and the condition in which the soap will be used in the hospital roughly comparable? The scientists on the controlled experiment probably assumed ideal conditions which are far different from the real situation. In reality, a lot of factors need consideration and the experiment needs to be conducted in a real environment. This will provide the scientists with insights on how the soap performs in reality and also, help them clear any loose ends. So, the experiments should be based on the situation in the hospitals instead of ideal controlled laboratory.
Similarly, Is the reason for the decrease in patient infections in Worktown hospital completely due to the use of UltraClean hand soaps? Isn’t it possible that the hospital takes special care in Patients hygiene and also, maintains strict regulations to prevent visitors without sterilization. For example, the hospital might encourage visitors to disinfect themselves as soon as they enter the hospital to prevent any spread of infection. Similarly, it is possible that the Hospital urges on keeping the hospital clean with regular disinfection in all regions. This strictness might have resulted in such an increase in infection reduction which is not seen in any other hospitals in the group. If the hand soaps were solely acknowledged as the cause of such reduction, other hospitals should have shown a similar level of reduction in patient infection.
Also, the controlled experiment achieved the solution using a concentrated solution of the hand soap. But, it is not clear if the final product will include the same level of concentration of the soap. If the concentration of the soap solution is different from the experiment it is likely that the result fails to achieve the same level of performance as expected by the scientists.
In conclusion, the argument as it stands now doesn’t hold water. Before the given argument can be accepted more evidence is required (possibly, as a detailed analysis report) that clears all the fallacious assumptions and leads to a clear conclusion.
Comments
Essay evaluations by e-grader
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, if, similarly, so, for example, in conclusion, to begin with
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 19.0 19.6327345309 97% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 12.0 12.9520958084 93% => OK
Conjunction : 6.0 11.1786427146 54% => More conjunction wanted.
Relative clauses : 10.0 13.6137724551 73% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 20.0 28.8173652695 69% => OK
Preposition: 65.0 55.5748502994 117% => OK
Nominalization: 34.0 16.3942115768 207% => Less nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2380.0 2260.96107784 105% => OK
No of words: 454.0 441.139720559 103% => OK
Chars per words: 5.2422907489 5.12650576532 102% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.61598047577 4.56307096286 101% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.96579502835 2.78398813304 107% => OK
Unique words: 211.0 204.123752495 103% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.464757709251 0.468620217663 99% => OK
syllable_count: 728.1 705.55239521 103% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 5.0 4.96107784431 101% => OK
Article: 8.0 8.76447105788 91% => OK
Subordination: 5.0 2.70958083832 185% => OK
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 6.0 4.22255489022 142% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 20.0 19.7664670659 101% => OK
Sentence length: 22.0 22.8473053892 96% => OK
Sentence length SD: 55.3268470094 57.8364921388 96% => OK
Chars per sentence: 119.0 119.503703932 100% => OK
Words per sentence: 22.7 23.324526521 97% => OK
Discourse Markers: 3.55 5.70786347227 62% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 0.0 5.25449101796 0% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 14.0 8.20758483034 171% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 3.0 6.88822355289 44% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 3.0 4.67664670659 64% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.356251912778 0.218282227539 163% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.100362304481 0.0743258471296 135% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.112554890895 0.0701772020484 160% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.182752454717 0.128457276422 142% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.147712409166 0.0628817314937 235% => More connections among paragraphs wanted.
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.6 14.3799401198 102% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 49.15 48.3550499002 102% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.9 12.197005988 98% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.41 12.5979740519 106% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.62 8.32208582834 104% => OK
difficult_words: 112.0 98.500998004 114% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 17.5 12.3882235529 141% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.8 11.1389221557 97% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.9071856287 76% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, if, similarly, so, for example, in conclusion, to begin with
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 19.0 19.6327345309 97% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 12.0 12.9520958084 93% => OK
Conjunction : 6.0 11.1786427146 54% => More conjunction wanted.
Relative clauses : 10.0 13.6137724551 73% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 20.0 28.8173652695 69% => OK
Preposition: 65.0 55.5748502994 117% => OK
Nominalization: 34.0 16.3942115768 207% => Less nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2380.0 2260.96107784 105% => OK
No of words: 454.0 441.139720559 103% => OK
Chars per words: 5.2422907489 5.12650576532 102% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.61598047577 4.56307096286 101% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.96579502835 2.78398813304 107% => OK
Unique words: 211.0 204.123752495 103% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.464757709251 0.468620217663 99% => OK
syllable_count: 728.1 705.55239521 103% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 5.0 4.96107784431 101% => OK
Article: 8.0 8.76447105788 91% => OK
Subordination: 5.0 2.70958083832 185% => OK
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 6.0 4.22255489022 142% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 20.0 19.7664670659 101% => OK
Sentence length: 22.0 22.8473053892 96% => OK
Sentence length SD: 55.3268470094 57.8364921388 96% => OK
Chars per sentence: 119.0 119.503703932 100% => OK
Words per sentence: 22.7 23.324526521 97% => OK
Discourse Markers: 3.55 5.70786347227 62% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 0.0 5.25449101796 0% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 14.0 8.20758483034 171% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 3.0 6.88822355289 44% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 3.0 4.67664670659 64% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.356251912778 0.218282227539 163% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.100362304481 0.0743258471296 135% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.112554890895 0.0701772020484 160% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.182752454717 0.128457276422 142% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.147712409166 0.0628817314937 235% => More connections among paragraphs wanted.
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.6 14.3799401198 102% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 49.15 48.3550499002 102% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.9 12.197005988 98% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.41 12.5979740519 106% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.62 8.32208582834 104% => OK
difficult_words: 112.0 98.500998004 114% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 17.5 12.3882235529 141% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.8 11.1389221557 97% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.9071856287 76% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.