The following appeared in the summary of a study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia.
"Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, for the past several decades, food-processing companies have also been adding salicylates to foods as preservatives. This rise in the commercial use of salicylates has been found to correlate with a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by participants in our twenty-year study. Recently, food-processing companies have found that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives for foods. With this new use for salicylates, we can expect a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of Mentia."
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.




This statement can be considered as a block of swiss cheese. Rife with the flaws and irrational assumptions, it also lacks authentic vitality. The author’s hard line statement that the number of headaches suffered is going to decrease by adding salicylates to food as preservatives can’t be assured due to several reasons.
The author has claimed that the number of reports for headache has declined steadily in 20 years. But we can’t accept this as an evidence as it is open to many other possibilities. Last 20 years had been a crucial era for the science and technology world. Now that the technology has eased many of the things for a common man, people or even a layman can get the solution in an easier and faster way on the internet without taking any appointment from the doctor. The internet has provided such a fast service from a more informed doctor that the cases reported might have decreased eventually.
Additionally, we all know that adding complexities and extraneous chemicals in daily foods is not a very good choice. What about the people not suffering from any kind of headache issues? We all have our own problems, what if the chemical salicylate, added to the food has its severe side-effects on people with other diseases. Is there a genuine study done for that? We can’t bring this into accord until these questions are met with their respective answers.
Also, in contrary to the statement by the author, we also don’t know if the decreasing number of reports is because of the enhancement in medical facilities or this salicylate acid. There is no information given about the population variation of Mentia. It might be true that people of Mentia are moving to the other developed states or the people who experienced headaches quite often, have shifted to a city with better medical treatment opportunities. Without sufficient knowledge of these factors, we can’t get to a conclusion anyhow.
We all agree that headache is a severe issue. And if the addition of chemical salicylate in daily foods offers help and relief to people suffering from headaches, it might be in the best interest of the people. Though the underlying issue may have merits, because of lack of sufficient research and unaddressed assumptions, the author’s arguments is unsubstantiated and deeply flawed. And hence, we can’t reach to a conclusion on the basis of this futile and vague bunch of assuming statements with no pertinent verification.