Does the numerical reference citation vis-à-vis the author date system do a disservice to readers and authors?

This paper discusses several author-number styles: American Medical Association (AMA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Nature, American Chemical Society (ACS) and Modern Language Association (MLA) and the author-date style American Psychological Association (APA).  The discussion includes their beginning and brief history plus their key features.  The author states his case for preferring the APA and how the author-number styles may eradicate the contributions of some coauthors.  The author advocates for the author-date style of referencing.