Franz Heymann wrote:


"sw" wrote in message
...
Over the years I have grown tomatoes and had good success, however I
have
now been told that they are linked to the arthritic feeling I get in
my
hands. I stopped eating them and the feeling went away so there
must be
some truth in the matter. (Mores the pity as I love a freshly picked
tomato)

Can anyone suggest a crop that I can grow next year that will take
up a
similar amount of space and be just as nice picked and eaten
straight off
the plant?

This is what the arthritis foundation says.
http://www.arthritis.org/resources
arthritistoday/1999_archives/1999_09_10elimination_diets.asp



Tomatoes.

My wife is 78 and I am 80. We both eat tomatoes and red peppers daily
as major components of our diet. Neither of us suffers from any
arthritis.
My neighbour is 78 and his wife is 75. They both love tomatoes and he
cultivates them intensively in his greenhouse. Neither of them have
ever complained about arthritis.

Franz

This isn't very good logic as far as I can see. I think it is unliekly that
Tomatoes have a major part in arthritis but your argument is rather like.
The famous Great aunt hypothesis and smoking.

"They say Smoking causes cancer but I had a great aunt who smoked 60 a day
and lived to 90"

ABSENCE OF EVIDENCE IS NOT EVIDENCE OF ABSENCE!

You have too small a sample to be sure of anything.


--
Neil Jones- http://www.butterflyguy.com/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve.