Fore the record

Any statistician trying to “concoct compelling truth” without reference to relevant numerical data as David Hollingdale has done (Letters, 25 September) would certainly not be worth his job, let alone his salt.

Forexample,shouldwecompare the number of deaths from heart attacks on golf courses with the number of golfers in a certain age range, with the number of rounds played by these golfers, with the number of hours played etc, and compare these with the relevant data from the population as a whole?

It’s certainly not easy to concoct compelling proof that golfing has a high risk of inducing fatal heart attacks or strokes as Mr Hollingdale claims; in fact, given the accepted relationship of heart attacks with exercise, the opposite is more likely.

(DR) A MCCORMICK

Kirkland Road, Terregles, Dumfries

orbit do affect our climate; they are described as the Milankovitch cycle and are well known to climatologists. Indeed, it is thought that, except for our interference in the climate, the cycle would have taken us into another glaciation (the only beneficial result of global warming).

Global temperatures are rising, as is the level of CO2 in the atmosphere causing that, ice sheets are melting, sea level is rising and the oceans are acidifying.

Refusal to acknowledge all this evidence is perverse. Only ostriches reject evidence that undermines their prejudice. STEUART CAMPBELL Dovecot Loan, Edinburgh