Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I remember a saying: Don’t eat oysters in months without an “r” in them.

And the Reader’s Digest Family Health Guide/Medical Encyclopedia, copyright 1970, says, “Mussels, clams, and certain other shellfish are dangerous during some seasons of the year. They become poisonous as a result of feeding on microscopic organisms that appear in the ocean during the warm months, particularly in the Pacific.” That is from Page 131, the Keeping Healthy On Your Job and On Your Vacation chapter.

I don’t know if Vibrio parahaemolyticus would be one of the microscopic organisms or not. I had botulism from refrigerated jalapenos I added to cocktail sauce for boiled shrimp. I was the only one in the house who wanted to spice it up.

This will do it for this edition of yesterday’s reference books and the search for answers.

Bonnie Green
Atlanta, Ga.